X won't start after trying to set up dual monitor

[japhy]

System info:
Kubuntu 7.04 (running on an 8GB partition)
Dell Latitude D600 laptop
Pentium M 1.4GHz
512 MB RAM,
ATI radeon mobile chipset (R250 drivers)

On the first boot after installing 7.04 from the 'alternate' CD, I used the graphical monitor configuration tool to set up an extended desktop on an external CRT monitor and my laptop's LCD. It told me to log out and restart the X server from the menu in kdm. I did that and after briefly seeing the Kubuntu logo and loading bar I got a blank black screen the persisted indefinitely. Everything seems fine in the text consoles (tty1-6). I tried killing kdm and restarting it and rebooting and I get same thing every time. No error messages, text consoles still work fine so I figure nothing's freezing. Just a black screen.

Can I revert to a previous configuration or rerun the script/program that got everything autoconfigured correctly before I changed the settings?

here's my xorg.conf:


# /etc/X11/xorg.conf (xorg X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the /etc/X11/xorg.conf manual page.
# (Type "man /etc/X11/xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
# sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Section "Files"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/misc"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/cyrillic"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/cyrillic"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/Type1"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Type1"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi"
# path to defoma fonts
FontPath "/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/TrueType"
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "i2c"
Load "bitmap"
Load "ddc"
Load "dri"
Load "extmod"
Load "freetype"
Load "glx"
Load "int10"
Load "vbe"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Generic Keyboard"
Driver "kbd"
Option "CoreKeyboard"
Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
Option "XkbModel" "pc104"
Option "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Configured Mouse"
Driver "mouse"
Option "CorePointer"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "Protocol" "ImPS/2"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "true"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Synaptics Touchpad"
Driver "synaptics"
Option "SendCoreEvents" "true"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
Option "HorizScrollDelta" "0"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "ATI Technologies Inc Radeon R250 [Mobility FireGL 9000]"
Driver "ati"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
Option "XAANoOffscreenPixmaps" "true"# Optional if NVIDIA drivers are used
Option "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "true" # see note below
Option "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true" # not work without it on NVidia GForgeMX400 for me
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Generic Monitor"
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "ATI Technologies Inc Radeon R250 [Mobility FireGL 9000]"
Monitor "Generic Monitor"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 1
Modes "1024x768"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 4
Modes "1024x768"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 8
Modes "1024x768"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 15
Modes "1024x768"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1024x768"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1024x768"
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Default Layout"
Screen "Default Screen"
InputDevice "Generic Keyboard"
InputDevice "Configured Mouse"
InputDevice "Synaptics Touchpad"
EndSection

Section "DRI"
Mode 0666
EndSection

Section "Extensions"
Option "Composite" "Enable"
EndSection

[MoonRise]

Re: X won't start after trying to set up dual monitor

Have you tried reconfiguring X with?:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

[japhy]

Re: X won't start after trying to set up dual monitor

yeah, that was it, thanks.

And I found that if you know it autoconfigures correctly and just want it redone 'cause you broke it, you can tell it to only ask you critical questions rather than prompting for each detail in the configuration:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure -p critical xserver-xorg(or whatever other package)

[MoonRise]

Re: X won't start after trying to set up dual monitor

That's the one thing I've loved about this forum and Kubuntu. There always seems to be a reason, a resolution and "happiness"

[FVaiden]

Re: X won't start after trying to set up dual monitor

That's exactly what I have, & I will try the suggestion. However, did that get you to the original settings as after the install, or to the dual monitor? Because dual monitor use is what I'm aiming at.