Log in

[nilsA]

Now, here I was happy about my old computer running Kubunu so well.

That is - until yesterday.

Today I can't get in. I get to the log on screen, do the right user + password, and then a short opening screen, a long black screen with a cursor arrow -> and back to the log on screen.

I have tried all the startup options - exctly the same is happening.

What can I do now

[padre999]

Re: Log in

Could it be that the disk is full? If the disk is full and K/Ubuntu can't write anymore to it you get this kind of behavior.

See http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=288948

One solution could be to press ALT+F1 at the login screen, log in and then do a

sudo apt-get clean

which would flush all the packets that you downloaded and installed (doesn't uninstall, just deletes the packets).

[nilsA]

Re: Log in

The ALT-F1 did not work, but I was able to log into the non-graphical mode, and do the cleaning.

So, now I can sort of log in, but what I get is the startup picture and a black window, a console I believe it is called, or a shell? Looks like KDE isn't loading.

[adder]

Re: Log in

try this command in Konsole:
startx

[javierrivera]

Re: Log in

If startx takes you to the same point (that would happen if x are working allright, but there is a kde problem), try to type:

$startkde

And tell us what happens.

Javier.

[padre999]

Re: Log in

The ALT-F1 did not work, but I was able to log into the non-graphical mode, and do the cleaning.

So, now I can sort of log in, but what I get is the startup picture and a black window, a console I believe it is called, or a shell? Looks like KDE isn't loading.

Sorry, that should have been STRG+ALT+F1, it would bring you to another Terminal to the command line.

How did you get to the console? Did you choose at the login screen from the drop down menu to start a non-graphical session? Then you have to switch back to using KDE again at the next log in, as it always uses the session type it used last time...

Otherwise do as javierrivera and adder suggested.

[nilsA]

Re: Log in

Did what javierriveiera told me, and KDE don't start.

Seems I have KDE problem. I get a series of messages, so fast I cannot read them. Remaining on the screen is this:

startkde: shutting down ...
Warning: connect() failed: : No such file
Error: Can't contact kdeinit!
startkde: running shutdown scripts
xprop: unable to open display ''
Usage: xprop

(the rest seems to be explanation as how to use xprop)

[javierrivera]

Re: Log in

You should be able to scroll the screen pressing shift + up arrow.

Does startx work?

There is probably some other error about kdeinit before. You can try to type:

$startkde | grep kdeinit

This should give you only the kdeinit related errors.

Another option is to add a new user and try to startkde from it.

Javier.

[nilsA]

Re: Log in

startX didn't work.

It was suggested I remove /tmp/.X0-lock

Doing this and rebooting, I came straight into KDE.

The first priority is to rescue some files. After one reboot I know it is not all ok yet, so I may be coming back to the problem

[nilsA]

Re: Log in

So, I managed to rescue the most important files

I have tried adding a new user, but that user is just like the old one.

When I try startX, I get:

xauth: creating new authority file /home/nils2/.serverauth.4588
xauth: creating new authority file /home/nils2/Xauthority
xauth: creating new authority file /home/nils2/Xauthority

Fatal sever error:
Server is already active for display 0
If this server is no longer active, remove /tmp/.Xo-lock and start again

Xlib: connection to ":0.0" refused by server
Xllib: invalid MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 key
giving up
xinit: unable to connect to X server
xinit: No such process (errno 3): Server error.

------------------

If I try removing the /tmp/.X0-lock file, I at the first attempt got into KDE.

When closing to reboot, I found that most alternatives for closing down were missing - except reboot.

After that, what I get is into the KDE startup, out of it, and eventually a black screen with a cursor blinking.

So, I'm pretty much stuck here.

[padre999]

Re: Log in

Maybe you should try to reconfigure the Xserver. For that type

sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

Probably you still have to do a

sudo rm /tmp/.X0-lock

afterwards and reboot.

--------------------

When you type "startx" where are you? Did you use ALT+STRG+F1? Then startx should not work. Because Xserver would be running on STRG+ALT+F7 (that's the default session). You can't start Xserver twice...

[javierrivera]

Re: Log in

¿Can you try

sudo /etc/init.d/kdm stop

just before trying to startx?

Sorry, but this seems tricky . I'd bet that X is right, and something is amiss with Kde, but I'm not sure.

The error that you see is tipical when your are trying to start X by hand, and KDM is still runing (kdm is the program that shows the graphical login window). So I can't yet even tell where does the problem lie (in X or in KDE), maybe someone has some quicker way of solving it . This is why I want to be sure that KDM is stopped before trying to startx.

Javier.

[javierrivera]

Re: Log in

The Padre idea will work if it's an Xorg issue.

Javier.

[nilsA]

Re: Log in

¿Can you try

sudo /etc/init.d/kdm stop

just before trying to startx?

Sorry, but this seems tricky . I'd bet that X is right, and something is amiss with Kde, but I'm not sure.

The error that you see is tipical when your are trying to start X by hand, and KDM is still runing (kdm is the program that shows the graphical login window). So I can't yet even tell where does the problem lie (in X or in KDE), maybe someone has some quicker way of solving it . This is why I want to be sure that KDM is stopped before trying to startx.

Javier.

With apologies to the other trying to help, I fell it best to try the ideas of one person at a time.

So, I tried to stop kdm, and after that I can start KDE from the line prompt.

What I cannot do, is close the computer from KDE; I have to go to the line, and reboot from there.

And then I get into the graphical log on screen, proceed to the startup graphic, and a terminal window is opened. KDE is not starting.

[javierrivera]

Re: Log in

In the KDM (graphical login menu) there is a kind of a menu picture on the left of the name and user input boxes.

If you click there a menu will pop-up, select session type, select KDE and login. If it works it should default to kde from now on.

Javier.