[UCLA-LUG] gnome startup

[KIRSCH,BRADLEY L]

On Tue, 1 Feb 2000 witten@linux.ucla.edu wrote:

> On Tue, Feb 01, 2000 at 09:55:36AM -0800, KIRSCH,BRADLEY L wrote:
> > I have another basic question for anyone who can help.  After installing
> > redhat 6.1, my linux system would boot into gnome, complete with the
> > redhat logo and login prompt.  Last weekend, however, my system froze, and
> > I was forced to do a hard reset on my machine.  Upon rebooting, my system
> > defaulted into command line mode, and I couldn't startx or initx.
> > Interestingly, my boot disk used to get me into gnome also, but now it too
> > spits me into commmand line mode and I can't/don't know how to start
> > gnome.  For reference, here is the error I get when trying startx, and by
> > the way what is the proper way to get into gnome from the command line?
> > 
> > Fatal server error:
> > 
> > Could not create lockfile in /tmp/.tX0-lock
> > _X11 TransSocketUNIXConnect: Can't connect: errno=111
> > giving up
> > 
> > xinit: Connection refused (errno 111):unable to connect to xserver
> > xinit: No such process (errno 3):server error
> > 
> > Also, everything seems to be fine on startup (ie noninteractive setup
> > shows all OK upon booting) but when I shutdown from commmand-line mode one
> > category shows up failed:
> > 
> > shutdown xfont server [FAILED]
> > 
> > Can anyone offer any advice/tell me how to fix this problem?  Thanks in
> > advance,
> 
> My dad's system had a very similar problem a few days ago. The machine was
> shutdown improperly, and when it came back up, the X font server refused to
> start. You might try running "xfs" as root and then trying to startx. If
> that works, you know what the problem was. If xfs refuses to start, look at
> the error messages that xfs gives you and try to fix what it says is wrong.
> 

I tried to run xfs as root and the screen scrolled down one line, and the
output "warning!" appeared, and the system froze (ie never got any other
output nor another command line). After waiting about five mins to make
sure it was frozen, I ctrl-alt-del to restart, and command line mode pops
up again.  So I tried the tip offered by another user to delete the
lockfile in the /tmp directory, but after logging back in there was no
/tmp directory under "/" !  So then I tried to create one to see if that
was the source of the error, and after making it I rebooted.  Now my
machine looks like it is starting into command line mode, then the drive
is accessed and the screen switches modes (much like it used to when gnome
was working correctly), but alas it is merely a blank screen, which then
switches back and forth between black and a wee bit lighter black
(probably the switching resolutions between command line and gnome), but
nothing else comes up.  No error messages (can't do alt-Fx), no command
line, no gnome. I have to use ctrl-alt-del to shutdown to end the
switching, and again the only thing that FAILED was x font server
shutdown...   Can anyone offer any help? Thanks very much,

Brad Kirsch
bkirsch@ucla.edu