startup/error logs for X Windows System

[fiache]

Can someone please tell me what file to look in to see the error log from an X Windows System Load? When I exit the X Windows System I see a page of errors and warnings and would like to look at it. Of course as soon as someone points out the log file to me I'm going to be back with a whole new list of questions.... :D

[aph3x]

look in your ~/.xerrors file (or something lie that)

[fiache]

aph3x -- I found an xsession-errors file but it didn't contain much, just two errrors about the X display breaking. Thats not what I was looking for, but thanks. Is there any other location or file that I could look through? Thanks

F.

[aph3x]

try this instead:

user$ startx > filename

this will output everything shown on stdout during the x server startup into the file filename. then just view the file with a text editor...

[fiache]

Ok I tried that, typing "startx > /tmp/x.text" what did I do wrong? Thanks for your time.

F.

[aph3x]

i dont know what you mean by "what did i do wrong?"... open the file with a text editor, like pico:

user$ startx > /tmp/x.error
user$ pico /tmp/x.error

hope that helps :D

[fiache]

I did all that and the file was empty. When I looked at it with ls -l it showed 0 length.

Still confused ...

F.

[dante_d]

Ok I tried that, typing "startx > /tmp/x.text" what did I do wrong? Thanks for your time.


I assume you want to output to directory tmp off of the directory you executed the command in.

In that case, try:
startx > tmp/x.text

What you tried would only work if there was a /tmp directory off the root.

[fiache]

dante_d -- I tried it as "/tmp/xtext" and as "xtext" There is a directory tmp off of the / directory, so that should have worked. but in each case I got a zero length file. :(
Do I need to capture the StdError as opposed to StdOut? Thanks for your time.

F.

[fiache]

Well regardless of how the above works, I tried a thing. I created a user account, logged in as the user and started X. The desktop came up no problem (at least as far I as I could tell). So there is something wrong in the X setup for the root account. Where do I find user specific files for X?

Agains thank you all for your input even if I'm not clever enough to work it all out.

F.

[fiache]

Here is the xsession-error file for user:


SESSION_MANAGER=local/localhost.local:/tmp/.ICE-unix/617,tcp/localhost.local:1024
subshell.c: couldn't get terminal settings:

^^ What does this mean? And how do I fix it?

Inappropriate ioctl for device
libpng warning: Ignoring bad adaptive filter type
libpng warning: Ignoring bad adaptive filter type
libpng error: incorrect data check
convert: Ignoring bad adaptive filter type.
convert: Ignoring bad adaptive filter type.
convert: incorrect data check.

^^ As above, how do I fix? What does it mean?

** WARNING **: No Debian menus found!

Gtk-CRITICAL **: file gtkstyle.c: line 616 (gtk_style_unref): assertion `style->ref_count > 0' failed.

GnomeUI-WARNING **: Could not open help topics file NULL

Gdk-WARNING **: GdkWindow 0x30008d2 unexpectedly destroyed

Gdk-WARNING **: GdkWindow 0x30008d1 unexpectedly destroyed

Gdk-WARNING **: GdkWindow 0x30008d0 unexpectedly destroyed

Gdk-WARNING **: GdkWindow 0x30008cf unexpectedly destroyed

Gdk-WARNING **: GdkWindow 0x30008cd unexpectedly destroyed

Gdk-WARNING **: GdkWindow 0x30008cc unexpectedly destroyed

Gdk-WARNING **: GdkWindow 0x30008c9 unexpectedly destroyed

Gdk-WARNING **: GdkWindow 0x30008ca unexpectedly destroyed

Gdk-WARNING **: GdkWindow 0x30008cb unexpectedly destroyed

Gdk-WARNING **: GdkWindow 0x30008c8 unexpectedly destroyed

Gdk-WARNING **: GdkWindow 0x30008c6 unexpectedly destroyed

Gdk-WARNING **: GdkWindow 0x30008c1 unexpectedly destroyed
rm: cannot remove `/home/user/.gnome//gmc-IgvsMJ': No such file or directory

^^ Why is it trying to remove this?

OK I hope someone out there is able to read through and understand this, and then of course help me resolve the problems that appear here.

As an aside I still am unable to get any output using the command "startx > start-messages", X will start but I get a zero length file named start-messages in any directory that I try to save it too. So still -- Help!
Thanks in advance.

F.

[dante_d]

Do I need to capture the StdError as opposed to StdOut?

Yes. I just did this on my box:

startx 2> startx_output

Make sure there's no space between 2 and >.

The file startx_output in my home directory displays everthing that went by on the screen (which is where STDERROR would go by default, if I'm not mistaken).

My output from this is mostly informational, and has a couple errors that startx 'fixes' when it launches.

I'm afraid your xsession-errors file is over my head. :confused:

I notice you mentioned you can run X as a user, but not as root. Since you should only be performing administrative tasks as root, you can probably run whatever graphical tool you wanted to run as root from a regular users X session. Most of them will just prompt you for the root password when you launch them. I personally never run X as root. I know that's not an answer, but I hope capturing the standard error on startx I pointed out helps.

[dante_d]

fiache, I just checked your weblink in your profile, you may not want to look at MY profile :p

Seriously, I have two Marines on my fire support team, and they are definitely 'go-to' soldiers.

semper fi

[fiache]

dante_d -- Yes, I was trying to capture stdOut not stdError. So that makes me feel better, I was beginning to think that everyone else was keeping something from me, and that I was just too dense to catch on. So thanks.
As to running X as root, I feel that if the designers say it can be done, then I should be able to do. Mostly I'm lazy, and don't want to keep su'ing to root everytime I want to run a configuration function.
As to your profile, we are all on the same side. BTW, I dropped you an E. Gotta go...

F.