X won't start!

[nipper]

Hi-

I'm using Suse Professional 9.1, and all of a sudden, X won't start when I start my computer, and I'm booted into the command line. Additionally, when I try "startx", I get the following:

-bash: /usr/X11R6/bin/startx: No such file or directory

Also, in the startup log, I see a line that says:

SKipped services in runlevel 5: xdm

This may or not be related, but I started experiencing problems when I installed apt4rpm and Synaptic. First, it wiped out my System entries in K Menu (I'm using KDE), now this. Could it be related?

Any help would be appreciated. I'm about to try and do some sort of rescue with the install CDS, but I wanted to check with the experts first!!

Thanks, Nipper

[fatTrav]

Originally posted by nipper
Hi-

I'm using Suse Professional 9.1, and all of a sudden, X won't start when I start my computer, and I'm booted into the command line. Additionally, when I try "startx", I get the following:

-bash: /usr/X11R6/bin/startx: No such file or directory

that means startx isn't in your path. echo $PATH and look for that x11R6/bin directory. If it's not there you need to modify your .bashrc to include that directory. Here are some path fudges I have in my .zshrc:
PATH=$PATH:/usr/games/bin
PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/pgsql/bin
PATH=$PATH:/usr/X11R6/bin

I don't know about the xdm problem. On my gentoo system I have xdm installed but it's not running.

[nipper]

Thanks. I understand the path issue -- but I've also tried to run startx from the full path (/usr/X11R6/bin/startx) and it doesn't work.

If I try a "whereis startx" I get no responses either.

So I think the path thing is a symptom, but not the problem?

[fatTrav]

is startx in /usr/X11R6/bin ??

[nipper]

I'm kinda embarrassed for not checking that -- no, it's not there.

Is there another way to start x manually?

[nipper]

Could it be a runlevel issue?

[fatTrav]

Crap. 'startx' is starting X manually. I don't see how changing your runlevel would remove startx from /usr/X11R6/bin.

Maybe apt-get screwed some things up really bad. Like trying to replace XFree86 with Xorg and only removing XFree86 and NOT installing Xorg after that. That's my guess as to what happened. Maybe try installing X again though the SuSe yast thing or maybe though apt-get?

[nipper]

Thanks. I had started doing that, and that seemed to do the trick. KDE is a little screwed up (application menu, i.e., "start" button isn't working) but it's getting there.

Yeah, I'm thinking that apt screwed something up big-time -- it's a shame, because I like apt-get, but I'm a little gun-shy now...

Thanks for the help!

Nipper

[fatTrav]

just be careful when you do a a full "upgrade all packages" ;)

[nipper]

I believe that's what I did, so I think you're on to something there. A hard lesson learned...