I Can't Start Xfce Anymore

[lomaxx]

Yeah it's my own fault. I was experimenting and removing slim-init from boot-process. I also know that, in order to solve this issue, i could overwrite my SD (from which i boot) with the original root-image. But that way i would lose my complete configuration and also i am expecting to learn more by trying to solve the issue 'manually'.

So the current situation is, that i already reconfigured slim. It's launching properly and i do not see which part is missing. All softlinks in the /etc/rc.?d-directories are set. Also mmenu seems to launch fine from slim. It took me some time to understand how i can make slim manually launch it, but it worked. Just xfce is not willing to show up. It (something) starts loading, then the screen changes to tty1 for a second or two. After that i am back to the slim-login-screen.
So i exit to tty, logged in as user and tried various things. What i do not understand is: Why am i not able to start even "X" (by typing the very same). All i get is the following output:

Fatal server error:
Cannot open log file "/var/log/Xorg.0.log"


Please consult the The X.Org Foundation support 
         at http://wiki.x.org
 for help.

The same goes for "startx" and "xinit" (they show some more output). On the one hand i do understand, that i am not able to open a log at this path, because the rights of the path are set to root only. But on the other hand i can start X this way on my Gentoo-box (at least i tried "startx" or "xinit" and it worked) and there the path has the very same rights.

Launching X as root works. Even xfce shows up, but when i log out, then the system hangs. I still see the wallpaper and am not able to do anything.

Has anyone a clue what the pandorian scheme of launching X is, why i am not able to do this a normal user and what else i could try?

 

[sebt3]

The X server still requiere root to run (should be out for the release).
The X server have been chmod +s for a longh time because of this. This have been removed as this is a security hole. So for now startx is expected to behave this way.
You could recover using "sudo chmod +s /usr/bin/Xorg"

 

[lomaxx]

Alright - i understand to some extend the meaning of the S-bit. But if i understand you right, then this is not the usual setting. Which would be the correct way to run X (or xfce) as a normal user. When i run "sudo startx" then xfce launches, but i am logged in as root (of course). And launching it from slim doesn't work too for me.

 

[lomaxx]

After talking to you on IRC, i tried again to set the +s-bit, then ran /etc/init.d/slim-init, logged in and something hangs. I still see the slim-screen, but without the small box where you enter the name. The output of /var/log/slim.log looks like this:

/usr/bin/xauth:  creating new authority file /var/run/slim.auth


slim: waiting for X server to begin accepting connections
X.Org X Server 1.7.4
Release Date: 2010-01-08
X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0
Build Operating System: Linux 2.6.26-2-amd64 x86_64
Current Operating System: Linux lompado 2.6.27.46-omap1 #1 Thu Aug 26 05:51:59 CEST 2010 armv7l
Kernel command line: root=/dev/mmcblk0p1 rw rootdelay=2 console=tty1 psplash=false vram=6272K omapfb.vram=0:3000K
Build Date: 26 June 2010  01:40:28PM

Current version of pixman: 0.17.12
        Before reporting problems, check http://wiki.x.org
        to make sure that you have the latest version.
Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, (==) default setting,
        (++) from command line, (!!) notice, (II) informational,
        (WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown.
(==) Log file: "/var/log/Xorg.0.log", Time: Fri Oct  1 18:00:30 2010
(==) Using config file: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf"
.
xf86TslibControlProc
xf86TslibControlProc
/usr/bin/xauth:  creating new authority file /home/lomaxx/.Xauthority
pndnotifyd(1499): Operation not permitted
pndnotifyd: no process killed
/usr/bin/startxfce4: X server already running on display :0.0
<stdin>:1:3: error: invalid preprocessing directive #Those
<stdin>:2:3: error: invalid preprocessing directive #or
<stdin>:3:3: error: invalid preprocessing directive #Xft
<stdin>:4:3: error: invalid preprocessing directive #Xft
xrdb:  "Xft.hinting" on line 9 overrides entry on line 6
xrdb:  "Xft.hintstyle" on line 11 overrides entry on line 7
xfce4-session: Unable to access file /home/lomaxx/.ICEauthority: Permission denied
cat: /tmp/gui.load: No such file or directory
rm: cannot remove `/tmp/gui.load': No such file or directory

slim: waiting for X server to shut downxf86TslibControlProc
xf86TslibControlProc
xf86TslibUninit
xf86TslibControlProc

I guess there is some setting ( like a temporary file or entry) missing that confuses a script and then things go nuts.

 

[lomaxx]

It's running. After thousands of tests and tries, it's running again. What was the solution? Good question. The last things i changed that i can remember:

- removed the +s-bit
- removed /tmp/gui*
- chown lomaxx:lomaxx /home/lomaxx/.ICEauthorize
- remove /home/lomaxx/.bash_profile, which was already causing me problems in a different issue (see this thread).
- reboot

Let's see for how long it will do.

 

[sebt3]

After talking to you on IRC, i tried again to set the +s-bit, then ran /etc/init.d/slim-init

The +s bits was only to be able to "startx". and wasn't mean as a fix for your slim problem...

Let's see for how long it will do.

I'm glad you've made it working again