X11 running 98% of CPU...huh?

[Shai_Hulud]

After trying about 9 other distros, Debian finally installed (I'd had Ubuntu before, but on my older HDD which is now RIP) after a 31-hour wait. Ubuntu ran smooth, quick, and snappy - better than Windows. No surprise. Debian, however, is so slow as to be useless (Ubuntu failed to install). After waiting TWO HOURS for it to open, the resource monitor tells me that X11 is drawing 98% of my CPU's capacity. WTF.

I'm running a 5-yr-old Dell w/ P4 2.8GHz, 1GiB RAM, 120GB HDD, 256MiB ATI GFX card, no sound, Intel 10/100 eth0, Netgear WPN111 (not up yet, can't run synaptic to get ndiswrapper).

I ran apt-get update && apt-get upgrade to see if the stuff on the CD was causing the problem, but no-go.

What could possibly cause X to suck up 98% of a 2.8GHz CPU?

(I'm so horribly tired of trying to get this to work. I haven't been able to do my job [web developer - I need a dev box b/c of my company's $#^$#^ing firewall] in more than 2 weeks because my server's been dead)

Has anyone seen anything like this?

[iwanabeguru]

Hi i think you are using the wrong driver, i think your xorg uses vesa driver try change it to ati or radeon or install the ati proprietary driver i guess it's exist in package.

and post your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file if you can

[Shai_Hulud]

It -seems- to already be using the ati driver (AFAIK)

xorg.conf:

# /etc/X11/xorg.conf (xorg X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the /etc/X11/xorg.conf manual page.
# (Type "man /etc/X11/xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
# sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Section "Files"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/misc"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/cyrillic"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/cyrillic"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/Type1"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Type1"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi"
# path to defoma fonts
FontPath "/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/TrueType"
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "i2c"
Load "bitmap"
Load "ddc"
Load "bitmap"
Load "ddc"
Load "dri"
Load "extmod"
Load "freetype"
Load "glx"
Load "int10"
Load "vbe"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Generic Keyboard"
Driver "kbd"
Option "CoreKeyboard"
Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
Option "XkbModel" "pc104"
Option "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Configured Mouse"
Driver "mouse"
Option "CorePointer"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "Protocol" "ImPS/2"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "true"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "ATI Technologies Inc RV350 AR [Radeon 9600]"
Driver "ati"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "LL-172C-B"
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "ATI Technologies Inc RV350 AR [Radeon 9600]"
Monitor "LL-172C-B"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 1
Modes "1280x1024" "1152x864" "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "720x400" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 4
Modes "1280x1024" "1152x864" "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "720x400" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 8
Modes "1280x1024" "1152x864" "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "720x400" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 15
Modes "1280x1024" "1152x864" "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "720x400" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1280x1024" "1152x864" "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "720x400" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1280x1024" "1152x864" "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "720x400" "640x480"
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Default Layout"
Screen "Default Screen"
InputDevice "Generic Keyboard"
InputDevice "Configured Mouse"
EndSection

Section "DRI"
Mode 0666
EndSection

[iwanabeguru]

what is the type of your card?
try chnge the driver to radeon
check the installed packages for mesa packages

dpkg -l | grep mesa

try reinstall xorg

i have no more ideas

[kevkim55]

Anything suspicious in /var/log/Xorg.0.log ?

[Shai_Hulud]

I tried the Radeon driver, and even double-checked with ATI customer service (one of their reps is a Linux user, too). I checked all of the logs, and can't find a thing. It's just so strange because the exact same setup worked beautifully w/ Ubuntu. But, it's no big deal, this box is primarily a server, any way. I was just hoping for a GUI to make wi-fi config a little easier.