GUI does not start on boot

[ahmadonly]

Dear Linux gurus,

I was using Opensuse 10.3 quite smoothly on my laptop, but yesterday when i started the computer, the GUI doesn't start at all and after doing all the boot up it finish on the command prompt. How should i repair this problem.

[gogalthorp]

Are you using a video driver ie NVIDIA or some other?

Did you update the kernel recently?

If so you must reinstall the driver

You should be able to get back to a GUI if you set the driver to a generic one.

Log in as root
type
init 3 to be sure that all the x processes are stoped
type

sax2 -r -m 0=vesa (0 is a digit, not a letter!)

This should set the driver to the generic vesa driver. now restart X
type
init 5

With any luck that will allow the gui to start. You will then have to reinstall any video driver you want to run.

[ahmadonly]

actually i just tried to installed OpenOffice in the system, and due to some reason it did'nt completed successfully, otherwise i haven't change anything in kernal.

ok, i will try the instructions you have given me. thanks for the prompt reply.

[gogalthorp]

The install may have messed up something in the GUI

How did you install ie via Yast or via some other method?

[ahmadonly]

i installed it through Yast.

[gogalthorp]

I'd try to uninstall it. You can run yast from the command line as root. Just type yast. The text interface is a little awkward just use the tab key to move between functions.

[ahmadonly]

Dear guru,

when i used the command "sax2 -r -m 0=vesa" the message appeared

=================
SaX: your current configuration will not read in

SaX: Wrong module system

SaX: -m Card Nr = Cardmodule [,...]
=======================


but i was able to start GUI with init 5, but on reboot it happens again

[gogalthorp]

Do you have more then one video card??

post the video section in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file.

If it were me I'd consider reinstalling the OS you can save your personal settings and data by telling the installer not to format your partition that contains you /home directory, just mount it as /home

[chill92]

I used Yast to make my system a samba server so I could use windows client data and also made my Suse 9.1 system an NFS server with it. In each case it ran a lot of configuring messages by the screen.

I'm sure Yast messed up your system. It did the same thing to me. Except it also renamed my XF86Conf file to XF86Conf.yast.saved and did not create a new one. It removed one of the X11 links that are required for the manual/command line startx to run, thus breaking mine totally. I have gotten both of them fixed and heavily documented the process flow from the startx point. But it still won't start at boot time. That means Yast modified something else and I did not tell it to turn it off intentionally or accidentally. I have checked all of the run level directories under /etc/init.d and found no script in init.d without a link pointer in the rc.ds. I have checked /etc/ inittab too. Nothing commented by Yast that is related to X.

Maybe it did modify your kernel and mine I haven't checked but will do it now that I have read others opinions. Sorry I didn't really solve the problem for you, but when I do solve it for myself, I will post the entire document I have written. Even though it will be version specific, it may still help others. The SuSe bible I have doesn't explain this process flow at all.

Is there a Yast log somewhere, maybe in /var/log?

Oh yeah, I have attempted to get an account on the XFree website but can't. I have sent that error to their webmaster as the message stated. I have gotten no reply. I wanted to get the latest version and ask them about the process flow.

Later, chill92

Update: in /var/log/YaST/y2log.SuSEconfig I found 3 stanzas identical to below.

Starting SuSEconfig, the SuSE Configuration Tool...
Running in verbose mode.
Running module xdm only
Reading /etc/sysconfig and updating the system...
Executing /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.xdm...
No changes for /etc/X11/xdm/Xservers
No changes for /etc/X11/xdm/Xservers
No changes for /etc/X11/xdm/xdm-config
Finished.

I chose this log because of the time stamp of when my problems started. There are several other logs in that
directory but only 2 for me with conspicious time stamps. This doesn't clear Yast of creating the problem.

I turned SuSe watcher off as well because I don't want any ( more?) unauthorized upgrades that may be part of
the problem.

[chill92]

I got the problem fixed so the GUI login comes up at boot time instead of the command line login. I found it in the Red Hat forums on this site.

Here is the solution:

If startx loads your GUI from the command line, open /etc/inittab file
and replace this line :

id:3:initdefault:

with

id:5:initdefault:

I just put a #sign in front of the id:3: initdefault line and added an id: 5 line.
That way I can change back and forth as I so desire.

chill92