[SOLVED] XServer won't load - Ubuntu 8.10

[skypilott2]

I am new to Linux, and have now installed Ubuntu to 2 of my (previously) Windows computers, and like the look and feel of this operating system very much.
Recently my AMD64 workstation running the 64-bit copy of Ubuntu 8.10 failed to boot, giving me the following screen after loading 'Timidity++':

"Failed to start the XServer (your graphical interface). It is likely that it is not setup correctly. Would you like to view the Xserver output to diagnose the problem?

I am using a NVidia 6800 GT video card. When I open the log, it reports that it can't find a valid framebuffer device.

Also during post I notice a large number of I/O buffer errors on sda1. Is this significant?

Any help on resolving this issue without reinstalling the OS would be appreciated.
Thanks,
skypilott2

[skypilott2]

Okay, in researching this issue, I found this solution:
- I hit CTL+ALT+F1 to bring up prompt after post
- Typed "sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg"
-Then typed "sudo /etc/init.d/gdm start"

Though I got a message saying that the GDM was starting, it never actually did. I then typed 'StartX', and lo and behold, I am back to my desktop.

New problem:
I updated Firefox from 3.0.5 to 3.0.6, but get the same issue as before:

When I bring up the Welcome to NVIDIA - World Leader in Visual Computing Technologies website, the browser crashes, and just won't load this site?

Anyone with help on this problem?
Thanks,
skypilott2

[D-cat]

A few possible suggestions:

1) Install add-ons for Firefox Adblock-Plus and NoScript

failing that:

2) Try a different graphic browser, like Opera or Epiphany (get from synaptic)

3) Try a text browser in a terminal (w3m or lynx, usually one is installed)

I realize 2 & 3 don't fix firefox, but temporary work-arounds are what I'm good at. If you don't mind losing all your Firefox settings and stuff, you can delete the ~/.moxilla/firefox directory (while Firefox is not loaded). Then when you start firefox, everything should be brought back to defaults. May or may not work, but if it doesn't, it's probably a Firefox problem beyond the scope of this thread.

[devils casper]

New problem:
I updated Firefox from 3.0.5 to 3.0.6, but get the same issue as before:

When I bring up the Welcome to NVIDIA - World Leader in Visual Computing Technologies website, the browser crashes, and just won't load this site?

Anyone with help on this problem?

Did you install Nvidia Driver through Hardware Drivers option in Menu?
64bit OSes doesn't support Flash and it could be the reason of Firefox crash but I am not sure about it.
Try to rename .mozilla folder in your /home folder.
Close Firefox and execute this in Terminal :

cd 
mv .mozilla mozilla.bak

Restart Firefox.

[skypilott2]

D-cat,
Installing Adblock-Plus did not fix the problem.
Installing NoScript allowed the nVidia home page to stay up, but since scripting was disabled, I could not access the drivers page.

I would like to update my nVidia driver to the latest for the GeForce 6800 GT, which is v180.22. However, being new to Linux, it seems very difficult, as I need to stop XServer, change init level, run as root, etc.
Is their an easier way to install the package?

[skypilott2]

devils casper,
Finally I took your suggestion and renamed .mozilla, after which Firefox was reverted back to ver 3.05 from 3.06.
However, still have a problem with the nVidia home page...

I think my problem is due to nVidia driver problem as I stated above to D-cat, and am trying to upgrade my drivers.
Now when I bring up Sysinfo and select NVidia, I get the following message:
"You do not appear to be using the nVidia X driver. Please edit your X configuration file (just run nvidia-xconfig as root) and restart your X server.
When I enter these commands:
cd
sudo sh nvidia-xconfig

I get message about 'file not found'.
Where exactly is this config file?

[skypilott2]

I was able to upgrade my nVidia drivers from 177 to 180 by running the nvida-xconfig command using gksudo instead of sudo. This utility reported an error, but upon stopping and restarting XServer, my original nVidia drivers loaded, after which I simply ran the update to get the newer drivers.
Obviously, as a newbie to Linux, I can't remember all the steps I took, but since loading the nVidia drivers, all problems with Firefox crashing, etc have been resolved.
Thanks to all for assistance.
-skypilott2