On Thu, 13 May 2004 07:02:55 -0400
Bob Chiodini <chiodr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Wed, 2004-05-12 at 22:49, Karl L wrote:
> >
> > Comparing the files in the two directories I find that .Xclients is missing from the /root directory so I'm following that lead. I'll look
> > for information on this to see if it has any significance.
> >
> > At least this accounts for the difference in treatment of root and
> > user911 by the X interface. What caused it and how to fix it remains
> > to be addressed. Any suggestions?
> >
> > Karl L
>
> Karl,
>
> I do not have a .Xclients file in my /root directory either, and root
> does not have a problem logging into X. What's in ~user911/.Xclients?
>
> Exactly what happens when you try to log in to X as root? Does the
> screen go blue for a short period and then back to the login dialog?
>
> Anything significant in /var/log/XFree86.0.log?
>
> If you switch to runlevel 3, can you log in as root? If so, what errors
> does startx emit? The last few lines of output at the terminal should
> be some kind of error message.
>
> As a last resort: While still logged in as root on runlevel 3 delete
> all of the hidden (.) files and directories in /tmp. Caveat: I've
> never had to do this for root, usually it's a user who cannot login, but
> it's worth a try.
>
> Bob...
>
>
>
1. The file .Xclients isn't involved in the problem as you can see from
its contents:
#!/bin/bash
# Created by Red Hat Desktop Switcher
if [ -e "$HOME/.Xclients-$HOSTNAME$DISPLAY" ]; then
exec $HOME/.Xclients-$HOSTNAME$DISPLAY
else
exec $HOME/.Xclients-default
fi
I put a copy in /root and the only result was that I got the '10-second'
warning when I tried to login as root, blocking further access.
2. The only warning in XFree86.log is:
WW Open APM failed (/dev/apm_bios) No such device.
No surprising.
3. Switched to run-level 3 and login as root was normal, further
implicating X in the problem (if there was any doubt by now)
4. Before I try your suggested last resort, I'm going to install
the latest version of XFree86 (I have 4.3 now but 4.4 is out) and
if that doesn't help I'll check with the XFree86 list to see what
the gurus there have to say. Whatever happens I'll come back to
this list to report.
I thank you and the others who have made suggestions here for your
assistance. By now I have some perspective on this and have learned
a lot more about X than I knew when it started (and dare I admit that
I'm even enjoying the hunt even though I'm about to try a fix with
the equivalent of a nuke?).
Regards,
Karl L
