Xmares


Subject: Xmares
From: Jim Cole (greyleaf@yggdrasill.net)
Date: Fri Oct 08 1999 - 01:25:26 MDT


So, a Netscape/PPP hang results in a toasted filesystem. I finally manage
to, theoretically, fix the filesystem, and I boot away. Login prompt pops
up, X messages start scrolling by, the screen goes dark, login prompt pops
up, X messages start scrolling by, the screen goes dark, login prompt pops
up, .... ad nauseam. No key sequences were recognized, so I couldn't
break out of it. So, I had the pleasure of once again corrupting the
filesystem by shutting down the machine. Too fun.

Eventually I discovered that the server had decided that there were no
longer any valid modes. However, even if that were the case, it seems like
there is still something fundamentally wrong if it is possible to get
caught in a loop like this. Is this maybe something I have screwed up?

Not knowing what else to do, I went ahead and reran Xconfigurator. It
seemed to do its job, but it stuck me at a 16 bit depth (which did
work) even though I have been running at 32 since I installed the system.
When I manually changed it back to 32, X started failing again. So, I
tried Xautoconfig and further broke the broken system. Among other things,
it decided that /etc/X11/X should be linked to a directory rather than an
X server. So I ran Xconfigurator again, and this time it did something
different. Actually asked me what type of monitor I had, and then died
with a message about insufficient video memory or some such. I rebooted
and ran Xconfigurator again; this time it ran as it had the first time and
gave me 16 bit depth again. Being pigheaded I changed it back to 32,
rebooted, and X was again broken. A while later I booted back into Linux,
forgot that I had left the depth at 32, fired up X, and it now worked
fine.

I had reached the "try random things" mode by this time, so this is
probably a horrible explanation of my problems. But does anyone have any
idea about what might have happened to make 32 bit depth start failing and
then later start working again? I didn't do anything to any part of X
before it started flaking out and there were two reboots between my last
change and the time it started working again. Things seem to be OK now,
but I would prefer not to spend another hour and a half cluelessly
rebooting if it happens again. During all of this, No Video Driver was
selected if that is of any significance.

Thanks.

Jim



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