root may use X but not user?

[lugoteehalt]

Just installed Debian Etch and then did apt-get install x-window-system and it installed a vast load of stuff. Root may use X but not me. For me X starts and then exits. It's not obvious what is wrong - there do not seem to be any pertinent error mesages.


What X says after it's exited:
Current Operating System: Linux debian 2.6.18-4-686 #1 SMP Mon Mar 26 17:17:36 UTC 2007 i686
Build Date: 04 April 2007
Before reporting problems, check http://wiki.x.org
to make sure that you have the latest version.
Module Loader present
Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, (==) default setting,
(++) from command line, (!!) notice, (II) informational,
(WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown.
(==) Log file: "/var/log/Xorg.0.log", Time: Tue Jul 10 12:44:03 2007
(==) Using config file: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf"
(EE) AIGLX: Screen 0 is not DRI capable
xkb_keycodes { include "xfree86+aliases(qwerty)" };
xkb_types { include "complete" };
xkb_compatibility { include "complete" };
xkb_symbols { include "pc(pc105)+gb" };
xkb_geometry { include "pc(pc105)" };
Synaptics DeviceInit called
SynapticsCtrl called.
Synaptics DeviceOn called
Synaptics DeviceOff called

waiting for X server to shut down FreeFontPath: FPE "/usr/share/fonts/X11/misc"
refcount is 2, should be 1; fixing.

(Works with root, only differance is 'xinit: connection to X server lost.' above the 'waiting for X' line.)


Output of stat for "/usr/share/fonts/X11/misc" above file, although this file is alright for root:
lugo@debian:~$ stat /usr/share/fonts/X11/misc
File: `/usr/share/fonts/X11/misc'
Size: 20480 Blocks: 40 IO Block: 4096 directory
Device: 303h/771d Inode: 141857 Links: 2
Access: (0755/drwxr-xr-x) Uid: ( 0/ root) Gid: ( 0/ root)
Access: 2007-07-10 12:37:14.000000000 +0100
Modify: 2007-07-10 12:37:14.000000000 +0100
Change: 2007-07-10 12:37:14.000000000 +0100





xorg.conf file:
# /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 "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" "pc105"
Option "XkbLayout" "gb"
EndSection

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

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Synaptics Touchpad"
Driver "synaptics"
Option "SendCoreEvents" "true"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
Option "HorizScrollDelta" "0"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Generic Video Card"
Driver "vesa"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Generic Monitor"
Option "DPMS"
HorizSync 28-51
VertRefresh 43-60
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "Generic Video Card"
Monitor "Generic Monitor"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 1
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 4
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 8
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 15
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
EndSection

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

Section "DRI"
Mode 0666
EndSection


Thanks any help.

[saikee]

Don't think I have a solution but the error message
AIGLX: Screen 0 is not DRI capable
seems to be similar to my case when I was fiddling with one /home partition for several Linux resulting the loss of X.

I never bottom it out but I think it has to do with the X settings not matching the user uid and gid.

I think in your case it is possible that the upgrade/install of X may have invalidated the X windows settings resulting X nor available to the user.

There is a good possibility you may be able to "adduser" a new one and log in to the X with it. Can't vouch it works on Debian but Red Hat seems to give the X back to the new user in my case.

[WhiteKnight]

user not in video group?

[lugoteehalt]

Thanks saikee and WhiteKnight. Fraid I was being a bit thick - it was something simple.

I think it was that was using the old .xsession file. This ended with 'exec enlightenment', so when it couldn't start enlightenment (it hadn't been installed) X simply shut down in the normal way. Hence no error messages. Root didn't have a .xsession file, or a new one.

[acid45]

I don't know anything about Debian, but in slackware 10 after a fresh install I would have to run xorgconfig for my specific user. Since Slackware 11 I just set up a user, his home dir, make him owner of said dir and run startx, or set the default runlevel to start X.

Root cannot use X by default in slackware since slackware 10.0. I actually think they started making a pop-up message in slackware 9. I know, this isn't very useful.

[saikee]

Root cannot use X by default in slackware since slackware 10.0.

Is this true?

I have installed Slackware 12 recently and noticed it has an opposite arrangement to Ubuntu.

Ubuntu setups a user account but not root.

Slackware setups root account automatically and no question asked about a user account. I startx and dive into X, head first.

I think Slackware, Fedora, Mandriva can all log in as root to the GUI. Slax, an offshoot of Slackware, always arranges root log in to GUI too.

[acid45]

I don't know about 12 but i know slackware 10 and 11 never let me run X as root
and in 9 it had a prompt about bing a bad idea to run x as root. in the code that created the prompt it said something about "just being an annoyance and not actually saving anyone any hassle"


I'm currently trying to upgrade to 12 and cannot get my kernel to 2.6 so I don't know.

When I do a fresh install the first thing I do is create a dir "username"
create "username" give password set home dir assign owner and group of home dir of "username" log out and log in as user and use su root from then on

But I always get a message "no such file" when I run startx, although I never did try /usr/X11R6/bin/startx

[saikee]

Come to think about it the major distro families that refuse root to GUI are

Debian family
Ubuntu family (also a Debian)
Knoppix family (another Debian)
OpenSuse

I believe Slackware/Red Hat (Fedora)/Mandriva (Mandrake)/Slax/Gentoo/Mepis... all happy to see root in the desktop. Some distros bring up a red screen to warn danger using root in GUI and others show skull and cross bone as sign of danger.

[lugoteehalt]

Come to think about it the major distro families that refuse root to GUI are

Debian family
Ubuntu family (also a Debian)
Knoppix family (another Debian)
OpenSuse
Au contraire: I'm using Debian Etch (origional post was about its install) it's the latest stable release, it allows root to use X. Agree it probably shouldn't.