Serious Linux Problem.

[unL337R4ng3r]

Hello all.

Recently I have had to do a project on O/S's. Since I am the brightest computer student my report is big because I am sooo interested in it. I decided to do Linux since it was an O/S I had no experience with. Any very good rare or unknown info would be aprreciated.

Anyway;
Today I installed Mandrake Linux 8.0. Being an inquistive programmer I played with it for bit changing stuff. I restarted my computer after I got bored and wanted to change the KDE desktop back to GNOME. When it started it went through the GUI loading screen correcting one or two errors. It then goes back to the Command line user interface as usual but then stops and says "respawning X to many times: delayed for 5 minutes" after 5 minutes it prints the same message again. I spent an Hour waiting for something to happen but nothing did. It just continued re printing the message over and over after every 5 minute interval. Also things started dropping on the floor off my C drive. Data has been completely dissapearing.

Can somebody please help me.

Thankyou

UN-L337-R4ng3R

[petemcevoy]

Sounds like your X configuration is messed up - run x86config or if you find that too daunting, boot from the mandrake cd and run an update, if your graphics card isn't too exotic mandrake should do the majority of your configuration for you.

I'm curious about your "c drive", linux doesn't use the same naming conventions for drives, if its an ide hard disk on the first ide channel it would be hda1, i can only guess that your dual booting and experiencing corruption on your windows partition, i wouldn't put this down to linux, probably a windows thing.

Another thing, you say you were bored and thats why you wanted to swap window managers - how could you be bored the first day you installed linux?!! Forget the gui's and concentrate on getting to grips with the command line - there's a steep learning curve but its worth it in the end.

One final point - i wouldn't bother saying how your the brightest student and an inquisitive programmer when posting - its kind of oxymoronish when you say that and then ask some pretty daft questions.

[papercut]

Mandrake 8.0 is also a pain in the arse to install on laptops or at least compaqs, kDE just install correctly with the laptops hardware it seems for some odd reason my screen resolution is awfull and is divided up into four sections, it is most likley something i am doing wrong but i have installed it without error on multiple desktops

[petemcevoy]

papercut said:
Mandrake 8.0 is also a pain in the arse to install on laptops or at least compaqs, kDE just install correctly with the laptops hardware it seems for some odd reason my screen resolution is awfull and is divided up into four sections, it is most likley something i am doing wrong but i have installed it without error on multiple desktops

Undoubtedly there's a problem with your configuration, do a search on google for "linux laptop" and you'll find plenty of sites to help.

[unL337R4ng3r]

Thanx Alot guys.
Also Sorry for the oXymoron

[jparker[]]

Mandrake is a pain to begin with.. not to mention KDE is the second most bloated Window manager in existance, second only to Enlightenment..
Anyway.. Ya, you're X Config is incorrect. Fix it, them rm -rf /usr/X11. You don't need it.

..and a minor correct on the naming convention, if it were a master IDE drive on the primary channel, it would be referred to as "hda", the numeric afterward represents the partition number, thus, hda2 would also reference the master drive on the primary channel.

[Gobinjf]

Originally posted by unL337R4ng3r
Thanx Alot guys.
Also Sorry for the oXymoron

Maybe you can also have a look into /var/log, there should be something named kde-errors.log or something like that.

On my system (running xdm), have xdm-error.log and on my HP box, same stuff.

Anyway, when asked to learn, no question is stupid.

Jean-Francois

[8trak]

Alright,
First of all, I wouldnt reccomend actually running xf86config, cause it tends to make things worse (my opinion), but you can do exactly the same things that the program does by hand.

Start by backing up /usr/X11/XF86Config
then edit it as text (i reccomend joe for a text editor if you have it)
you could always use vi... (groossssssse)
just change any values that you this might be amis.

The file that controls default window managers and such is usually called xinitrc or .xinitrc , id suggest giving that file a look.

As for the files dissappearing... this is a very, VERY bad thing!
I assume that you had the entire hard-drive partitioned for fat32 before you installed linux... To me, this sounds like a partition overlap. If that is the case, you will probably have to re-partition and re-format. yeah... crappy.

Are linux and windows on the same drive?

-8trak

P.S.
Hey ppl, what decides if your a junior, a member, or a senior, is based solely on how long you've been registered?

[Neophyte]

Originally posted by jparker
Mandrake is a pain to begin with.. not to mention KDE is the second most bloated Window manager in existance, second only to Enlightenment..
Anyway.. Ya, you're X Config is incorrect. Fix it, them rm -rf /usr/X11. You don't need it.

Alrighty then...Why are you so anti anything to do with *nix X-win systems? It seems to be a reoccuring subject for you. Did the little penquin **** in your shoe last night or something?

[Louie]

vi is an awesome text editor if you have a clue to what you are doing.