Re: cannot start x server

In article <Lc1193469123287690x11ee730@saturn>, nospam@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (Jamie) wrote:
In <1193458253.635266.69170@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
mdk <leun98@xxxxxxxxx> mentions:
My linux (fedora core 6) previously worked fine. One day after it
booted it went back to the command line login prompt and said 'Failed
to start the X server. The diagnostic output said 'xf86MapVidMem: Fail
to open /dev/mem (no such file or directory). I can't even log in with
correct user/password because it again goes back to login prompt. I
used the rescue disk to boot the system and could eventually log in
and found the /dev/mem does exist.

Anyone can help on this?

First thing.. make sure your filesystem is intact.

If it is (or can be repaired with fsck) and it STILL doesn't work, here is
where to start on the /dev/mem issue:

Check to see the /dev directory is mounted/handled properly from
the perspective of your distribution. (sounds like it isn't, but,
that could be from a corrupt filesystem or something "up the tree" from
udevd)

Could be a problem with 'udevd' (I sort of miss the old days, when
you'd create devices with 'mknod')

When I hear about udev, I start shivering.
I needed to create /dev/modem link.
So, I read the manual for udev and it simply boggled my mind.
It's like a theory of relativity, which to me is theory of
bull***. I spent about an hour reading those reams of
bull*** and still could not figure out how to do the simpliest
thing in the world, create a link.
Finally, I just gave up.

This udev thing is sick.

The way you'd do this is to mount your hard drive partition and navigate
to wherever udevd is started.

Is your /dev mounted as tmpfs ? if so, check into that, etc..

You can also kill the udevd process and create the devices yourself if
you want. (see mknod) but.. next time you fire up udevd, your devices
will probably be clobbered by it.

DEFINETELY clobbered.

Basically, start at the beginning (your init process and all the rats-nest
of "init scripts" and work down from there)

Jamie

--
The most powerful Usenet tool you have ever heard of.
NewsMaestro v. 4.0.4 has been released.

Job list improvements for new installations having no jobs
to begin with.

In some previous releases some class files were missing.
As a result, the program would not run.
Sorry for the inconvenience.

Multi-job support and other important feature additions
and various improvements and optimizations.

Web page:
http://newsmaestro.sourceforge.net/

Download page:
http://newsmaestro.sourceforge.net/Download_Information.htm

Send any feedback to newsmaestroinfo@xxxxxxxx
Your personal info will not be released and your privacy
will be honored.


.

Quantcast