kde3.1 freezes at splash: setting up interprocess communication

[andy rayner <rayner@centurytel.net>]

hello, using woody with kde3.1 from source I can't get beyond the splash 
screen. .xsession-errors reports:
-------------------------------------------------------
kdeinit: Shutting down running client.
_KDE_IceTransmkdir: Owner of /tmp/.ICE-unix should be set to root
DCOPServer up and running.
_IceTransmkdir: Owner of /tmp/.ICE-unix should be set to root
WARNING: KDE detected X Error: BadDrawable (invalid Pixmap or Window 
parameter) 9
  Major opcode:  14
WARNING: KDE detected X Error: BadDrawable (invalid Pixmap or Window 
parameter) 9
  Major opcode:  14
X Error of failed request:  BadWindow (invalid Window parameter)
  Major opcode of failed request:  7 (X_ReparentWindow)
  Resource id in failed request:  0x400012
  Serial number of failed request:  51650
  Current serial number in output stream:  51746
QFile::open: No file name specified
Couldn't open
kdesud: ERROR: Fatal IO error, exiting...
kdeinit: Fatal IO error: client killed
kdeinit: sending SIGHUP to children.
KLauncher: Exiting on signal 1
kdeinit: sending SIGTERM to children.
kdeinit: Exit.
-------------------------------------------------------
I've removed old .DCOP* files, tried running it as root
same problem.
thanks in advance, Andy