Re: problem with X Windows
On Friday 11 March 2005 01:57 pm, Max AtYahoo wrote:
> I'm installing Linux for the first time. I used the
> netinst, with the desktop package in tasksel.
> Everything seemed to go fine.
>
> There didn't seem to be any X Window system installed,
> though, so I started doing apt-get x-window-system,
> apt-get x-window-system-core, and a few others (and I
> think this is where I went wrong...).
Max,
Nothing went wrong. You installed the x-window-system and that is all you
have now. What you need to get anything else besides the basic X desktop is
something called a window manager or a Desktop Environment. apt-get install
gnome-desktop-environment, or kde will give you the two most popular. you
can also try fluxbox, openbox, and xfce4 to name ONLY a few. You might also
consider apt-get install gdm (gnome display manager) or kdm (kde display
manager) if you want more then one wm/de to switch back and forth with. So
instead of typing "startX" you would do /etc/init.d/gdm(or kdm) to go into
the gui. When you install gnome or kde, they (IIRC) will install gdm and kdm
respectively. If you install gnome and kde, it (dpkg) will ask you which is
your defualt graphical login manager, xdm, gdm, or kdm. I prefer (fwiw) gdm
as it seems easier to configure to me, but kdm works fine also.
Hope this helps!
> Anyway, now I get the graphical login, but after that
> I just see the default X Win "desktop" pattern and the
> "X" cursor. I can get a few menus by clicking the
> left button and both buttons, but if I move the mouse,
> the menu disappears, and I can't select anything.
>
> That's about it - I can't get it to do anything else.
>
> Control-alt-backspace does kill the xserver, but it
> just sends me back to the graphical login.
>
> So:
> 1.) How do I get back to the text prompt so I can do
> something again?
> 2.) How should I have installed things so that I don't
> have this problem again?
>
> Thanks!
>
>
>
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--
Damon L. Chesser
damon@damtek.com
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