----- Forwarded message from Dale Scheetz <dwarf@polaris.net> -----
From: Dale Scheetz <dwarf@polaris.net>
To: Branden Robinson <branden@deadbeast.net>
Subject: Problem with X after upgrade to potato
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 10:55:39 -0500 (EST)
Delivered-To: branden@localhost.deadbeast.net
Delivered-To: branden@deadbeast.net
X-Sender: dwarf@dwarf
In-Reply-To: <20001212180409.B28271@deadbeast.net>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.21.0012131038100.32465-100000@dwarf>
If you noticed my clumsy postings about my potato upgrade, you will
understand that I have only recently gotten apt-get to do a complete
potato upgrade. As a result, I am recieving a new behavior from X that is
a real bummer.
When working in X, I am often switching back to a console VC, and then
returning back to the X VC when done at the console. After the upgrade,
often, but not always, switching back to the X server's VC will cause the
server to restart. It doesn't always happen, but it happens often enough
to make doing honest work very difficult. (restarting mozilla is a real
yawn)
Now, from what little I understand of X, this could be a problem with xdm,
the xserver itself, the window manager, or possibly even a kernel
interaction over VC switching signals. I haven't the foggiest idea where
to look, or how to approach this problem.
I can give you some gut instincts, based on this machines past
performances with X. I suspect there is some kind of hardware glitch in my
graphics card, but I don't have the resources to swap for another.
(poverty sucks)
In the past (I've owned this machine for almost 4 years now), I've had a
different problem with X. On very rare occasions, clicking the mouse would
cause a section of the screen to go to garbage (like static on the TV) in
a small band around the mouse pointer. Each successive click made the
screen uglier, however, the functions still worked well enought to log xdm
out and restart the server. It would always come back up clean. (my C
experience suggests a misplaced pointer, writing mouse data over screen
memory, but it could be many other things as well)
I don't know if this is related, but, the gpm server, on rare occasions
goes belly up, and the only way I can fix it is to re-install gpm. This
also suggests hardware flakeyness, but could just as easily be the result
of a race condition within gpm.
What I wish, is that I could afford that neat new IBM machine with the
flat screen and the machine built into the screen base, but I don't have
the 4 grand...
Any suggestions on my X problem would be greatfully appreciated.
Thanks,
Dwarf
--
_-_-_-_-_- Author of "The Debian Linux User's Guide" _-_-_-_-_-_-
aka Dale Scheetz Phone: 1 (850) 656-9769
Flexible Software 11000 McCrackin Road
e-mail: dwarf@polaris.net Tallahassee, FL 32308
_-_-_-_-_-_- See www.linuxpress.com for more details _-_-_-_-_-_-_-
----- End forwarded message -----
--
G. Branden Robinson | Measure with micrometer,
Debian GNU/Linux | mark with chalk,
branden@deadbeast.net | cut with axe,
http://deadbeast.net/~branden/ | hope like hell.
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