On Fri, Jul 09, 2004 at 09:59:54AM -0000, anand_12 wrote:
> I am using a Debian system(2.4.20 kernel),P4 1.8 GHz 256 MB RAM/40 GB
> HDD and standard PS/2 keyboard and mouse. My machine is shared by
> several users though I retain the root access.
>
> Normally I don't shut down my machine.I just log off. Today when I
> tried logging in,the screen was blanking out for every key press.So the
> login was unsuccessful.
>
> None of the keys were working.I could not open even other tty's ...i
> rebooted the machine..the problem persisted... then i logged into my
> machine remotely...and issued a kill on X server...this gave the prompt
> on the screen..here all commands i typed worked perfectly fine..i have
> not lost any contents..i checked all my files..everything is fine...it is
> just none of my key presses are detected properly when i am inside
> x..otherwise..i am able to edit,compile and run programs...
>
> one more thing..when i issue a startx command,i get the default display
> with all menus and contents(i use kde2)..also i am able to browse the
> contents of machine using the mouse(single click,right click etc)..but
> every key pressed on the keyboard blanks the screen..i don't understand
> whats going on...
>
> my gdm.conf file says the server is attached to the standard VT7
> terminal...
>
> can anyone help me with this?
>
> thanks a bunch for any help in this regard.
[The following is a form letter.]
Hello,
You recently sent an off-charter message to the debian-x mailing list.
First, I will offer an explanation of what this mailing list's purpose is;
I will then suggest some alternative forums for your message or concern.
The full charter of the mailing list follows.
This list is for the discussion and support of the X Window System within
Debian. Issues of maintenance and porting of Debian's XFree86 packages are
germane here, as are discussions of possible Debian policy mechanisms for
ensuring the smooth interoperation of packages that use the X Window
System, particularly widget sets, desktop environments, window managers,
display managers, and packages that provide fonts for the X Window System.
In particular, individuals involved with building official Debian XFree86
packages for any architecture are invited to join, as are those with
various graphics hardware who seek to reproduce and/or fix bugs in the X
server. This is not a user support list; this list is intended for those
who deal with the source code of any of the X Window System components
mentioned above.
If you are experiencing a problem, the first thing to check is the Debian X
FAQ. This FAQ is available on the World Wide Web:
http://necrotic.deadbeast.net/xsf/XFree86/trunk/debian/local/FAQ.xhtml
The FAQ is also available on any Debian system that has the
"xfree86-common" package installed.
You can use the command "dpkg --status xfree86-common" at a shell prompt to
determine whether you have the xfree86-common package installed (this
technique works with any other package name as well). For instance, when I
run this command I see the following:
$ dpkg --status xfree86-common
Package: xfree86-common
Status: install ok installed
(followed by additional information about the package)
If xfree86-common is installed, you can view the Debian X FAQ in a variety of
ways, since it is available both in XHTML (Web page) and gzipped
(compressed) text file formats.
The path to the XTHML version of the FAQ is
/usr/share/doc/xfree86-common/FAQ.xhtml. Here's one method for viewing it:
$ sensible-browser /usr/share/doc/xfree86-common/FAQ.xhtml
If you don't have a Web browser installed, or are not in a graphical
environment, you may need to view the text file instead. Here's one way to
do that:
$ zmore /usr/share/doc/xfree86-common/FAQ.gz
If the FAQ does not satisfactorily answer your question, the primary Debian
users' support forum is the debian-user mailing list. You can learn more about
this list at:
http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/
If you have already tried that mailing list, and/or your machine does *NOT*
use an Intel-x86 compatible CPU (such as a Pentium or AMD Athlon chip), you
may also want to peruse one of Debian's architecture-specific mailing
lists:
http://lists.debian.org/debian-alpha/
http://lists.debian.org/debian-arm/
http://lists.debian.org/debian-hppa/
http://lists.debian.org/debian-ia64/
http://lists.debian.org/debian-m68k/
http://lists.debian.org/debian-mips/
http://lists.debian.org/debian-powerpc/
http://lists.debian.org/debian-sparc/
http://lists.debian.org/debian-superh/
Before sending a message to one of the mailing lists, it's wise to try
using the search interface; in many cases, your problem has been
experienced before by other people, and a solution, workaround, or
explanation may already be available!
http://lists.debian.org/search.html
If the search engine turns up nothing, you should know whether or not
you're subscribed to a mailing list before sending a message to it. If you
are not subscribed, make *certain* that you ask for private copies of
replies to your message. Debian's standard practice is to reply only to
mailing lists (this cuts down on Internet traffic and annoying bounce
messages). If you want people to deviate from this standard practice you
should ask them to do so. (Advanced mail users should set a
Mail-Followup-To header that includes both the list address and their own
address.)
Finally, if you have found a problem in Debian's XFree86 packages (and
especially if Debian experts on one or more of the above mailing lists
agree), you should file a bug report with the Debian Bug Tracking System.
One of the best ways to do this is with the "reportbug" package and command
of the same name. One way to install reportbug is with "apt-get"; for
example:
# apt-get install reportbug
The "reportbug" command has a few different modes that cater to different
levels of user expertise. If this message has contained a lot of jargon
that is unfamiliar to you, you likely want to use reportbug's "novice"
mode; here's one way to do that.
$ reportbug --mode=novice
Please enter the name of the package in which you have found a problem,
or type 'other' to report a more general problem.
>
If you're more sophisticated, or if you are not using the released version
of Debian ("stable"), but instead Debian "testing" or "unstable", you
should use reportbug's standard mode.
$ reportbug
Please enter the name of the package in which you have found a problem,
or type 'other' to report a more general problem.
>
The reportbug command is extensively documented in its usage message and
manual page. Commands to view these pieces of documentation are:
$ reportbug --help | more
$ man reportbug
(The output of the above commands has been omitted from this message.)
Please do *not* send private messages to Debian developers (including me)
asking for help; Debian developers are volunteers, and often busy ones.
Additionally, you're more likely to get a rapid reply if you mail one of
the support lists enumerated above, because that way many people can see
your message instead of just one.
Thanks for using the Debian system!
--
G. Branden Robinson | It is the responsibility of
Debian GNU/Linux | intellectuals to tell the truth and
branden@debian.org | expose lies.
http://people.debian.org/~branden/ | -- Noam Chomsky
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