Gnome, KDE, anything!!

[PhoenixMDM]

Ok, I just installed Mandrake 8. I know how to do basic navigation, such as ls and cd. Now what I need to know is this: HOW THE HECK DO I START KDE OR GNOME?!?!??!? I don't care which, I just want some graphic thing to see! I need help! AHHH!!!!!!!

~Phoenix

[engjohn]

if you have already installed one or the other you can type

startx

at the prompt...

[PhoenixMDM]

when I type startx, is says the following:

execve failed for /etc/X11/X (errno 2)
giving up.
xinit: No such file or directory (errno 2): unable to connect to X server
xinit: No such process (errno 3): Server error.

What should I do?

~Phoenix

[ken257]

Sounds like you may not have a gui installed. When you installed Mandrake at one point you should have been presented with a list of installation options, did you select one that includes a gui? Also if you selected this option you will see screens for configuring X where you can select the resolution and refresh rate. If you did not see this odds are there is no gui installed.

You can install the rpm's for each gui from the command line but since you are new to linux it may just be easier to do a complete reinstall and pay closer attention to the installation options.

[PhoenixMDM]

I saw something about Gnome and KDE in the installation, and I selected them. I'm starting to get the hang of Linux already, so where could I find the RPM's for a gui? Probly off a site like tucows or something, right? lol. And if I can't seem to get it working after trying the RPM's, I'll reinstall like you said.

~Phoenix

[ken257]

The rpm's are on the installation cd. When you go to install kde manually the rpm's will have to be installed in a certain order to satisfy dependencies. It may take a little trial and error to get it right. Basically the libraries and kdebase need to be installed first then the other parts of kde. If a package fails to install it will report back what it needs in order to install, like I said it may take a little playing around but you will get it.

[PhoenixMDM]

ahhh, I think I'll just reinstall. I'll post my luck with installation too.

~Phoenix

[ken257]

Good luck with it! Just make sure that during the installation you choose an install option that includes a gui and also do the xserver config to set the res/refresh.

I usually choose to install everything and then turn off the services that I don't need running. The reason? All libs are installed and you dont come accross a situation where an app will not install/compile because of dependancies nearly as often.

[klosters64a]

If Mandrake hasn't changed the default Window Manager/Desktop Manager/GUI installation since Mandrake 6.0(that's a BIG if) Gnome will be installed by default. If I remember right--which is another BIG if. Installing Linux is foreign, so be sure to stop and look up installation choices in the Handbook before you choose one of them. Assuming that installation options are explained in the handbooks... Not all of them will be.

[Stogierogy]

make sure you choose the right monitor if not the closest match.
i coudnt run the gui also because of that. good luck.

Stogie

[PhoenixMDM]

I'm staring at it. It's formatting my drive (for the hundredth time). It hasn't frozen, since I can still move the mouse. Yet, it hasn't changed from that litte "Formatting partition.hda1" screen. And it just buzzed and made some unknown noise, and it's doing hda6. At least I know that it didn't freeze, lol. This is probably the 5th time I've tried installing it. And it always freezes here or at the screen where it is installing the files.

Five minutes later, the screen hasn't changed the slightest bit. Stupid hda6, oh wait, it's showing me the screen with installation thingys. I can't install everything, since I lack the space (it's an old comp...) so i'm getting rid of the Database function on the server side, and Development on the workstation side. (development takes up a redicoulous amount of space when you only have 2.1 gig total!)

It's starting install, looks good so far. 29 minutes estimated, so i'll just come back and check. After the check, I'll make a second post of my progress.

DON"T CRASH AGAIN!

~Phoenix

[David]

if you still have no luck, go to the command line. Type:

cd /etc/X11

If you get an error message then you have no X installation.
If successful type:

ls XF86Config*

If you get a file called XF86Config* then the config file is there. If not, type:

xf86config

and then follow the instructions to set up your graphics.

[parkan]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Don't remove ALL development, at least live stuff like C compilers, otherwise you will not be able to compile open source apps!

[PhoenixMDM]

When i set up X during installation, i selected the Digital15inch display. There were two, with slightly different names. The first one i tried made a bunch of vibrating penguins with rainbow colors all over (i'm not making this up) appeared on the screen for about 10 sec. and then brought me back to installation. I thought this had to be the wrong monitor, so i picked monitor #2. The second one made my comp freeze, and i had to do a hard reboot. Linux booted up regularly, and now it's at the login screen.

Just logged in as a user. Entering startx brings up the exact same error messages. Saying
ls XF86Config
does find it, but when I type XF86Config, it dosn't work. What do i put BEFORE XF86Config ??

~Phoenix