How do I alter the desktop that debian boots to.
 

Hello

Am looking to alter the desktop that a laptop boots in to. It's a change from gnome to xcfe.

Thank you

Having a bit of trouble figuring out what you want to know here.

Do you have xfce installed? Beats me.

If you don't install the package xfce4 as root;
You may want to install some other things but that is the meta package and will get you most of the xfce desktop environment.

If you do have it installed simply log out. At the login screen type your user name, hit enter, type your password and then click on the "session" box on the login box. This should give you the option of Gnome or Xfce. Choose Xfce. Click on "Login".

Hello

Have installed xfce4 but would like it to boot straight to the xfce login screen instead of having to log in and then type startx.

There is no "xfce login screen". What you want is a display manager such as kdm, xdm, gdm3, slim or lightdm.

Ah

So how do I get a display manager to open up so that there is a login style screen instead of a login command prompt.

Thank

Install kdm, xcm, gdm3, slim or lightdm.

I would suggest lightdm as it is what Debian xfce is using.

I do not understand why you do not have a Display Manager (the dm in all those names). If you installed Gnome in the usual manner gdm3 would have been installed by default.

I install with the netinstall disk usually and have to install something like that if I want it.

Hello

I installed debian 6 without the graphical interface, as I installed debian 6 and it came up with gnome so re installed without a graphical interface.

Tried to apptitude install lightdm but its can't find lightdm.

lightdm is not available in squeeze - just install gdm3.

Yes, in Squeeze it would be gdm3.

I think I like it better than lightdm anyway.

You will like the version of Xfce in Wheezy better. 4.6 (Squeeze) is all right. 4.8 (Wheezy) is what the Gnome panels always wanted to grow up to be.

Thank you gdm3 installed now it goes straight to the log in screen.

Thank you