Jessie in Virtualbox fails to load GUI

dirg3r · 04-30-2015, 02:57 AM

Hi all, I am using Virtualbox to install Debian Jessie 8.0, with the Debian desktop environment selected. After what seemed like a successful install, it booted straight to the command line without a GUI. When I logged in and entered the startx command as root, all I got was a black screen.

Can anybody explain what has gone wrong, and why it should fail in the same way after trying to re-install a second time? How can I change things to make Jessie boot to the GUI?

frankbell · 04-30-2015, 08:57 PM

What are your video and processor settings for the Virtual Machine? They may provide a hint.

As I recall, Debian by default is not configured to boot to the command line, but only to a display manager. If it booted to command line without the display manager's loading for some reason, it may not have known what to do in response to startx. Does the Debian VM have an xinitrc configured globally (likely somewhere in /etc/X11) or for root (~/.xinitrc)?

(A while ago, I configured Lenny to boot to a command line and I had to create my own ~/.xinitrc.)

Ztcoracat · 04-30-2015, 09:11 PM

Hi:

Quote:

Check the settings for your virtual machine. Under 'display', make sure that 'Accelerate 3D graphics' is ENABLED. Once I enabled it, I was able to boot into the graphical mode.

http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=115912

If that doesn't work, you could try changing the run-level and see if that gives you the GUI-
https://wiki.debian.org/RunLevel

On my Slackware box the default runlevel is 3. I had to change it to 4 in order to boot to a GUI.
I edited the /etc/inittab file to do that.

Not sure what file that would be on Debian.
https://www.debian-administration.or..._to_run-levels

Hope that helps.

John VV · 05-01-2015, 08:54 PM

also
did you install one of the desktop environments ?

if not then you only installed a headless server version and NOT the desktop version

also keep in mind Gnome3 NEEDS!!!!! a 3d card installed

EDDY1 · 05-01-2015, 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John VV

also
did you install one of the desktop environments ?

if not then you only installed a headless server version and NOT the desktop version

also keep in mind Gnome3 NEEDS!!!!! a 3d card installed

It doesn't depend on 3d card, you have to enable 3d support in vbox settings

Ztcoracat · 05-02-2015, 11:38 AM

In Vbox it's in Settings> Display> Video> Enable 3D Acceleration.

gradinaruvasile · 05-06-2015, 12:35 PM

Make sure you actually have the vboxdrv video driver installed in the guest and the driver module loaded. You will have to install the guest additions for this i suppose first (which has to be done from command line in this case - boot in single user).
Some info here:
https://wiki.debian.org/VirtualBox#T...does_not_exist