LinuxQuestions.org - Cannot startx as a user only root

- Linux - Newbie (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-newbie-8/)

- - Cannot startx as a user only root (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-newbie-8/cannot-startx-as-a-user-only-root-628814/)

Cannot startx as a user only root

Hi guys, I did a fresh install of slackware and now I cannot startx as me only as root.

When startx this is the error I get

Quote:

Could not move (/var/log/xorg.0.log to /var/log/xorg.0.old)

I looked that the xorg log but that did not seem to help.

Also, I don't know if this really matters, but I put /var on its own partition with 2 gigs.

I would greatly appreciate your help.

I searched and searched the web and could not find resolutions only the same problem.

What I did to resolve things is
1. Installed fresh install
2. At root before logging into x I useradd myself and passwd for myself.
3. Exit
4. Logged in as myself and startx.

It worked :)
okos

I suppose it must have been a permission problem.

Have you copied /var to it's new location in a way that might have changed some permissions? That would explain why only root was able to use it.

Your problem is solved, but it's strange anyway - would be good to know what it was.

Regards,
SIMP

Debian User

Is /var still a separate partition? Or is it now a normal directory? I think that you did not have the correct permissions in the file /etc/fstab

Guys, thanks for the input.

I am not sure what the problem was. I wasted hours trying to figured it out. I changed permission of both /var/log/xorg.0.log and /var/log/xorg.0.log.old to 777 and still no go. One user had a problem with kde and after upgrade everything worked. One person said rm -fr /temp/*. I don't know what good that would do. Blah blah blah... I said forget it! I just followed the link below. I had just done a fresh install, why not do it again.

I googled, "Could not move (/var/log/xorg.0.log to /var/log/xorg.0.old) "
found lots of similar issues as well as a debian bug report.

Finally I found this link which does not really solve the problem. It just suggests to do the following: Install clean version; useradd as root and not startx; logout as root; login as user; startx. It worked.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wim Sturkenboom (Post 3092738)

Is /var still a separate partition? Or is it now a normal directory? I think that you did not have the correct permissions in the file /etc/fstab

I think you are sort of on the money. I was able to cause the error again.

My root is on hdc6.

Here is my undedited fstab

Quote:

/dev/hdc6 / reiserfs defaults 1 1
/dev/hdc7 /var reiserfs defaults 1 2
#/dev/hdc1 /win ntfs ro 1 0
/dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom auto noauto,owner,ro 0 0
/dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy auto noauto,owner 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts gid=5,mode=620 0 0
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
/dev/hdc1 /win ntfs-3g rw,auto,user,exec 0 0
/dev/hdc5 /t ext3 defaults 0 0

I was fiddling with fstab and I got the same error. This is what it looked like when I was done messing with it:

Quote:

/dev/hdc6 / reiserfs rw,auto,user,exec 1 1
/dev/hdc7 /var reiserfs defaults 1 2
#/dev/hdc1 /win ntfs ro 1 0
/dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom auto noauto,owner,ro 0 0
/dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy auto noauto,owner 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts gid=5,mode=620 0 0
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
/dev/hdc1 /win ntfs-3g rw,auto,user,exec 0 0
/dev/hdc5 /t ext3 defaults 0 0

I don't know why, but I wanted the hdc6 to show as a mounted partition on my kde desktop. It shows as umounted. However, I am able to login, and see my root directory. Why does it not show as mounted?