Unable to use xscreensaver once installed

saxophobe · 03-12-2004, 02:51 PM

Hi all!

After downloading, extracting, compiling and installing xscreensaver, I am unable to use it at all. When I run the xscreensaver-demo from GUI, nothing happens. When I run it from a shell su'ed as root, I get the following error:

Code:

root@tux:~# xscreensaver-demo
bash: xscreensaver-demo: command not found

When I run the xscreensaver-command with the -prefs arg, I get the following error:

Code:

root@tux:~# xscreensaver-command -prefs
xscreensaver-command: could not exec xscreensaver-demo: No such file or directory

I am running Knoppix 3.3 as a HD install with KDE 3.1.5. When I go into the KDE Control Center, I only have the two 'default' options; Blank Screen and Random. On the xscreensaver site, it says to disable the KDE Screensaver option; I don't seem to have that option. It also does not tell how to do this in the KDE documentation.

If anyone has an answer to these questions, I would really appreciate the info.

Thanks!

sax

Andrew Benton · 03-12-2004, 04:25 PM

"command not found" suggests either it isn't installed or it isn't in your $PATH. The default is for xscreensaver to install into /usr/local/bin so look for it there. Open a terminal and type

Code:

find /usr -name xscreensaver-demo
echo $PATH

saxophobe · 03-12-2004, 04:52 PM

Thanks for the reply Andrew!

When I run the commands that you suggest, I get the following result, that leads me to believe that it is installed in /usr/local/bin, but maybe the correct settings are not in place:

Code:

root@tux:/# find /usr -name xscreensaver-demo
root@tux:/# echo $PATH
/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/X11R6/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/games

Also, here is the first part of my .xscreensaver file:

Code:

# XScreenSaver Preferences File
# Written by xscreensaver-demo 4.05 for knoppix on Sun Oct  6 16:31:15 2002.
# http://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/

timeout:	0:03:00
cycle:		0:03:00
lock:		True
lockTimeout:	0:00:00
passwdTimeout:	0:01:00
visualID:	default
installColormap:    True
verbose:	False
timestamp:	True
splash:		True
splashDuration:	0:00:05
demoCommand:	xscreensaver-demo
prefsCommand:	xscreensaver-demo -prefs
helpURL:	http://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/man.html
loadURL:	netscape -remote 'openURL(%s)' || netscape '%s'
nice:		10
memoryLimit:	0
fade:		True
unfade:		False
fadeSeconds:	0:00:03
fadeTicks:	20
captureStderr:	True
font:		*-medium-r-*-140-*-m-*
dpmsEnabled:	False
dpmsStandby:	2:00:00
dpmsSuspend:	2:00:00
dpmsOff:	4:00:00
grabDesktopImages:  True
grabVideoFrames:    False
chooseRandomImages: False
imageDirectory:	

mode:		random
selected:	20

I have made some modifications to this file, but I believe this should be working. If you, or anyone else for that matter, see anything obviously wrong with this file, please let me know.

Thanks for your time!

sax