When i boot up slackware, login, and run "X", nothing happens. when i move the mouse the pointer shoots to the top right corner and stays there. does anybody know what might cause this? i'm using the latest slackware available for download (9.0 i think) and it is running on a 133 intel pentium w/ a realtek NIC, and a MMWaverider Audiodrive Card. the mouse is a com mouse plugged in on tty0 or whatever.

Are you running 'X', or 'startx'? The usual way to start X Windows
is the startx script. As I understand it, the X windowing system
has network capabilities, and 'X' by itself just starts the server
portion; you also need a client portion to actually get the GUI.

Using 'startx' should work right out of the box; however, if you
haven't already, I would recommend running 'xf86config', which
will set up X Windows for your specific hardware, rather than
using generic options. 'xf86config' might also help fix potential
problems in the X Windows configuration.

Hope this helps,
Beolach

Which distro and version are you running?

I'm using slack 9.0 and rinning "X".

Try
XF86Setup
This program will allow you to choose your monitor, video card, etc.