Ok, so here are the steps that have led me to getting a checker screen with a "X" cursor at the start of the X gui:

1) I wanted Mplayer
2) Mplayer wanted libdv
3) libdv wanted a .so.1 file that I could ONLY find in the XFree86 distro
4) I ran the .sh file from XFree86 that tells me which distro to download and install
5) I installed the XFree86 distro (the very latest) on my RedHat 8 sys
6) I use default options when installing XFree86
7) X won't launch
8) I reinstall XFree86 again, this time I overwrite EVERYTHING it asks me about (not much to lose, right?)
9) I run "XFree86 -configure" from the command line
10) Now I get checker screen with "X" icon


I NEED MY KDE BACK!!!

If it helps, I have root access to my system via ftp from my windows box...

THANKS - this is my first time really needing help on a linux problem

-sean

OK, from a linux newbie:

Did you run one of the X config apps? Can't remember their names but It was in the install docs.

You might want to find your KDE bin file and add it to .xinitrc.

I tried running XFree86 -configure and redhat-config-xfree86

that's all I've found to do so far. and neither of those procedures worked.

This really sucks All of this because I wanted to use mplayer... I should have left well enough alone.

Well I'll keep searching through the forum backlogs.

Any Uber-Guru out there that this looks familiar to?

-sean

ok, new happenings here...

I ran xf86config and the X server seems to be working. NOW for some reason it won't show the login screen. This has got to be an easy fix, right? Any suggestions?

Nerd> I'll snoop that .xinitrc file

ok - here's the latest

when I reboot - the X server launches (or what looks like the X server) but all I get is a watch for my cursor and a terminal window in the bottom right hand corner that says "Console log for localhost.localdomain" over and over again

If I Ctr+Alt+F1 to the command line, I can start X with "startx" and it launches KDE automatically (it used to launch the Desktop Chooser login screen) after several warnings that display 0.0 is being used already.

How on earth do I get this back to where I can at least have KDE launch on startup and get some sort of GUI for the login screen?

-thanks

I think you want KDM or something? I dunno since I use command-line login.............

at best I can tell right now, the X server is launching, but it just sits in what looks to be KDM but without any window options. It has the same background as KDM but the cursor just sits there as a stopwatch and that console window sits in the lower right corner and does nothing.

I need to know exactly what the process needs to be to get KDE to launch automatically when the X server starts. I can guess at it, but I dont want to screw things up and reinstalling Linux is NOT an option for me....too many emails and files that I can't lose...(my next project was figuring out how to back all that stuff up, hehe)

PLEASE CAN I GET SOME HELP ON THIS???

--sean

anyone?

someone out there must have this setup and be able to help???????????