I posted this in the Linux-Newbie forum, but it may be more suited for here.

That post is located at: (linuxquestions.org)/questions/showthread.php?s=&postid=481579#post481579

Basically, on a new install of Mandrake 9.1, after I log in using the X login, my system seems to page forever. I have left it paging for nearly an hour with no result. I am trying to use KDE. I can get logged in using the basic console login, just can't seem to get KDE to work right. I can start X using "startx --configuration" and can run programs with that WM (Mandrake WM, I think), but trying to run KDE just spins the drive. Is there anything special I need to do to make this work? During my install, I don't select individual packages, just the desired "package categories".

Any help would be appreciated.

System Configuration:
Pentium 2 450mHz
256Mb RAM
6.4Gb IDE HD (~3.3Gb for /, ~490Mb for Swap, ~2.1Gb for /home)
RIVA TNT (Diamond Viper v550)
Standard PS2 mouse with wheel

Can anyone help with this? I am downloading the latest version of RedHat now, hoping that maybe Mandrake's installation is the culprit. I have installed it on a clean partition several times with the same result.

I had the exact same problem!

On two different machines, one K-6 2 500 on a gigabyte GA-5AA MB. at first i thought it was the ISO since i ftp'd it in several steps so i double checked the MD5's and re-burned them to be on the safe side.

Same problem.

Redhat went on fine so i suspected some compatability issue with my kit.

then tried it on a PIII 500 on a MSI BX MB and got the exact same problem. Boot up, log in using the x login, choose KDE and BAM! sits there forever paging (or something). meantime i can switch to a console and log in and do stuff and eventually shut down while KDE still churns.

Someone told me there was a bug in the installer hat Mandrake wouldn't acknowledge but i've not seen anything on the 'net to support this.....

this is a shame, cos i *REALLY* want to like 9.1, but this is kind of a major hitch....

if anyone knows anything, please let me/us know

Alistair

can you start gnome? or iceWM? just to make sure it's KDE and not something more basic.

both times i didn't install gnome, but IceWM ran fine.
also it made no difference if KDE was started from a DM or command line.

Alistair

remove the folder .kde and the file .kderc in your home directory. This might help.

Also, go to the command line, become root, then
init 3
to kill the graphical login manager and X. Then as a normal user
startx /usr/bin/startkde

This normally will start KDE. Do you get any error messages?

I'll give those a try.

unfortunately buth the two test rigs are being used for something else now so i won't be able to try immediately...

however as son as i free up one of them i'll give it a shot.

maybe labcoat could give it a try....

This won't help you, but for others who use these things to make decisions (like I did a year ago), Mandrake 9.1 has installed flawlessly on every machine I have tried and at work it runs as our web server (with three websites, email, and MySql).

I love it.

I'm in the same boat as minger. The machine I was testing on is back in use as a Windows box, but all it takes is a HD swap, so I'll try your suggestion, quatsch. I was only installing KDE on previous attempts, but I'll try Gnome next time to see if it has the same problem. I'd really rather use KDE, but I'll try the foot for troubleshooting sake.

What are .kde and .kderc used for? Is that where user settings are kept? This problem happens the first time I log in (no matter the user). Would that make a difference?

Also, I've tried running KDE from the command-line, but I just used startkde or simply kde as the command, and I wasn't in init 3. I'll try that, too.

While I'm here, when I first log in after installing, who should I log in as? The user I created, or root? I understand that root should be used by "su"ing rather than straight login. Why is that?

.kde and .kderc are where the per user settings for kde are. Those might be messed up for some reason. Also, you can't start kde with just startkde

NEVER login as root. Always login as a normal user and use su to become root when necessary.

I reinstalled Mandrake with all window managers and updated all packages.

I deleted .kde, did not see .kderc. Switched to runlevel 3 as a normal user and started kde using startx /usr/bin/startkde. The kde startup screen came up, but never got past initilizing (wrench icon).

I started gnome using startx /usr/bin/startgnome, and the same thing happened.

IceWM worked, though, but after I logged out and tried to use KDE, it was the same thing again. "Initializing system services" for a while, then the splash screen disappears and I get a blue screen with a busy cursor.

I'll try RedHat. Thanks for your help.

RedHat install was corrupted (will have to try downloading ISOs again).

Tried Lycoris and had same problem with KDE. After loging into the graphical login, I get a stopwatch mouse cursor, HD pages, and nothing happens. I have tried switching to console, but Lycoris wouldn't allow me to execute any commands.

If anyone can offer a suggestion as to why KDE (or Gnome) does not boot past "Initializing system services" (yet closes the loading splash screen), I would love to hear it.

Could this be a problem with the graphics card? It is a Diamond Viper v550 (NVidia RIVA TNT) with 16mb ram. I can get IceWM to work, but no KDE/Gnome.

I think the problem is to do with the configuration of your monitor and graphics card. Can you try to configure using the XFdrake command. If your monitor is not defined in use a generic specification.
Also use the XFree4 option as by default XFree 3 is used.

I have exactly the same problem.

When I boot the kde using:

init 3
startx /usr/bin/startkde

i get the following message:

symbol vbefree from module /user/x11r6/lib/modules/drivers/i740_drv.o is unresolved.

I guess this has something to do with my gfx card?

What can I do about it?

Thanks!

The problem turned out to be a problem with the used gfx card : Intel740

I changed it for a NVidia GF4 64 mb card, and the problem has been solved.