N|k0N,
There are still some more things to try. It looks like the initial problem may well be fixed, but now we have another. One thing that is easy to do and worth trying is to rename the .kde folder in your home directory, say to .kde_old. Then the next time you attempt to start kde as that user, a new .kde is created from scratch. It means you would need to reconfigure kde again to how you like it, (fonts etc) but that is better than nothing at all. Should you need to check on previous settings, you can check the old .kde, and delete it when you are ready.

Also in /tmp you will find the directory ksocket-N|k0n (or whatever your username is) delete that and its contents as well.

then try again.

tobyl

I erased the ksocket file like you said i should, but i dont see the .kde file in my home folder. I see by the dot before the k that means it is hidden. So i used ls -a and didnt see anything then i went into the directories ./ and also ../ also with no luck... Thanks for the help so far though, i really appreciate it, because i would have just went back to linux from being so frustrated but im hanging in there.

N|k0N
You get a medal for perseverance.

I am puzzled that you have no ~/.kde, it must exist if you had kde working before. You are correct of course that
ls -a
would show your hidden files.

One other thing you could try, set up kdm to start up X. It may sound pointless, but I have seen it work when startx from the console fails...
you need to modify a couple of files:

Use a simple editor like pico:
pico /etc/inittab

find this section:

# Default runlevel. (Do not set to 0 or 6)
id:3:initdefault:

and change the 3 to a 4

save (ctrl+x y enter)


then
pico /etc/rc.d/rc.4

check that the following section is uncommented as below:

#Not there? OK, try to use KDE's kdm session manager:
if [ -x /opt/kde/bin/kdm ]; then
exec /opt/kde/bin/kdm -nodaemon
fi

and that the gdm section is commented out (lines start with #) or comes after the kdm section.
save.

reboot.

If there is still no joy, then maybe you should save your important data and reinstall. I hate to recommend that course of action, but you have tried all I can think of. Hopefully someone else can contribute....

regards, tobyl

Well when i was looking in the /home file directory i forgot to try ~./kde, so i found it and renamed it to ~./kde_old. Didnt rememeber to use the ~ for root. I tried running startkde afterwards and i kept getting "cannot connect to X server" constantly. So i just tried what you said i should with pico /etc/ and /rc.d/. I restarted and now my screen flickers a couple of times and then it just stays blank. Well i guess it is time to reinstall then, What do you think about FreeBSD? I might just try something different now since i must have re-installed Slack at least four times in the past because whenever i updated(swaret, kernel) i always had problems.

If you can, it may be worth having a read here:

http://kde.org/documentation/faq/index.html
the installation instructions have a bit of info that could help fix a damaged upgrade

You may also get some help from reading logfiles, ~/.xsession-errors and /var/log/Xorg.0.log would be good
places to start.

the ~/ just means the home dir of whichever user you happen to be at the time, so it is /home/yourusername except for root, when it is /root. You need to be clear on that. I think some of the problems may be related to the fact that you are are not always totally clear whether you are root or a user. root and any user will have their own .kde in their home directory with individual settings for that user.

Swaret is a great tool, but I would not use it for kernel upgrades. There is an EXCLUDE option in /etc/swaret.conf which enables you to prevent certain packages from being updated. Mine looks like

EXCLUDE=kernel kernel-modules lilo

As far as FreeBSD goes, I have heard a lot of good things about it, but I have never tried it myself. I think you could still get a lot out of Slackware though. A lot of people are using it successfully, and unless you have very exotic hardware there is no reason why you cant do the same.

tobyl

Well i reinstalled Slack now and i am using it again. Now i want to make my Slack current again like i tried to do last time, what precautions can i take to make sure what happened last time does not happen to me again. Also since i reinstalled now whenever i try to use mozilla or gaim, neither of the programs open up. I thought maybe it was because i got a failed package message when i was installing(java failed to install) so when the install finished i went to the slackware page and just downloaded and used installpkg from there. Can anyone help a confused guy out again please?

Hi N|k0N,
I'm glad you got things working again.
Some ideas, some I mentioned before:

Upgrade kernel manually (not swaret)
Upgrade kde, xorg etc when not in X.
Read the changelogs, readme and faq found on the slackware server.
Learn how to use some backup software. Whole drives or partitions at a time is handy. Make your backup before a major change. Then when you hose your system you can restore it. (I have used partimage but there are several options)
Swaret is fine, but you still need to read the changelogs, and remember the exclude options.
Before you get carried away with using the current branch, I would recommend learning how to recompile the kernel. The learning curve is steep to start with, but you will learn, guaranteed.

Read the readme!

As far as Mozilla and Gaim go, post these problems as separate posts, preferably with error messages. If you dont get error messages, try starting from the console, then you will get something.

tobyl

I fixed the Gaim and mozilla problem. The problem with mozilla and Gaim i think it was the version i was using. After i used swaret to upgrade the packages they worked perfectly. I never thought about not using X while updating kde, sounds like a good idea since there would be less chances of getting an error message since kde uses X to start up. I have alot of reading to do, Thanks alot, I sincerely appreciate it.