In runlevel=3 with -current (up to date) and Plasma5
I have recently developed a problem that startx does not start KDE5
but pauses and finally gives a timeout message from xauth.
Pressing ctrl-C two or three times starts X-- it seems to break what ever is hung and then kde starts and runs normally.
I created a new user and the new account does not have this problem.
What is the cause and how to fix it?
I have searched around and tried the various fixes recommended.

xwmconfig?

damnit bones I need logs. xlog?

whats your hardware? mobile laptop with intel/amd or nvidia?

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Have you tried diffing the config files for the new account with the one that's having the problem? Try:
(Maximizing your terminal window -- if currently running X -- helps a lot when doing this.) Check the manpages if necessary to explain what differences are indicated.

If you've done an upgrade recently, it could be that something in an existing desktop config file is no longer compatible with the newer desktop software.

HTH...

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I'd suggest to have a look at your home permissions.
I recently had that after an upgrade + recompile. Couldn't hunt the culprit but might be some malformed slackbuilds that made root own top level of my home (chown root:root /home/$USER without -R flag)

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I don't know that this will help in your case, but I seem to recall that happening to me one time

As I recall, I was able to successfully run startx as root and load "root's" desktop

Upon load I rebooted and my user account was able to login normally via startx

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xwmconfig set to xinitrc.kde KDE: KDE Plasma Desktop

Desktop box running 2 monitors today.
Nvidia RTX2060 460.32.03 driver;
Intel i7-9700K (8) @ 4.900GHz; water-cooled
Asrock z390-itx/ac MB; 1TB SSD drive; 16 gb ram
Kernel: 5.10.8 x86_64 Slackware64 -current

One Error in the Xorg.0.log
[ 5630.715] (EE) Failed to open authorization file "/home/ewj/.serverauth.5913": No such file or directory
I am not sure that this error is meaningful...

That is odd, I would try this:

1. Use xwmconfig and select any other window manager (I would chose twm)
2. $ startx

If it works then looks like KDE specific, which is beyond me.

If you get the same error, try these (no real order).

See if anything is running in background, maybe a detached GUI application is doing something odd ? Or even ssh could be holding something. I doubt any of that is the case but odd things can happen.

Also try removing ~/.Xauthority and maybe any files named ~/.serverauth* and try again with a twm and if twm works, try kde.

good luck

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THis is very common and usually harmless:

1. Assuming that you run startx from ~ (as you should), make sure all files (including hidden ones are owned by you as regular user, not by root. As an aside this is one of the reasons to always use 'su -' not just 'su')
2. rm ~/.serverauth.* as suggested by jmccue
3. Las resort (not recommended) comment out this line in /usr/bin/startx:
   Code:

   enable_xauth=1

   or set enable_xauth to 0.

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I had already tried deleting .Xauthority and .serverauth ...
The problem does appear to be a KDE problem so I am suspecting some KDE configuration issues. Fluxbox is my fallback environment when KDE has trouble and it starts fine.
Killing xauth not only fixed the problem but gives me sort of a sense of satisfaction hearing it crunch, a sort of scapegoat carrying my frustrations away with it. I had tried running xauth from the command line. It seems a strange bird. From reading its man page I am not sure why we need it anyway...?
But...as Mellencamp noted, "I fight authority; Authority always wins.