GUI installation

tatra · 01-15-2006, 10:14 AM

Just to introduce myself, I'm quite knowledgable in internet affairs and server coding but pretty blank when it comes to computers themselves.

I recently installed debian on an i386 machine through the Network Install. I remember seeing an option that said desktop environment or something alike in a list of options, I selected it and pressed enter in hopes to install it but looking back maybe I should have used the + button to select it before continuing.

Anyway, in my quest to get a GUI for my debian machine:
I've installed x-window through Xinstall.sh successfully but xdm and xinit command don't work.
I then, thinking x-window was a base kernel kind of thing downloaded, compiled and installed fluxbox after trying their .deb package with no success. Still no command codes work (startx, xintrc, etc)

I'm completely lost at the moment. I can't find anything useful through the debian api or google and having done everything I can think of or find to do I am now stumped.

I'm willing to format my disk or otherwise lose all my files if needed.

stress_junkie · 01-15-2006, 10:27 AM

I'm new to Debian myself although I'm generally knowledgable about Linux and some of the GUI software. This is what I did with my Debian system. First I installed Debian Sarge. This left me with a basic text-only console interface. There was absolutely no X software on the system at all. I logged on as root then I typed these commands.

# apt-get update
# apt-get install kde

Everything just worked. The APT software installed XFree86, all of the required libraries, and KDE. It also put links in my /etc/rc?.d directories to start KDE automatically during system startup. It was amazingly simple and easy.

I found that it did too good of a job. I prefer to use run level 3 as the default. This NORMALLY means that you have the full system running, multiuser and network, but with a TEXT ONLY console. When I installed KDE the Debian installer put links in all of the run level directories from 2 to 5 to automatically start X. I had to disable the X software links in rc3.d to get run level 3 to use a text interface on the console.

I think that you are expecting the process to be more complicated than it is. Just try installing one of the X window manager packages and see how that goes.

Here is a link to a very recent discussion that I had here at LQ about this subject. In this discussion LQ member HappyTux explained some of my questions.

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...d.php?t=403341

I hope this helps.

jschiwal · 01-15-2006, 10:39 AM

One thing that you can check real quick is whether the /etc/inittab file contains a runlevel for X windows. If so try "init" <runlevel>. I don't know what the runlevel is for a debian machine. On an rpm based distro, it will be "5".

Try the startx command, and then check either the /var/log/XFree86.0.log or the
/var/log/Xorg.0.log, depending on which your system uses. It is possible that you need to configure the Xorg configuration file (/etc/X11/xorg.conf) or perhaps just select the correct video driver. There is a generic non-accelerated driver called "vesa" that you might try. It will work for most modern video cards.

Look in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file for a section that looks like this:
Section "Device"
BoardName "GeForce4 440 Go 64M"
BusID "1:0:0"
Driver "nv"
Identifier "Device[0]"
Screen 0
Option "Rotate" "off"
VendorName "NVidia"
EndSection

The particulars may be different on your system. Change the Driver on the Device line to vesa.

Driver "vesa"

Something else that can prevent a display, is if the sync ranges are off for your system. This is in the xorg.conf "Monitor" section:
Section "Monitor"
Option "CalcAlgorithm" "CheckDesktopGeometry"
DisplaySize 320 240
HorizSync 32-48

Now, I've been assuming that the X11 system is installed but not configured. You will need to provide some exact information, such as what error is displayed when trying to start X, before someone will be able to help.

tatra · 01-15-2006, 01:17 PM

I tried what you suggested stress_junkie. While
# apt-get install kde
was running an error came up on file 375 (kpilot) connection could not be established. Everything after went fine

startx was not a command even after restarting so I did:
# apt-get install kpilot
after this ran through (perfectly) I tried the startx command again. Giving me:
[/root/.Xauthority was generated]

Code:

/usr/X11RC/lib/X11/xinit/xserverrc: line 2: /usr/bin/X11/X: No such file or directory
/usr/X11RC/lib/X11/xinit/xserverrc: line 2: /usr/bin/X11/X: cannot execute: No such file or directory

[wait 3-5 seconds]

Code:

giving up.
xinit: No such file or directory (errno 2): unable to connect to X server
xinit: No such process (errno 3): Server error.

xdm is still not a command, xinit blurts out error messages similar to startx.

Code:

xinit: No such file or directory (errno 2): no server "X" in PATH

jschiwal:
My runlevel (from /ect/inittab: line 5) is id:2:initdefault:
I ran # init 2 - it worked but I saw nothing, whatever it did

Neither /var/log/XFree86.0.log or /var/log/xorg.0.log exist. /etc/X11/xorg.conf does not exist. The folders these files should be in do exist.

stress_junkie · 01-15-2006, 01:34 PM

Given the unknown state of the software environment from the actions described in your original post I would recommend performing a fresh install of Debian. Just wipe it out and start over with a clean formatted system partition.

Come to think of it there was one difference between what I did and what I told you that I did. I had, on a previous day, done a apt-get upgrade several times over several days. Once you get the new Debian installation maybe you should do an apt-get update, apt-get upgrade, and then an apt-get install kde.

Of course you don't have to choose KDE. The Debian Sarge (stable) applications page shows several X window managers available. I would recommend either KDE or Gnome for someone new to setting up a system. You may already have this link but I thought I'd provide it just in case.

http://packages.debian.org/stable/x11/

tatra · 01-15-2006, 01:46 PM

Sorry, did I not mention that? I did do a clean install (including formatting partitions). Sorry again for the confusion.

I just did # apt-get upgrade twice and nothing could be found. So I would doubt that could be a problem. Unless there could be extra required options that arn't selected by default in the apt configuration panel itself.

lestoil · 01-15-2006, 04:52 PM

I believe tatra that you can still go back to the desktop environment step by typing tasksel at cli as root and use tab key and space bar to make sure * shows in your choice--desktop environment. Good luck.

stress_junkie · 01-15-2006, 06:49 PM

Tatra,
I'm just about out of tricks. One sentence in your last response caught my attention.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tatra

Unless there could be extra required options that arn't selected by default in the apt configuration panel itself.

Are you using aptitude? I was just talking about using the command line apt-get. I never see a configuration panel using the command line apt-get command. When I use aptitude I see a kind of graphic display for console interface. So when you mentioned a configuration panel I think of the aptitude command instead of apt-get.

Other than that I'm out of ideas.

junkman4547 · 01-15-2006, 10:25 PM

Regarding the original post, when you were asked if you want any
Desktop Environment you should press <space> to select it. If you
simply press <enter> then you did NOT select any. That's why you
ended up with CLI.

tatra · 01-16-2006, 09:28 AM

Thanks for that junkman, I will re-install debian and use space to get the desktop environment up. I really couldn't work out what to do at that stage, there's nothing there to actually tell you how to select the packages you want.

lestoil's suggestion of tasksel (returning to that stage of the install) failed to retrieve the selected packages though I can't rule out it being a problem with my ISP or the mirror I was using.

stress_junkie:
I used the apt-get comands as you said for the downloads. The reason I said about the apt command is because apt-get retrieves the packages from the server specified in the apt configuration (first option on that graphic-like panel).

I'm not one to give up on things when they should work but I'm keen to get this system running so will re-install debian selecting the desktop packages and hopefuly it should work.

divukman · 01-16-2006, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tatra

I can't rule out it being a problem with my ISP or the mirror I was using.

Hi tatra,

If the mirror is the problem, you might try apt-setup

carambar · 01-16-2006, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tatra

Thanks for that junkman, I will re-install debian and use space to get the desktop environment up. I really couldn't work out what to do at that stage, there's nothing there to actually tell you how to select the packages you want.

lestoil's suggestion of tasksel (returning to that stage of the install) failed to retrieve the selected packages though I can't rule out it being a problem with my ISP or the mirror I was using.

stress_junkie:
I used the apt-get comands as you said for the downloads. The reason I said about the apt command is because apt-get retrieves the packages from the server specified in the apt configuration (first option on that graphic-like panel).

I'm not one to give up on things when they should work but I'm keen to get this system running so will re-install debian selecting the desktop packages and hopefuly it should work.

You know, I did exactly the same thing the 1st time I installed Debian... it's not particularly clear that although the Desktop Environment line is highlighted, it's not actually selected for installation until you see the asterisk logo before the name. It's only a minor issue, but the fact that more than one of us got caught out by this, suggests that there is perhaps room for improvement within the installer in terms of usability.

Incidentally, you should be able to re-run the installer from the very beginning by calling base-config (iirc) from the cli.

ps - where abouts in the South West are you...? I'm in Swindon

*edit: changed command