Kernel upgrade 2.6.17xxx-FC4smp x-server fails
 

I'm running FC4 on a Pentium 4 machine and used YUM to update the kernel from 2.6.11xxx-FC4smp to 2.6.17xxx-FC4smp. When I boot the new kernel using Grub, x-windows fails to start correctly and I'm left with a blue-grey screen, with a big, black X in the middle of it. If I change default runlevel to 3 and 'startx', then x does start. Does anyone know what might cause this?

Also, I noticed that when I did get x to start, I couldn't use my internet connection. I could initiate it, but was unable to do anything with it. (couldn't access with browser or email or yum)

I've since removed the new kernel because it kept mocking me from the Grub menu. :p

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated, as I've just clean installed this distro and it seems that I need to update the kernel, in order to update certain other packages to their most recent version.

BTW, I've been using Fedora for a year or so now but I still consider myself a stumbling, confused newbie so please, if you answer, try to do so in a manner that I'll understand. :p

dark_prancer,

Did you check the logs that X creates in /var/log/? This almost always sheds light on what the problem is during startup. Also, what video card do you run?

You know, you don't necessarily have to *boot* the new kernel, even though it gets installed. You can change the default in grub back to your old one.

NSWKim,

thanks for your reply. I've reinstalled the kernel, since it occured to me that otherwise, i couldn't troubleshoot it. :p I tried to start normally and once again was left with the 'X' on the screen. I tried to ctrl-alt-F1 (someone told me I should do that :p) to the command line but nothing happened. I did notice that it was as soon as it entered the pretty, graphical portion of the startup routine that it failed. So I rebooted, went into the old kernel again and I could only find x logs for the old kernel, not what happened in the previous startup. If I manually startx with the new kernel, there's no problem, so I wonder if it's even worth doing that and then looking at the log. Is there like a 'system startup' log somewhere that might show me what's happening before it hangs?

I'm running Nvidia GeFroceFX 5900 Ultra, with the drivers that came with linux.

Hi dark_prancer,

If it's actually starting your X session and you can see a gui background then it doesn't sound like this is a driver or kernel problem. It sounds more like your display manager isn't working. If you are running KDE then try reinstalling kdm; or Gnome: gdm.

Update: I solved this problem by disabling SELinux. With selinux turned off, my graphical login works properly and I can use my internet connection.

I'm still not entirely sure what is wrong with SELinux and I'm going to spend today reading up on it. I believe it has something to do with SELinux possibly being set to block all connections or something by default and perhaps, I have to go through and write rules to allow the things I do want to happen.

Still not sure why this occured with the new kernel only but, well, I'm working on that. :p