LinuxQuestions.org - kde getting a fatal error

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kde getting a fatal error

When I turn on my computer and go to linux, it boots normally, then, it puts me into the command line os. So I type in kde to start kde, and the screen goes black for a while, then it comes back and says that there has been a fatal server error and that the font server couldn't find the default font. and then gives me back my command line. Could you please help me get kde working again

(I'me running mandrake 10)
thanks in advance!:newbie:

Code:

vi /var/log/XFree86.0.log

is probably what you'll need to look at.

As you're using mandrake, then vi or vim is usually the default editor.

that should throw up a file (though if not, you may have to log in or su to root) with the file open, it look's all complicated etc, but you are looking for lines that have (EE) at the start, that's the error, don't worry about (WW) or (--) for the moment.

Any (EE) should give you and if you write the error down and post it here, us, something to go on to try to help you get your kde working again.

Failing that you could try the N00B's "cure all" and re-install, the only downside of that is that if you don't have a separate /home partition, then you loose any customisation that you may have set up.

regards

John

The error is "Could not open default font 'fixed'"

Again, don't forget that if all else fail's you can do a re-install.

So, with that in mind

I'd have a look at the /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 and the only thing that mentions font's is this section

Code:

Section "Files"

    # Multiple FontPath entries are allowed (they are concatenated together)

    # By default, Mandrake 6.0 and later now use a font server independent of

    # the X server to render fonts.

    FontPath "unix/:-1"

EndSection

Obviously, you'd do

Code:

vi /etc/X11/XF86Config-4

To actually change things with vi you have to hit the insert key and navigate using the arrow keys.

Once any changes have been made I usually hit the Esc key, then to save and exit I hit ":wq" (no quotes, but you have to use the : colon). :wq is save and quit, and :q is just to quit.

It may be worth having a quick google for instrutions on using vi.

There's also the xfont server but I've never had to meddle with that. So if it doesn't work, I'd suggest trying the old "re-install" trick.

You may want to check your partitions though and make a separate /home one, then when the install get's to that section you should be able to tell it to format both /root and /home partitions with whichever file system you want to use (ext3 is common, I had a go with ReiserFS last time I screwed thing's up, but once I'd re-formatted the /root partition and re-installed there, I just logged straight into my user account and everything was still there - if something doesn't work, it seems that then it's usually just a case of re-installing whatever particular app that doesn't work).

Hope this help's some

regards

John

you should be using
startx
to start the x server
not "kde"
you start kde from the script
~/.xinitrc or ~/.xsession
with:
exec startkde

i'le try that, but I also tried to reinstall mandrake, and ran into another problem. WHen I boot from cd (#2) then it asks me how I would like to go about installing mandrake, it freezes up! I have tried this several times, but the same thing happens every time. I even tried waiting until it gave me that screen then inseting the first diskand waiting. Could you please help me with this problem? Also, thank you very much for all of the help you have given me.

Quote:

WHen I boot from cd (#2)

Why are you booting from CD2 ? Perhap's if you have the facility (window's and a cd burner) why don't you d/l and burn a copy of mandrake 10 official - it's considerably more up to date than 9.1

Quote:

Distribution: Mandrake 9.1

Oh, ok!

then, could you help me fix my problem?

Sorry, the only thing that I can think of, is to re-burn the CD's. I can remember when the mandrake 10 community first came out, they had a problem booting with the first CD, but that was sorted out with one of the updates.

If you still have the ISO images, then (if they're in windows) you download and install md5summer and then start it, tell it to create sum's, drag and drop the ISO's into md5summer and start it.

It should give you an identical md5sum to the one available from the site where you downloaded the iso's from. and I mean identical.

Any error's at all, and you'd have to re-download the iso that gives you an incorrect md5sum.

Whereas if you have them in a linux install, then you just

Code:

cd

to the directory where they are, and open a terminal (or you can do it from the "init 3 CLI stage) and from the root prompt, cd to the directory where the iso's are and at the # prompt

Code:

md5sum mandrakexxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(replace the x's with the rest of the iso name/number) and wait, again it should give you the same number that you got (or should have) from the mirror download site.

Or just in case it's a possible hardware problem, you could try Knoppix. It has (arguably) the best hardware detection of virtually any distro. It's a "live cd" version, so it run's from the cd and unless you tell it to (you can't do this by mistake), it won't write anything to your hard drive.

It should flag up any hard ware problem's. The only thing you might not be able to do is connect to the net (especially if you're using dial up). You'd still have to download it and the md5summer mentioned/linked earlier (for windows) to check the integrity of the download.

Worth a try.

Sorry I can't help more. I usually just buy a mandrake dvd directly from them (usually the boxed set power pack, as I've never had any problems)