Quick Question, Starting GUI from Commandline
 

Hi, I'm completely new to Linux. When I installed Mandrake Linux 10.1 Community, I disabled start in GUI (or something of the likeness). So it starts in the command prompt, and I can log on by, say, typing "Bob *enter* cheese *enter*" for un/pw. So. I'm logged on, and I have no clue what to do from command prompt, seeing as I'm a newbie, and so I'll start the GUI. I head somewhere that you can type "emerge gnome" or "emerge kde" and start that x-windows GUI but it says command not found (or, once again, something of the likeness). Any help would be appreciated, and I'd really appreciate it if you could walk me through COMPLETELY step-by-step. (For example don't tell me "open this file and edit this" because seeing as I'm in command prompt I have no idea how to do that.)

"startx" usually should bring you to the GUI

Well, "startx" does not bring me to a GUI, it rather gives me a bunch of text that takes up the whole screen. I see no x-windows or Gnome or KDE or anything after "startx". Emerge Gnome and Emerge KDE still do not work after "startx".

I looked through the text it gave me and found some interesting stuff.

Data imcomplete in file /etc/x11/xorg.conf
at least one Device section is required.
(EE) Problem parsing config file
(EE) EError parsing config file

Fatal server error: no screens found
XIO: fatal IO error 104 (connection reset by peer on x server ":0.0"
After 0 requests (0 known processed) with 0 events remaining.

emerge is a tool specific to Gentoo Linux I believe. It won't be on Mandrake.

Try this from the command line:

kdm

Of course you could try to create a new config file for the x-server. I haven't Mandrake here, but an usual x.org-install should include the command xorgconfig that you can run as root. You will be guided to give some information about mouse, keyboard, graphic card and monitor. It's a console program. The program should then from your information create a new xorg.conf.
After that you should *usually* be able to start GUI with startx.