Ran xf86config still no X -- Mandrake 10.0

Hi,

First time post here. I did some searching, but I couldn't find anything that resembled my problem close enough to extract. I've was a *nix user for a few years and left for a while, but I returned this weekend with Mandrake 10.0.

I have an PC with two disks. One disk has XP installed and I've partitioned that disk for the Mandrake installation. Leaving the second drive free. In the Mandrake installation things go fine until I get to the "Summary." Here "Graphical Interface" has not been configured. Fine, it hasn't. When I start the config process the system hangs; the mouse freezes can't view virtual terms, anything. I reinstalled on a freshly formatted partition and tried again. I did this at least a half dozen times. Each time I would get to the "Graphical Interface" and at some point in that process, sometimes just clicking on "Configure" other times in the process of selecting displays, or resolution or whatever, and it would hang. I tried doing an upgrade on my 10.0 install. Still would hang at the same point. Each time that I did an install I would reboot and each time X wouldn't start. I could get to the command line. Here I ran XF86config. I'd go through the process. (My PC is an older Compaq 5440 300Mhz, 184 MB RAM with an 8MB SiS 530 graphics adapter). After that config was run I'd check the XF86config file. It seemed to look ok to me, though what do I know. The odd thing is that in my users directory (I created just one user account) there was no .xinitc or the other .x***** files.

So my question is, when do the .xinitc and other X files get created? And why does the system alway hang and that point in the installation? btw, I did a checksum on the .iso's.

Thanks.

Could you please post the screen-related patrts of your /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 and the error message you get when starting X?

.xinitrc isn't created by default. It overrides system standard settings. Other X files in your home directory should be created first time you run X.

I'm not at my PC now so I can't post the screen portion of my XF86config file. The error number is errno2, which if I'm not mistaking means I'm missing file(s) and, again apologize for not be at my PC, but it mentions something about by .Xauthority file, which also doesn't exist.

I'll have to get back later with the XF86Config screen settings.

Found this XF86Config file at SiS. Would this work? http://driver2.sis.com/linux/XF86Config

Also, why would the system hang at that point in the installation???

Might work, but I would check the vertical refresh (vertrefresh) line to make sure it suits your monitor. And the horizontal refresh line might be an idea too. Wrong values could cause damage. You should find the correct settings either on the monitor or in the manual.

Does anyone have a piece of the XF86Config referenced above that I could look at? If mine is missing those pieces than it's difficult to replicate my settings as I do not know the format.

Thanks.

I do not have an XF86Config-4, but I do have an XF86Config. Here are the uncommented portions:

ServerFlags
Section "ServerFlags"
EndSection

Monitor Section
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "DE-570"
HorizSync 31.5, 35.15, 35.5
VertRefresh 50-100
EndSection

Graphics device section
Section "Device"
Identifier "Standard VGA"
VendorName "Unknown"
BrandName "Unknown"
Driver "vga"
EndSection
Section "Device"
Identifer "SiS530"
Driver "sis"
#VideoRam 4096
EndSection

Screen Sections
Section "Screen"
Identifer "Screen 1"
Device "SiS530"
Monitor "DE-570"
DefaultDepth 24
Subsection "Display"
Depth 8
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
ViewPort 0 0
EndSubSection
Subsection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
ViewPort 0 0
EndSubSection
Subsection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
ViewPort 0 0
EndSubSection
EndSection

ServerLayout
Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Simple Layout"
Screen "Screen 1"
InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer"
InputDevice "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection

The monitor I am using is a Delta DE-570 with 30.0-70.0 Horizontal Sync and 50.0-70.0 Vertical Sync. Refresh is 60 or 70 at 1024x768. The graphics chip is built in. It is a SiS530/620 with 8MB of video memory.

When I type startx I get this error:
Using authority file /home/username/.Xauthority
Writing authority file /home/username/.Xauthority
Using authority file /home/username/.Xauthority
Writing authority file /home/username/.Xauthority
execve failed for /etc/X11/X (errno 2)
xinit: no such file or directory (errno 2): unable to connect to xserver
xinit: no such process (errno3): server error

I am then returned to the prompt.

I hope I've given enough information for someone to diagnose this. I still do not know why it always hangs in the installation process when I get to, or start working on, the "Graphical Interface".

Thanks.

See this:
http://www.linuxgazette.com/node/view/5024

Problem solved. Thanks.

I'm not certain which fixed it exactly, but I did try creating a symbolic link. That wasn't the solution though. I ran XFdrake. That installed a few more X binaries. But that still wasn't the fix. XFdrake did create a XF86Config-4 file, which I did not previously have. In the end the solution was to copy an XF86Config file that was created by running XF86Config previously and replacing the XF86Config-4 file with it.

Hope that helps anyone who is having similar issues.

Also, I needed to copy the root's .X and .x files over to my users home directory and then change the ownership to launch a non root session KDE.

The whole process seemed buggy. Is there and issue with XFree86 installing?