Problem with X consoles - "shell-init: error retrieving current directory"

lowpro2k3 · 07-25-2005, 10:31 PM

I'm still trying to figure out how this happened. Lets see, I'm working on my desktop and trying to configure it the way I like. I started with a default install, xorg was working. Of course I decided "if it ain't broke, you need to tinker some more" so I ran xorgconfig and screwed up my X-server. It complained of lack of screens. I installed my nVidia drivers and ran xorgsetup, things work now. I was starting to set up X and editing some files in rxvt when I tried to tab-complete a filename and got this error message:

Code:

$ cd /et[tab-complete]
symlink-hook: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: No such file or directory
$ pwd
pwd:error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: No such file or directory

This doesn't just happen in rxvt, it also happens in X-console, and I tried the Gnome console but that won't work. I'm using the fluxbox off the CD.

Any ideas? This is annoying as heck, I've grown into a tab-complete addict!

piete · 07-26-2005, 06:17 AM

You've really been messing with things, eh?

That's an error I'd be proud to get! (My personal favourite was "Mystery Error" in the logs for lpr ... genius!)

Anyway ... moving on ...

Do you get the same tab-complete problems in a raw console? Ie: the bit before the GUI?

If tab complete works fine there, then it sounds like there might be a problem with the terminal emulators, or further down the tree (to affect them all). To be honest I'm not sure what you'd have to tweak to fix it, but take a look and see what sort of common dependencies they share, and that might help you locate the source of the problem.

Good luck, and, great error message!
- Piete.

Artanicus · 07-26-2005, 07:35 AM

Indeed something one doesnt see everyday.. (:

A few things to check out and narrow the problem:

- Do you have bash-complete installed? You know, the extra completion..
- Does this happen with _any_ completion, anywhere? Meaning, also commands from the PATH, or just directories? And both on xterms, tty's and on a pure non modified Konsole / gnome-terminal?
- if doing /et<tab> goes wrong, does

Code:

ls $(pwd) && ls /etc/

still work anyways?

mutschaedi · 02-01-2006, 06:11 AM

peace

i stumbled over this page when i searched for my problem, that said the same error.

my error was to move my home directory to another partition and symlinked it back to the required location. while moving i ignored a problem that the ~/.ICEauthority did not move as everything else. so i deleted it and symlinked the dir - of course the error happened to me later when i used the console again (bash)

i moved the homedir back to the previous partition - same problem
i restarted x - same problem
i logged in at a vt - no problem
i logged in as a other user in the xterm that was failing with my user - no problem
i stopped x and logged out and in again - everything was fine again

maybe someone can explain what this ice file means, but this was obvoiously the problem.

hopefull this post helps somebody in the future

a*men

RayJ · 03-26-2007, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mutschaedi

i stumbled over this page when i searched for my problem, that said the same error.

I may have solved this issue!

Here is what happened to me...

as root I entered:

Code:

cd /usr/lib/mailman/cron
rpm -e mailman
locate -u

THESE ERRORS START HAPPENING
shell-init: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: No such file or directory
AND
fatal error: locate: create_db(): chdir: No such file or directory

tried:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Artanicus

ls $(pwd) && ls /etc/

the result!

ls: /usr/lib/mailman/cron: No such file or directory

Duh! The directory that I am in longer exists! (as it was removed by "rpm -e mailman")

entered:

cd /

Solved?