[SOLVED] Zenwalk 8 problems with X starting, solved then can't login

rpaugusto · 03-04-2020, 10:35 AM

Hi!

Hope Zenwalk isn't dead, still like it a lot.

Decided to install last edition of Zenwalk 8 on a VM on KVM (I run Fedora Worstation for work), and after updating I was greeted with the inability to start X. While booting, it tries to start X, it crashes and it keeps trying for a while, until it pauses for 5 mins.

I was able to login through console, add network connectivity and figured out that some packages where missing that were preventing X to start, lxdm.log showed the error messages.

The packages that I installed (from more than 1 mirror, if I remember correctly) were:

Code:

libunwind libXfont2 graphite2 libxkbcommon wayland

After this it starts X and shows the login screen, but when I try to login (user or root), it displays the login again.

Only activity in logs is in lxdm.log, this is added every time I try to login:

Quote:

** Message: 15:09:41.815: add 0x1e82570

** Message: 15:09:41.815: prepare greeter on :0

** Message: 15:09:41.815: start greeter on :0

(lxdm-greeter-gtk:6799): Gtk-WARNING **: 15:09:41.875: Theme parsing error: gtk.css:11:7: not a number

(lxdm-greeter-gtk:6799): Gtk-WARNING **: 15:09:41.875: Theme parsing error: gtk.css:11:14: Using Pango syntax for the font: style property is deprecated; please use CSS syntax

EDIT: messages also has this error that happens during boot:

Quote:

Mar 4 15:40:28 darkstar dbus-daemon[813]: [system] Activating service name='org.freedesktop.PolicyKit1' requested by ':1.0' (uid=0 pid=816 comm="/usr/sbin/console-kit-daemon ") (using servicehelper)
Mar 4 15:40:28 darkstar dbus-daemon[813]: [system] Activated service 'org.freedesktop.PolicyKit1' failed: Launch helper exited with unknown return code 127

Since I'm not an expert, I have to ask: any suggestions? Thanks!

teckk · 03-04-2020, 03:07 PM

What package manager does Zenwalk use? Is it based on Slack? You need to install xorg with all libraries matching. Do you have a package manager that will bring the machine up to date with a repo?

Those theme parsing errors are probably nothing. Most gtk themes do that.

And this is a systemd machine?

This:

Code:

Mar 4 15:40:28 darkstar dbus-daemon[813]: [system] Activated service 'org.freedesktop.PolicyKit1' failed: Launch helper exited with unknown return code 127

Polkit failed. Do you have PolicyKit installed right? And dbus?

Look at:
man systemctl
man journalctl

journalctl -u dbus.service

http://www.google.com/search?q=helpe...1%27+failed%3A

See what you can find.

uteck · 03-04-2020, 03:19 PM

You say you installed wayland, but what desktop environment are you trying to start? Perhaps it is not ready for wayland, or it needs some other package.

vtel57 · 03-04-2020, 05:54 PM

Some questions answered...

- Zenwalk is based on Slackware.

- It does NOT use SystemD.

- Its current default DE is Xfce 4.12.

- Its package manager is "netpkg".

NOTE: v8.0 of Zen is quite old (2016). As of 2019, Zenwalk is a "rolling-release" distribution. The above still applies in most cases except newer version of Xfce and kernel.

I also don't believe that a version of Zenwalk from 2016 would be compatible with Wayland. Is it possible the OP updated using the new rolling-release repos? If so, that may be a problem.

Jean-Philippe Guillemin's blog

Softpedia article about ZW 8

ZW @ Distrowatch

rpaugusto · 03-05-2020, 10:57 AM

Thanks for answering.

Yes, I know that Zenwalk is Slackware based, that doesn't use systemd or wayland. I've been using several versions along the years. I downloaded the 8.0 ISO from the blog (current Zenwalk site). I think that was the mistake I made, it's not current release and that's why it broke when updated? Need to explore more of the blog... Distrowatch hasn't mentioned much about Zenwalk and I seem to have missed that last post about the rolling release.

I just installed what the lxdm.log said was missing. I installed one package and then a different library gets logged as missing, the last of which a library that could only be satisfied by the wayland package.

Downloading now the release linked in the last DistroWatch entry and will install it. Will report back.

Edit: Yep, the 8.0 ISO is out of date, and the Distrowatch post version is also out of date. Found the blog post which announces a June 2019 ISO, which seems to be the current one. Downloading it now.

vtel57 · 03-05-2020, 11:55 AM

Hello @rpaugusto! I figured that using that older version and then updating who-knows-how-many jumps to their current rolling release version would give you some fits. Were I you, I'd wipe and reinstall fresh with their latest release --> zenwalk-current-15.0-200101.iso ( http://download.zenwalk.org/x86_64/current/ ).

Oh, and the "informational" posting above was actually meant for @teckk in reply to his questions regarding ZW.

Luck with it, my friend. If you can consider this resolved, please mark thread as SOLVED. Give a holler if you still need some assistance, though. We'll be here...

Regards,

~Eric

rpaugusto · 03-05-2020, 12:45 PM

@vtel57, thanks!

I had already installed the June 2019 version, and it was finishing upgrading. It didn't work out too, it reboots to a black screen (though console is active, just no X screen).

Downloading now that 15.0 version, now I know where to look for ISOs. Thank you very much!

Marking this as solved.

vtel57 · 03-05-2020, 05:11 PM

You're very welcome, @rpaugusto! Hopefully, installing the newest version will work as it should. I ran ZW 14 years or so ago as a tester on my system. It was an impressive Slackware derivative. I hope you find it to be that as well.

Cheers!

~Eric