Error after update [solved]

[The Berr]

After several weeks away, I downloaded the latest updates but when they loaded, I gor an error message and now when I try to boot I can only get a console but no Desktop.

Error message reads

 

Error setting up inter-process communications for KDE.

The mmessage returned by the system was: Could not read network communication list.

/home/cooperman/.DCOPserver_localhost_0

please check that the "dcopserver" program is running!

 

So what does that mean, and how can I fix it being a numpty and a newbie

[medo3891]

Try this: When you reach the console log in as normal user, then do this:

 

cd /home/cooperman/

rm -fv .DCOPserver*

 

And then:

startx

 

and see if that works.

[The Berr]

Hi medo

When I try what you suggest I get the message

Temp directory (/tmp) is out of disk space

KDE is unable to start

Then after I click OK a small panel says

could not start ksm server

Disk is 400GB dedicated to Mandriva Spring so not sure what the problem is

[medo3891]

Disregard my first post. What's the output of this run in console:

df

[Greg2]

Temp directory (/tmp) is out of disk space

If you could log in as root and post the output of

cd /; du -sh `ls`

for us to see, it would really help. You may have to take a pic of your screen with a camera or cellphone for us to see the output.

[viking777]

OK Let's make the rather foolish assumption that the error message that you are getting actually has something to do with the real error. It may not have, but we have to start somewhere.

 

When you get to your console, login as root and type:

 

drakconf

 

Use a combination of the tab keys and the up/down arrow keys to highlight 'bootloader'.

 

Press 'Enter'

 

Use the tab key to move to 'Advanced'.

 

Use the up/down arrow keys to highlight 'clean /tmp at each boot' (I have no idea why this is not done by default)

 

Press the space key to select it (an x should appear in the brackets)

 

Use the tab key to select 'close'

 

Press enter.

 

Use the arrow keys to select 'next'

 

Press enter

 

Use arrow keys to highlight 'finish'

 

Press Enter.

 

type

 

shutdown -h now

 

Then restart and if a full /tmp file was really the problem then you should be able to continue normally. Of course if it wasn't????

[The Berr]

If you could log in as root and post the output of

cd /; du -sh `ls`

for us to see, it would really help. You may have to take a pic of your screen with a camera or cellphone for us to see the output.

Hi Greg, I got the camera ready, logged in as root, but alas, after I typed in the instruction I got

du: cannot access'ls': No such file or directory

[Greg2]

du: cannot access'ls': No such file or directory

The `ls` are backticks not single quotes. It's on the tilde key in the US. :)

[The Berr]

Hi Viking, did as you instructed but now have a different problem, not worked out yet how to attach pics. Think the attachment was accepted so see what it says

[The Berr]

The `ls` are backticks not single quotes. It's on the tilde key in the US. :)

Sorry Greg, never even knew there was a tild key. I think I have identified it above the tab key but now my problem is I have lost the console.

[Greg2]

OK Let's make the rather foolish assumption that the error message that you are getting actually has something to do with the real error.

It is not a foolish assumption to believe that if /tmp is full, it's because / is full. In which case you would not be able to write properly to any conf file there with drakconf, or with anything else for that matter, until you gave it some space. :)

 

@ Berr

I'm now looking at your screenshot. I would suggest that since you are unfamiliar with the Linux cli, that you boot to the console selection in that screenshot. Then login as root and run

shutdown -F -r now

this should reboot the system with an fsck on boot.

 

If you get to that login prompt again, please run the command I've posted (the key above the tab is the ~/` tilde/backtick key) and attach a pic? Please let us know what happens?

[AussieJohn]

As Greg says, it may be a symptom that / is full.

There have been many instances where /var/log has been filled up by a problem elsewhere which has caused a flood of logs.

 

Probably worth looking into.

 

Cheers. John.

[The Berr]

Followed your instructions Greg. Machine went through a few steps and shutdown. Photo on reboot attached.

[Lexicon]

Probably You have bug in /etc/fstab.

I suggested reinstall Mandriva 2008.1 (if you havn't - download) with option upgrade and reboot .....Lex

[viking777]

Ok, when you get to the screen that you posted, do what is says and give the root password. having done that type the command

 

mount

 

this will give you the device location of your / partition (if you already know it then ignore this step), you should get something like this:

 

/dev/sda6 on / type ext3 (rw)

none on /proc type proc (rw)

/dev/sda5 on /media/mandriva2009 type ext3 (rw)

 

 

You can see from my example that my / partition is on /dev/sda6.

 

Armed with this information you can then run the command

 

dumpe2fs /dev/sda6|grep -i superblock

 

Of course you will substitute 'dev/sda6' for the location of your own / partition. (NB the | symbol between dev/sda6 and grep is accessed by pressing shift+\ on a UK keyboard - different if you are on another keyboard layout)

 

This should give you a return something ike this

 

Primary superblock at 0, Group descriptors at 1-2

Backup superblock at 32768, Group descriptors at 32769-32770

Backup superblock at 98304, Group descriptors at 98305-98306

Backup superblock at 163840, Group descriptors at 163841-163842

Backup superblock at 229376, Group descriptors at 229377-229378

Backup superblock at 294912, Group descriptors at 294913-294914

Backup superblock at 819200, Group descriptors at 819201-819202

Backup superblock at 884736, Group descriptors at 884737-884738

Backup superblock at 1605632, Group descriptors at 1605633-1605634

Backup superblock at 2654208, Group descriptors at 2654209-2654210

Backup superblock at 4096000, Group descriptors at 4096001-4096002

 

You can now do what the error message is telling you to which is to run

e2fsck -b 32768 /dev/sda6

 

Again substituting any numbers that are relevant to your installation. (go right through the list if you need to)

 

As you can see from my example Linux saves several backups of its 'superblock' and any one of these will be enough to check and repair the disk - if , and it is a big if, you are actually dealing with the right partition in the first place, because as somebody else said, if your /etc/fstab is messed up and you are trying to access the wrong partition then none of this is going to work.

 

Anyway, give it a try and let us know what happens.