Ongoing problem with gdm

[scoonma]

Hi all,

 

I'm trying to get around this annoying error for quite some time (2008.1, see also https://qa.mandriva.com/show_bug.cgi?id=34501):

 

When starting my desktop from terminal mode (dm not started), everything works fine. However, when I try to use the graphical login ("service dm start" forehand), I get the annoying request to configure my computer with /usr/bin/drak3d. This is exactly what is not necessary, because everything is tuned okay here. I'm being thrown into that again and again, no matter what option I choose.

 

I copied one error message by hand, so it's not *exactly* the same, but you'll get it:

 

/etc/X11/gdm/Xsession results positively to
setup done; will execute
/etc/X11/xdm/Xsession drak3d

 

You see the last argument is what produces that annoying behaviour, so I looked up the calling script .../gdm/Xsession.

 

Is it possible to pass another argument, so that a login actually results in displaying a desktop, not some mcc component?

 

Kind regards,

 

scoonma

[scarecrow]

Is it necessary to start gdm as a service?

You can add instead at the end of your /etc/inittab a line like

x:5:respawn:/usr/sbin/gdm -nodaemon

or wherever gdm is located.

[scoonma]

Is it necessary to start gdm as a service?

 

No, but that is not the problem. I could put it to be started on boot by default, but found it very inconvenient in case of trouble (like this one).

 

The error occurs after gdm is started any way (the login/chooser screen looks alright), right after typing in the password. No desktop is being displayed, instead a request to type in user password. After that drak3d pops up. So I never get to the desktop using gdm. For that I had disabled *any* dm ("service dm stopped" as chkconfig default).

[scarecrow]

Ummm... I'm afraid I can't help here, as 1. I don't use gdm, and 2. I use slim in -nodaemon mode.

Slim may not have the gdm features, but it's highly configurable by hand, and it does have some sexy themes...

[ianw1974]

Do you have 3D enabled then? Like metisse or compiz or whatever? If not, then perhaps you could remove this to stop the drak3d configuration dialogs popping up.

[scoonma]

Disabling 3D would be an option, of course. Thus I could circumvent the problem.

 

I'd rather like to solve it though. :-)

[scoonma]

Sorry, I forgot: I have compiz installed:

 

compiz-0.7.6-1mdv2008.1

[ianw1974]

I just wanted to rule it out. Thus, if you disable it and it fixes the problem, then we know there is some config issue with metisse or compiz and then we'll have a smaller area to look at to get it fixed. As currently, if we don't do it, then we've not really narrowed the problem down.

 

You can always re-enable it again later, and then we can look at where the problem lies after that.

[scoonma]

I just wanted to rule it out. Thus, if you disable it and it fixes the problem, then we know there is some config issue with metisse or compiz and then we'll have a smaller area to look at to get it fixed. As currently, if we don't do it, then we've not really narrowed the problem down.

You're right of course. So I can provide some details now:

 

- Disabling 3D from within the drak3d module (i.e. selecting "No 3d effects") after choosing login and typing in the password is not sufficient: The problem remains the same.

 

- Enabling GNOME as standard session from the login chooser screen works ... somehow:

 

1) If I select my gf's handle and log in, a normal GNOME session is started, as expected. So at least she can do her work now!

 

2) If I select my own handle and log in, a 3D session is started, with rotating desktop cube possible - which is fine, too. However, this is not what I have expected.

 

So the problem is not fully solved now, but I rather have a working configuration. Unfortunately I do not know why it is working - which is somehow disappointing from an advanced linux users point of view. :unsure: