root login only shows YaST control center

I've set up a dual SuSe/Novell Linux-system, one 32bit, the other 64bit.
The 32-bit has a full equipped xine-engine, able to play most (if not all)
wmv's and DVD's. The 64-bit version has some issues with that. Anyway,
that's just a small situation report.
There's no problem with the 64-bit version (9.2), but when I login as root
in the 32-bit version (9.1) all I get is a YaST controle center. WHen I
close it I get a small glimps of a KDE desktop, but it immediately shuts
down that user. How do I get rid of the current situation and have a
working KDE desktop again?

On Sat, 24 Sep 2005 22:39:44 GMT
UOZSUJVZJGOM@spammotel.com wrote:

> I've set up a dual SuSe/Novell Linux-system, one 32bit, the other
> 64bit. The 32-bit has a full equipped xine-engine, able to play most
> (if not all) wmv's and DVD's. The 64-bit version has some issues with
> that. Anyway, that's just a small situation report.
> There's no problem with the 64-bit version (9.2), but when I login as
> root in the 32-bit version (9.1) all I get is a YaST controle center.
> WHen I close it I get a small glimps of a KDE desktop, but it
> immediately shuts down that user. How do I get rid of the current
> situation and have a working KDE desktop again?

You shouldn't. Not as root, anyway. But if you insist, check the
session at the login screen -- you should be able to change it there,
IIRC . . .


--
Kevin Nathan (Arizona, USA)
Linux Potpourri and a.o.l.s. FAQ -- http://www.project54.com/linux/

Open standards. Open source. Open minds.
The command line is the front line.
Linux 2.6.8-24.18-default
6:43pm up 16 days 19:30, 13 users, load average: 0.35, 0.46, 0.54

> You shouldn't. Not as root, anyway. But if you insist, check the
> session at the login screen -- you should be able to change it there,
> IIRC . . .
If a program complains about a permission problem, I'd like to try and see
if it works as root, before anything else. And since the program in
question has a GUI interface, I can't run it as root in a normal user
window. Therefor, I need to open a clean root-KDE.
Session at the login-screen? There is in 9.2, but not in 9.1, apparently.
I've got 'Administration', which takes me straight to the YaST control
center, I've got 'Log'in, which logs me in to the YaST control center, I've
got the 'User', which tells me the normal user is on screen 1, and the
'Menu', to kill X-server or shutdown. No session here though.

On Wed, 28 Sep 2005 21:36:44 GMT
UOZSUJVZJGOM@spammotel.com wrote:

> > You shouldn't. Not as root, anyway. But if you insist, check the
> > session at the login screen -- you should be able to change it
> > there, IIRC . . .
>
> If a program complains about a permission problem, I'd like to try
> and see if it works as root, before anything else. And since the
> program in question has a GUI interface, I can't run it as root in a
> normal user window.

Not true. In SUSE, use 'sux' -- this sets up the X stuff needed to run
as root while using the user's screen:

sux
(enter root password)
guiprogram
exit

If you don't like that method, you can use 'kdesu' (either at command
line, in Alt-F2 or in the menu):

kdesu guiprogram


> Therefor, I need to open a clean root-KDE.

While you *can* do it, you don't ever *need* to do it! :-) But, as I've
said before, it's up to you -- I just learned my lesson very early in
my Linux travels when I wiped out my system with an errant mouse click
while moving the mouse across GNOME's file manager (*way* back on Red
Hat 5.x). Today I could probably recover from it, but it still wouldn't
be any fun . . .


> Session at the login-screen? There is in 9.2, but not in 9.1,

I only ran 9.1 for a few weeks, and I never use KDM anyway, so I
couldn't say for sure. I just sort of remember there being something
like 'Menu' or the like with a drop down selection, in almost all
versions when I *have* run KDM.

If you're comfortable running programs from the CLI, try a different
desktop/window manager. Drop to runlevel 3 (or on next boot, enter
'init 3' at the bootup screen, where you can select the OS to boot).
Log in as root and do:

wmlist

and you should see a list of window windowmanagers, something like
this (but all on one line):

windowmaker
sawfish
enlightenment
openbox
fluxbox
fvwm2
icewm
mwm
olvwm
olwm
qvwm
wm2
twm

If you have 'twm', try it this way:

startx twm

or any of the others.

For some of these wm's, all you have available is an xterm window by
clicking either left or right mouse button. The advantage is that you
don't have any of the KDE stuff getting in your way, yet you can run
whatever program you want -- you just have to know it's name and/or
location . . . :-)


--
Kevin Nathan (Arizona, USA)
Linux Potpourri and a.o.l.s. FAQ -- http://www.project54.com/linux/

Open standards. Open source. Open minds.
The command line is the front line.
Linux 2.6.8-24.18-default
9:08pm up 20 days 21:55, 13 users, load average: 0.35, 0.32, 0.28

UOZSUJVZJGOM@spammotel.com wrote:

>> You shouldn't. Not as root, anyway. But if you insist, check the
>> session at the login screen -- you should be able to change it there,
>> IIRC . . .
> If a program complains about a permission problem, I'd like to try and see
> if it works as root, before anything else. And since the program in
> question has a GUI interface, I can't run it as root in a normal user
> window. Therefor, I need to open a clean root-KDE.
> Session at the login-screen? There is in 9.2, but not in 9.1, apparently.
> I've got 'Administration', which takes me straight to the YaST control
> center, I've got 'Log'in, which logs me in to the YaST control center,
> I've got the 'User', which tells me the normal user is on screen 1, and
> the 'Menu', to kill X-server or shutdown. No session here though.

Hi Bob,

If you want to run some program that needs GUI, as root using console than
you have few choices, but please give us more details before you run
program, as it shouldn't happen that normal application needs more than it
is given by the system.

I installed many of them and not many complained on permissions.

If some app wants to write to system directories, or change your system
files, than something can be very wrong. It can overwite your system files
and make other applications to start with errors or not to start at all.

If you want to run that program anyway, than look in top left corner of
console window. You can see "Session" drop down menu, from that menu you
can start "New Root Shell" and run program as root.

--
Regards,
Rajko.

UOZSUJVZJGOM@spammotel.com wrote:
> I've set up a dual SuSe/Novell Linux-system, one 32bit, the other 64bit.
> The 32-bit has a full equipped xine-engine, able to play most (if not all)
> wmv's and DVD's. The 64-bit version has some issues with that. Anyway,
> that's just a small situation report.
> There's no problem with the 64-bit version (9.2), but when I login as root
> in the 32-bit version (9.1) all I get is a YaST controle center. WHen I
> close it I get a small glimps of a KDE desktop, but it immediately shuts
> down that user. How do I get rid of the current situation and have a
> working KDE desktop again?

Hello,

On the NOVELL login screen there should be a button called
"sessiontype", change this from "administration" (or something like
that, I don't have Novell over here) to "KDE" or whatever you like as
the GUI. Enter your user name and password (preferably NOT "root") and
login. Problem should be solved.

have fun, Arie

> Not true. In SUSE, use 'sux' -- this sets up the X stuff needed to run
> as root while using the user's screen:
>
> sux
> (enter root password)
> guiprogram
> exit
Oops, didn't know about that. Thanks for the info.

> Hi Bob,
>
> If you want to run some program that needs GUI, as root using console than
> you have few choices, but please give us more details before you run
> program, as it shouldn't happen that normal application needs more than it
> is given by the system.
>
> I installed many of them and not many complained on permissions.

This one (MuSe) says 'Cannot lock memory:: Action denied' and 'cannot open
rtc clock /dev/rtc: Access denied'.

When I use the 'sux' it starts up, but then it's complaining about
cca_-stuff, even after I installed ladcca. The program itself starts up
though, but when I (try to) play a midi-file, which is why I've been
wanting to use this program, there's no sound. :-(

UOZSUJVZJGOM@spammotel.com wrote:

>> Hi Bob,
>>
>> If you want to run some program that needs GUI, as root using console
>> than you have few choices, but please give us more details before you run
>> program, as it shouldn't happen that normal application needs more than
>> it is given by the system.
>>
>> I installed many of them and not many complained on permissions.
>
> This one (MuSe) says 'Cannot lock memory:: Action denied' and 'cannot open
> rtc clock /dev/rtc: Access denied'.
>
> When I use the 'sux' it starts up, but then it's complaining about
> cca_-stuff, even after I installed ladcca. The program itself starts up
> though, but when I (try to) play a midi-file, which is why I've been
> wanting to use this program, there's no sound. :-(

Have you checked your mixer?
So far I recall your hardware is similar to mine, and I don't have MIDI
(sequencer) listed. I tried different sound module, not suse default alsa
snd_via82xx, but oss (Open Sound System) via82cxxx_audio and still I can't
get MIDI running. I can't find right words for Google to return something
usefull about software emulated sequencer. I have to look in local backups
to see what kind of sound configuration was used before.

--
Regards,
Rajko.

> Have you checked your mixer?
> So far I recall your hardware is similar to mine, and I don't have MIDI
> (sequencer) listed. I tried different sound module, not suse default alsa
> snd_via82xx, but oss (Open Sound System) via82cxxx_audio and still I can't
> get MIDI running. I can't find right words for Google to return something
> usefull about software emulated sequencer. I have to look in local backups
> to see what kind of sound configuration was used before.
I just had an idea: audacity.
So, I got rid of MuSe and all its subsidiaries (lots of dependancies) and
tried audacity. It too can import MIDI-data, however, when I try to play it
has trouble opening my sound device.
Anyway, we're going seriously off-topic here. This thread is about kde, not
MIDI players.
So, even though I might not need it anymore, I would still like to know how
I can log into the root-account in SuSe 9.1 without YaST control center
taking over.