Screen goes white and writes "A problem has occured and the system can't recover ..."

English Install/Boot/Login
1

Hello. PLEASE HELP!!!
Opensuse Leap 42.1
Kernel - 4.1.26-21-default
Here is the story . Yesterday PC working wtihout any problem and I didn;t make any changes in my config files. The next day I turned it on and it went black screen with message ** A problem has occured and the system can’t recover please try again.**
When I logged in as a root from terminal *CTRL+ALT+F4 *I could run **startx **and it works I got my gui.Here is the output when I try to tun startx as a user

xauth: file /home/suse_home/.serverauth.2859 does not exist
xauth: file /home/suse_home/.Xauthority does not exist
xauth: file /home/suse_home/.Xauthority does not exist

_XSERVTransSocketUNIXCreateListener: …SocketCreateListener() failed
_XSERVTransMakeAllCOTSServerListeners: server already running
(EE)
Fatal server error:
(EE) Cannot establish any listening sockets - Make sure an X server isn’t already running(EE)
(EE)
Please consult the The X.Org Foundation support
at http://wiki.x.org
for help.
(EE) Please also check the log file at “/home/suse_home/.local/share/xorg/Xorg.2.log” for additional information.
(EE)
(EE) Server terminated with error (1). Closing log file.
xinit: giving up
xinit: unable to connect to X server: Connection refused
xinit: server error

xinit failed. /usr/bin/Xorg is not setuid, maybe that’s the reason?
If so either use a display manager (strongly recommended) or adjust /etc/permissions.local and run “chkstat --system --set” afterwards
Couldn’t get a file descriptor referring to the console

and here is my /home/suse_home/.local/share/xorg/Xorg.2.log

1682.749] _XSERVTransSocketUNIXCreateListener: …SocketCreateListener() failed
1682.749] _XSERVTransMakeAllCOTSServerListeners: server already running
1682.749] (EE)
Fatal server error:
1682.749] (EE) Cannot establish any listening sockets - Make sure an X server isn’t already running(EE)
1682.749] (EE)
Please consult the The X.Org Foundation support
at http://wiki.x.org
for help.
1682.749] (EE) Please also check the log file at “/home/suse_home/.local/share/xorg/Xorg.2.log” for additional information.
1682.749] (EE)
1682.749] (EE) Server terminated with error (1). Closing log file.

I think problem is here but really i can’t figure out … I don’t really want to reinstall my OC and I hope there is way to get through this problem.
Thank you so much in advance))))

2

Do you ever log into a GUI as root? DON’T!!!

Can you log into GUI as a test user?

check the ownership of ~/.Xauthority it should belong to the user NOT root

3

Thanks for response.
I understand I shoud not login as root and moreover run startx as root but I do not have other choices . My main user ‘suse_home’ when I log in from terminal (after white screen when I push ctrl+alt+f4)
I can not even do ls it keep saying that
ls if it is not typo …
but I made a test user and after I logged in as test user I could do ls and other basic commands , so I guess it soemhow is connected to my suse_home user and nvidia driver but why I can not understand.
** -rw------- 1 suse_home users 0 Jul 9 10:52 /home/suse_home/.Xauthority this is my main users Xauthority file
**Thank you again

4

Thanks for response.
I understand I shoud not login as root and moreover run startx as root but I do not have other choices . My main user ‘suse_home’ when I log in from terminal (after white screen when I push ctrl+alt+f4)
I can not even do ls it keep saying that
ls if it is not typo …
I can not login into gui as test user or any else only root
but I made a test user and after I logged in as test user I could do ls and other basic commands , so I guess it soemhow is connected to my suse_home user and nvidia driver but why I can not understand.
** -rw------- 1 suse_home users 0 Jul 9 10:52 /home/suse_home/.Xauthority this is my main users Xauthority file
**Thank you again

5

Do you, like me always boot to a text console and actually run startx as a user to
fire up the GUI???

It would appear that on Jul 9, suse susu did say:

> Hello. PLEASE HELP!!!
> Opensuse Leap 42.1
> Kernel - 4.1.26-21-default
> Here is the story . Yesterday PC working wtihout any problem and I
> didn;t make any changes in my config files. The next day I turned it on
> and it went black screen with message * A problem has occured and
> the system can’t recover please try again.*
> When I logged in as a root from terminal -CTRL+ALT+F4 -I could run
> *startx *and it works I got my gui.Here is the output when I try to tun
> startx as a user
>
> xauth: file /home/suse_home/.serverauth.2859 does not exist
> xauth: file /home/suse_home/.Xauthority does not exist
> xauth: file /home/suse_home/.Xauthority does not exist
>
> _XSERVTransSocketUNIXCreateListener: …SocketCreateListener() failed
> _XSERVTransMakeAllCOTSServerListeners: server already running
> (EE)
> Fatal server error:
> (EE) Cannot establish any listening sockets - Make sure an X server
> isn’t already running(EE)
> (EE)
> Please consult the The X.Org Foundation support
> at http://wiki.x.org
> for help.
> (EE) Please also check the log file at
> “/home/suse_home/.local/share/xorg/Xorg.2.log” for additional
> information.
> (EE)
> (EE) Server terminated with error (1). Closing log file.
> xinit: giving up
> xinit: unable to connect to X server: Connection refused
> xinit: server error
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> xinit failed. /usr/bin/Xorg is not setuid, maybe that’s the reason?
> If so either use a display manager (strongly recommended) or adjust
> /etc/permissions.local and run “chkstat --system --set” afterwards
> Couldn’t get a file descriptor referring to the console

There is a hint on the line that starts “xinit failed.”

Every now and then during an update: be it zypper up, apt-get upgrade or urpmi --auto-update,
Xorg’s file permissions get “fixed” to the setting that only makes sense if your actually using
a Display Manager to start the GUI (and offer a graphical login screen.) Then assuming X works
properly when root runs startx, but fails to start when user account does so, then this might
help.

If you are booting to a console {IE the default.target link points at multi-user.target rather
than graphical.target} then I’d suggest setting Xorg to setuid.


su - -c chmod 4755 /usr/bin/Xorg

I’m not actually sure that you need to reboot to get it to work that way or not, but I usually
do. After which my user account is usually just as able to “startx” as root is… YMMV
Hope this helps!

–
JtWdyP

6

WHen I run your command it says

    
   su: user 4755 does not exist

when I run just

chmod 4755 /usr/bin/Xorg

it works and here is output of ls -la /usr/bin/Xorg

-rwsr-xr-x 1 root root 2199368 Mar  7 12:26 /usr/bin/Xorg
7

I changed file owner and group and now it looks liek this

-rwxr-xr-x 1 suse_home users 2199368 Mar  7 12:26 /usr/bin/Xorg

but still does not work when I log in as suse_home I am not able to execute any command it keeps saying me check if your command is not typo…

8

Also when I am trying to start startx as a testuser it says

xf860OpenConsole VT_ACTIVATE failed
9

It would appear that on Jul 9, suse susu did say:

> jtwdyp;2784938 Wrote:
> > Do you, like me always boot to a text console and actually run startx as
> > a user to
> > fire up the GUI???
> >
------------<snip>------------
> >
> > Every now and then during an update: be it zypper up, apt-get upgrade or
> > urpmi --auto-update,
> > Xorg’s file permissions get “fixed” to the setting that only makes sense
> > if your actually using
> > a Display Manager to start the GUI (and offer a graphical login screen.)
> > Then assuming X works
> > properly when root runs startx, but fails to start when user account
> > does so, then this might
> > help.
> >
> > If you are booting to a console {IE the default.target link points at
> > multi-user.target rather
> > than graphical.target} then I’d suggest setting Xorg to setuid.
> > >
> Code:
> --------------------
> > >
> > su - -c chmod 4755 /usr/bin/Xorg
> >
> --------------------
> > >
> >
> > I’m not actually sure that you need to reboot to get it to work that
> > way or not, but I usually
> > do. After which my user account is usually just as able to “startx” as
> > root is… YMMV
> > Hope this helps!
>
> WHen I run your command it says
>
> Code:
> --------------------
>
> su: user 4755 does not exist
>
> --------------------

Hmmnn. OK I’ll confess that I usually use midnight commander to set the setuid bit on Xorg.

Seems that I forgot that I needed to wrap chmod and it’s arguments in quotes to keep su from
trying to do other things with them.

Code:

su - -c “chmod 4755 /usr/bin/Xorg”

Would have accepted the default (root) user ID…

> when I run just
>
> Code:
> --------------------
> chmod 4755 /usr/bin/Xorg
>
> --------------------
>
> it works and here is output of ls -la /usr/bin/Xorg

You were already using a root shell I take it?

> Code:
> --------------------
> -rwsr-xr-x 1 root root 2199368 Mar 7 12:26 /usr/bin/Xorg
> --------------------

It would appear that on Jul 9, suse susu did also say:

> I changed file owner and group and now it looks liek this
>
> Code:
> --------------------
> -rwxr-xr-x 1 suse_home users 2199368 Mar 7 12:26 /usr/bin/Xorg
> --------------------
>
> but still does not work when I log in as suse_home I am not able to
> execute any command it keeps saying me check if your command is not
> typo…

I don’t think changing the OWNERSHIP of Xorg is a good idea.

I think it MUST be owned by root for the setuid bit to let non-root user start X with it.

But I say again, My suggestion ONLY makes sense if you don’t NORMALLY login on a graphical
screen or otherwise get to your graphical environment without having to run startx.

If you’ve got a Display Manager actually running, you’d be better served asking some of the
smarter users of this forum how to get your graphical login working again.

I only responded because you said startx worked for root. But not for a normal user.

Would you be so kind as to post the result of:


ls -l /etc/systemd/system/default.target

Mine says:

Code:

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 41 Jun 10 21:34 /etc/systemd/system/default.target -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/multi-user.target

If yours says something more like this:

Code:

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 41 Jun 10 21:34 /etc/systemd/system/default.target -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/graphical.target

Then ignore my help because you’ve got problems I don’t understand.

It would appear that on Jul 9, suse susu said a little more…

> Also when I am trying to start startx as a testuser it says
>
> Code:
> --------------------
> xf860OpenConsole VT_ACTIVATE failed
> --------------------

Not sure, But did testuser run startx while the output of ls -la /usr/bin/Xorg was:

Code:

-rwsr-xr-x 1 root root 2199368 Mar 7 12:26 /usr/bin/Xorg

Or only while it said:

Code:

-rwxr-xr-x 1 suse_home users 2199368 Mar 7 12:26 /usr/bin/Xorg

Because while I’m pretty sure Xorg MUST be owned by root for the setuid bit to help, I’m very
sure that it MUST be setuid for startx to work for non-root users.

If testuser tries to run startx while Xorg is BOTH setuid AND owned by root, then it should
work. If it doesn’t then I don’t know what’s wrong. If however that does work for test user but
still doesn’t solve it for suse_home then I’d suspect a problem in your user settings.

If you are actually intentionally booting to one of the virtual consoles AKA tty[1-6] and then
always use startx when you want X I’m willing to spend a little more time trying to debug the
problem. But if you do normally run X without using startx then you should have a running DM such
as GDM, KDM, XDM or LightDM etc… Then since I never use one, I can’t help you but somebody
else here probably can.

–
JtWdyP

10

Thanks you for your reponse .
Here is today’s story . I changes group and owner so now it looks like this

-rwsr-xr-x 1 root root 2199368 Mar  7 12:26 /usr/bin/Xorg

I tried to startx but it says

FATAL SERVER ERROR
xf860OpenConsole VT_ACTIVATE failed  Operation not permitted

After I run this command

ps aux | grep X

output says that console is opened by root tty7 , when I tried to switch to tty7 (CTRL+ALT+F7) it went the same white screen .
**When I kill that **that process it automatically took me to login screen where finally I sow all my users , I could login as test user and everything works fine, but still I can’t login as my main user (something is broken with my main user setting but i don’t know what and why).
I hope this info was helpful.

11

Each user has there own settings in their home directories check to be sure all files including hidden in your home are owned by you and not by root. It could be a problem in the desktop’s config files renaming the desktop’s directory i ~/.config will reset the desktop files.

messing with xorg ownership is not the best idea. It may allow startx to work but that mode is depreciated and should no longer be used. as root init 5 can be used to start GUI

If you have auto login set best to turn it off at least until the problem is resolved

.

12

Thank you for response.
Yesterday I deleted my

malicious
user wih all files and configs . I made brand new user but porblem is after booting system stucks untill I went CTRL+ALT+F1 and then I do

ps aux | grep X

In output I see one process run by root ,WHen I kill it I can use my PC normaly .So What is the problem now???

13

Thank s for response.
Here is how things went. I deleted my

malicious
user and now boot proces stucks at the end untill I go CTRL+ALT+F1 and when I do

ps aux | grep X

I see root run a process and after killing it I am able to login norally

14

hello I almost got solved my problem http://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/294792/opensuse-can-login-as-root-but-not-as-user
now here is how things works . I turn on my pc then I choose (I got two OS-es) opensuse , system starts loading and at the last point it stucks showing loading sign.
When I enter CRTL+ALT+F1 and make

    ps aux |grep X

I see something like this

root 1690 1.1 0.4 279624 33196 tty7 Ssl+ 16:04 0:00 /usr/bin/Xorg :0 -background none -noreset -verbose -auth /run/gdm/auth-for-gdm-5xMmRx/database -seat seat 0  0 yt7

after killing this process I am able to log in normally
Thanks in advance