X won't start

English Install/Boot/Login
1

Hi,
I’m working on a Lenovo SL510 with an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4500. After I tried to update my graphic-card driver I can’t start X anymore. I installed the driver the like it was described on the ATI webside.
The computer starts in the non graphic mode. When I type in “startx”, I get the message:

Fatal server error:
Caught signal 11. Server aborting.

giving up.
xinit: Connection refused (errno 111): unable to connect to X server
xinit: No such process (errorno 3): Server error.

Its the same with both, my standard login an the root.
When I login with my standard account, I get the same message, plus:

xauth: /home/“my profile name”/.Xauthority not writable

My Linux version is: openSUSE 11.2 (x86_64)

Is there any chance I could fix this?
I’m a total Linux newbee by the way.

thanks

2

openSUSE Forums - View Single Post - openSUSE Graphic Card Practical Theory Guide for Users

3

Fatal server error:
Caught signal 11. Server aborting.

giving up.
xinit: Connection refused (errno 111): unable to connect to X server
xinit: No such process (errorno 3): Server error.

Its the same with both, my standard login an the root.
When I login with my standard account, I get the same message, plus:

xauth: /home/“my profile name”/.Xauthority not writable

Do you log into a GUI as root often? Or just to test in this case alone?

4

Justin in this case. Never logged in as root before.

5

Can you be more specific?

What web site URL/address?

Updating from what driver to what driver?

Typically, to recover from a failed ATI proprietary graphic driver install, one MUST remove the fglrx rpm and then try again the update (with corrections as appropriate).

6

it was this website: ATI Catalyst™ Proprietary Display Driver

what do you mean by remove the fglrx rpm?

7

Edit: I don’t need the ati driver, just want to use my notebook again without loosing the linux installation on it. If you have any advice how I could install any working driver and adjust my system to make X start again, thats what I’m looking for.

8

How often have you done this before?

Typically, before installing the proprietary driver from the site you reference, one needs to first install kernel-source and kernel-syms of the EXACT same version as one’s kernel. And also install linux-kernel-headers.

One has to remove any old rpm with fglrx by running (all with root permissions):

rpm -e $(rpm -qa '*fglrx*')

Then one has to build the NEW fglrx rpm using the .run file from the ATI site you referenced with:

sh ati*.run --buildpkg SuSE/SUSE112-AMD64

and then one has to install the new fglrx rpm with:

rpm -Uvh fgl*.rpm

and then ensure various links updated

ldconfig

and then create a custom xorg.conf file with:

aticonfig --initial

Is that what you did ?

9

No, thats not what I did.
I just startet the driver’s .run-file from the terminal (in GUI mode). As i said, I’m new to Linux and thought it would be like installing a driver in Windows.

Should I do the steps you just posted, or will I make it worse by doing so now?

10

Its up to you. I do not know what you have now. I do not know your expertise. I do not know what are are afraid of losing. I started using Linux in 1998 and from then until around 2007 I never used the proprietary graphic drivers. I did NOT want to risk my desktop being messed up.

My financial situation changed around then, and I had more than one PC, and hence had a backup, so I became a bit more adventurous and started using proprietary drivers and I was AMAZED at how easy it was (doing things like what I described above). But by then I had 8 years Linux experience.

Of course I probably could have done the above immediately when I first started using Linux, but I am incredibly conservative, and it was NOT important to me at the time (in 1998), and I had things that WERE important that I did not want to risk losing, and I had little time then to debug/experiment.

This is your call.

I think it is easy.

I think I outlined the steps adequately.

But I have no idea as to your assessment.

Sorry, I can’t answer your question.

11 
Should I do the steps you just posted, or will I make it worse by doing so now?

You can’t boot to a GUI, If you don’t want to be using the command line constantly, my suggestion is to go for it.

But do, as already mentioned, have a good read here first openSUSE Forums - View Single Post - openSUSE Graphic Card Practical Theory Guide for Users

12

First of all, thank you very much for your help. I trided it an came to this point:

then I get the message:

Package “gcc” needs to be installed by YaSt2 first!

Building/installation of fglrx kernel module failed! Try agai by calling “/usr/bin/fglrx-kernel-build.sh” manually.

What does that mean?

13

You need to install the gcc complier. You can do it from the command line by typing yast to run the CL version of Yast. Also may need the kernel-source for you running kernel.

Note it may be easier to just add the ATI repository and install a package that is made for the distro.

14

Ok, I have an Update.
I restarted the notebook and X started. But now I can’t choose the right Resolution, it just doesn’t know that my monitor is 16:9. I can choose only between 2 resolutions.
In the “system information” is no information about my display. I think i have no real driver running now. My question is: Is there any safe and (important) easy to install driver, that I can use safely? (I’m working on a Lenovo SL510 by the way) And how should I install it, to be on the safe site?

And what does that mean:

I also want to apologize for asking such newcomer questions, but I’m new to Linux and are forced to work with it now.

15

Add the ATI repo

from su - terminal

zypper ar -f http://www2.ati.com/suse/11.2/ ati

then

zypper ref

accept the licence

zypper up

will usually install the video driver in openSUSE 11.2

Otherwise
open Software Management and check it to install

16

Sorry, I just saw, that I have OpenSuse 1.1 Wrote it wrong in my first post. So I tried to add the 1.1 Repo.
By doing so, I get the following message:

sla1@linux-809r:~> su
Password:
linux-809r:/home/sla1 # zypper ar -f http://www2.ati.com/suse/11.1/ ati
Adding repository 'ati' [done]
Repository 'ati' successfully added
Enabled: Yes
Autorefresh: Yes
URI: http://www2.ati.com/suse/11.1/

linux-809r:/home/sla1 # zypper ref
Retrieving repository 'ati' metadata [done]
Building repository 'ati' cache [done]
Repository 'NVIDIA Repository' is up to date.
Repository 'openSUSE-11.1-Non-Oss' is up to date.
Repository 'openSUSE-11.1-Oss' is up to date.
Repository 'openSUSE-11.1-Update' is up to date.
Repository 'openSUSE BuildService - KDE:Community' is up to date.
Repository 'openSUSE BuildService - OpenOffice.org' is up to date.
Repository 'openSUSE BuildService - Drivers for webcams' is up to date.
Repository 'openSUSE BuildService - Games' is up to date.
Repository 'openSUSE BuildService - Mozilla' is up to date.
Repository 'VideoLan Repository' is up to date.
Repository 'Packman Repository' is up to date.
Repository 'ATI Repository' is up to date.
All repositories have been refreshed.
linux-809r:/home/sla1 # zypper up
Loading repository data...
Reading installed packages...
Nothing to do.
17

Please post result of

zypper lr -d


uname -a
18

Ok caf4926, I used your second advice and installed the driver from the software manager. Now my system works perfectly again. Nice.

I want to thank all of you guys, you really made my day. You used your time to help me out with this problem, I really appreciate that.

19

Its not necessary to create an rpm. I have installed ATI Catalysts plenty of times and i just do, sh ./aticatalystnames.run on konsole.

And after all i do “SaX2 -r -m 0=fglrx” on run level 3.

20

Great - well done!