failed to start the x server

well i had ubuntu running fine until i tried turning on the 3d stuff. i downloaded nvidia-glx and thought i was following directions, everything was fine. then i had to restart because i was updating from the ubuntu install. now when i boot i get the error message "failed to start the x server (your graphical interface). it is likely that it is not set up correctly. would you like to view the X server output to diagnose the problem?" did i break it?? i was starting to like ubuntu too. am i going to have to reinstall from the cd?

 

If you made a backup (you will from now on), you can just copy the file and replace the xorg.conf file you are currently using. If not, there is a command you can run (I don't remember it off the top of my head, I haven't used it in almost a year) to fix it. If you still have internet access (how else are you reading this?) Google for the error message, you will find the solution, or someone else will pickup my slack here soon.

 

What it means is that you don't have a driver installed correctly. Perhaps your nvidia driver isn't installed correctly, who knows. Did you edit the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file? If so, you just need to change "nvidia" back to "nv" in there.

Log into your computer with your username/password, then type "sudo pico /etc/X11/xorg.conf", put your password in, and then change the line that says "nvidia" back to "nv", and then restart (type "sudo reboot" at the command line). It should bring X back up correctly.

What directions did you follow? Any insight into the process you followed would help us fix it. Remember, this 3D stuff is still experimental, and not really part of the base system, so there are sometimes issues with it.

 

I don't run ubuntu myself, but the log file you'll want to look at should be found at
/var/log/Xorg.0.log

Have a look through there for "(EE)", which indicates any error the X server found.

The other posters are quite right however, it is likely that you need to twiddle your xorg.conf -> You can try to diable DRI (comment out the line that has `Load "dri"`)
and see if that helps. This will disable 3d acceleration, but still use the new drivers.

 

i was using the 3d graphics card guide from the documentation section of ubuntu.com. I have an nvidia geforce 4400 or something like that. so just to be sure i ran the command to see if direct rendering was on or off, and as expected it was off. so i went o add programs and system tools and i added the Nvidia binary X.org driver. i then entered "sudo nvidia-glx-config enable " into the terminal. andi cant remember exactly but i think i typed in "nvidia-settings" and a window popped up but there was no box to check or anything about 3d or direct rendering. and after one of the commands i ran it said X needs to be restarted, and at this time everything was fine. so when my updates were done it wanted to reboot so stupid me thought rebooting would restart X, and well it didnt. so now im reinstalling ubuntu because only once was i able to get to a command prompt after all the error messages and i didnt see "nvidia" anywhere after running the prompt "sudo pico /etc/X11/xorg.conf". but under a driver section it had "nv".

i really like the feel of ubuntu except for the using terminal for stuff, im not real comfortable with it, especially after i broke it. so no more trying to turn on 3d rendering for me unless someone has a fullproof way of doing it, or can tell me the right way if i screwed it up.

and yes i obviously still have internet access, im on my laptop now, im running ubuntu on my desktop to see if i like it because vista is driving me nuts.

 

Code:

sudo apt-get install envy

then

Code:

sudo invoke-rc.d gdm stop

then

Code:

envy

And select uninstall your current driver, and install the proper one.

For UBUNTU this works like a charm.

 

Or you could post your xorg.conf here and one of us can point out the mistake.

 

ok, well like i said i got nowhere so i decided to reinstall ubuntu. i reformatted my partitions and reinstalled from the livecd. when i went to reboot after install the screen pops up to choose which OS to run. after my original install this menu had i believe 5 options for ubuntu. one was the memory test, two the kernel version ended in .11, and the other two ended in.10. there was a safe mode for each .11 and .10. however after the reinstall i only have the two .10 versions and the memory test. is this normal?

 

Yes, the .11 kernels are installed by an update. On a fresh install they wont appear until they are installed.

 

thanks, im updating now. if im being a pain just tell me and ill go away. i just want to get ubuntu up and running so i can experience what it has to offer. which brings me to my next question. i found a page on how to install my printer, a lexmark z605, so i used the package manager to get alien but it says to download the driver from lexmarks website. is there a specific file i should save that in? or can i just save it any in say my /home and use it from there? i wasnt sure if there was a specific location for drivers.

 

dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

will reconfigure xserver too

 

True but the Xserver can be caused by a module or a line placed in there by accident, like a mouse misconfiguration ( like in my first days of linux)

 

When I first started using Arch Linux, I didn't realise I had to set the mouse to /dev/input/mice, and kept windering why X wouldn't start for a week. Ran a command prompt at uni for a week, before reinstalling the OS on the weekend, and finding that little bit of info half way through the wiki guide.

Needless to say, my forehead had a bruise that night.

 

Nice.. mine was... bluetooth mouse that wouldnt use back/forward buttons and i had to throw it accross the room acouple times.

 

Since you have a new, fresh install download the nvidia package again.

After it is installed go to the terminal window, if you are running Ubuntu 6.10 Edgy, type the following: sudo nvidia-xconfig

Enter your root password and it should configure.
After its done, close out of all your windows and then reboot gnome by pressing ctrl + alt + backspace

If a Nvidia logo flashes on the screen (it may take several seconds) then the drivers are installed correctly.

In terminal type: glxinfo | grep rendering
to confirm that 3D acceleration is working.

I went through the same thing when I installed Ubuntu a couple of days ago. Apparently "sudo nvidia-glx-config enable" doesn't work in edgy even though it says to use it in the documentation and the package info window.

 

thank you robgunn. that worked wonderfully. it may just be my imagination since i know its working now but the picture seems better. could all be in my head though. thanks again

 

The 2D performance is often better, and the picture could have more "correct", or at least richer, color.

 

Delvien's method of using Envy works well for newbs who aren't confortable doing all kinds of things at the command line and/or editing with xorg.conf file.

I myself, when I was starting out, didn't realise how important the "EndSection" lin was...and when I was configuring the wacom driver to work, I forgot it. Didn't realize why X wouldn't start...I just copied the .backup file over the x one and I tried again...

The idea of a "BulletProofX" as suggested in the Blueprint/Specs for the next Ubuntu release should be interesting. The idea is that X should start regardless of how messed up the files are...