RE: I broke my X

["Bhaskar Manda" <bmanda@cooperfund.com>]

Norval Watson wrote:
> /var/log/Xorg.0.log shows
> ...
> Failed to load module "GLcore"
> ...
> Failed to load module "speedo"
> ...
> Failed to load module "nv"
> ...
> Failed to load module "mouse"
> ...
> Fatal server error
> no screens found

The errors about modules by themselves aren't fatal, except possibly for
the mouse module. You can fix that by installing
xserver-xorg-modules-input-mouse (or something similar, search for
xserver.*mouse) in dselect).

Look in /var/log/xorg.log.0 (or something like that; 'ls -lrt' in
/var/log after you try to start X and it will be one log files at the
end of the listing). This log file will tell you why it found no
screens. One way for that to happen is when the vert and horiz sync
ranges are too narrow and the resolutions too high. You can expand the
ranges (the manual for the monitor will have the safe ranges, could be
something like 30-65 for horiz and 60-90 for vert); or you can try a
lower resolution in the screen section (for example, add 800x600 so that
that is looks like 
   Modes "800x600" "1600x1200"

The log file will be helpful in diagnosing this.

If all else fails, you can always uninstall all xserver-* packaegs and
re-install; although this may mean reinstalling Gnome packages, etc.

-- 
Bhaskar S. Manda