# black screen with Xorg -config xorg.conf.new



## red (Jan 1, 2011)

hi everyone, I need help with Xorg. I'm new in freebsd and read some other posts and some documentation pages, but can't manage to solve by myself. Could you help me?

I would like to start FreeBSD with a GUI, so I installed gnome2 and Xorg through sysinstall, taking the needed contents directly from the FreeBSD installation DVD.

Then I've add to /etc/rc.conf the 
	
	



```
gnome_enable="YES"
```
 line, and run [cmd=]Xorg -config[/cmd] it told me I could try the configuration by typing [cmd=]Xorg -config xorg.conf.new[/cmd]. I did but all I had was a black screen, without pointer.

Now, after the boot I've got a black screen with a cross cursor that moves when I move the mouse, but nothing else appear. If I press Alt+Ctrl+F9, a green screen full of black stripes appears, with form, that seems to be the login form, but I can't say for sure, because it is empty, here's only the outline and inside it's white.

Can you give some advice, please ?


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## wblock@ (Jan 2, 2011)

Let's start with finding out what video card you have, and also whether you've added the /proc filesystem to /etc/fstab:

```
proc    /proc    procfs  rw   0       0
```


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## red (Jan 2, 2011)

yes, i forgot to say that I added this 

```
proc    /proc    procfs  rw   0       0
```
line at the end of /etc/fstab file. To create spaces I used  the tab button, don't know if this can create problem when OS read the file.

Don't know if there is a terminal command to detect the vga specification, but I can say this computer mount a radeon X300,


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## wblock@ (Jan 2, 2011)

`% pciconf -lv | grep -B3 display`

But "Radeon X300" is specific enough.  Please show your xorg.conf and /var/log/Xorg.0.log.  Sometimes these are long enough that they can't be posted in a message.  Many people put such things at http://pastebin.com/ instead.

It might be wise to disable gdm until your xorg setup is correct.  You can do that by commenting out the gdm line in /etc/ttys and kill -HUP 1.  Then logging in as your normal non-root user and starting X should start twm.


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## adamk (Jan 2, 2011)

A black screen when running Xorg is perfectly normal.  

What happens if you simply try to start X with a xterm using [cmd=""]xinit /usr/local/bin/xterm[/cmd]


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## red (Jan 2, 2011)

`% pciconf -lv | grep -B3 display`
thanks 

here's logs links:
Xorg.0.log ===> http://pastebin.com/1Vgen43u 
xorg.conf.new=> http://pastebin.com/tfPUXAvU
ttys =========> http://pastebin.com/nNTM43pE

posted even ttys, because I've not found the gdm line to comment, maybe I was wrong but it seems there isn't. Therefore I've not run the [CMD="kill -HUP 1"]
[/CMD]command, since I read this is used to apply changes at tty, so tought it was unusefull for the moment, it's wrong?



> What happens if you simply try to start X with a xterm using
> xinit /usr/local/bin/xterm


it appears a window in TWM-style, but I can obtain the same thing typing[CMD="startx"]
[/CMD]


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## red (Jan 3, 2011)

have you had a glance at the logs? if yes, any ideas?

a question: xorg must be installed before of gnome or the order is not important?


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## wblock@ (Jan 3, 2011)

red said:
			
		

> posted even ttys, because I've not found the gdm line to comment, maybe I was wrong but it seems there isn't. Therefore I've not run the [CMD="kill -HUP 1"]
> [/CMD]command, since I read this is used to apply changes at tty, so tought it was unusefull for the moment, it's wrong?



gdm is usually used to start GNOME.  Looking back at the original description, I can't tell what's going on.



> it appears a window in TWM-style, but I can obtain the same thing typing[CMD="startx"]
> [/CMD]



That sounds like xorg is working fine.  See the Handbook GNOME section for more instructions.


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## red (Jan 3, 2011)

Ok, I'm just writing from a gnome session on FreeBSD OS, managed to enter in it launching the startx command as normal user. Since now I launched it as root, And every time i just obtained something like the attached image. 

Right now I tried log in as normal user and run startx and it works. Didn't that running startx as root doesn't show the normal gnome interface, I think this was my mistake.

Anyway I'm having lots of error message like this 


```
(gnome-volume-control) blahblah  :  WARNING   connection failed
```

The gnome-volume-control changes on every error. And still getting a bad visualised login screen on ALT+CTRL+F9. The console where I'm writing from is the CTRL+ALT+F10.

If can be helpful I added in /etc/rc.conf these lines:


```
gdm_enable="YES"
hald_enable="YES"
dbus_enable="YES"
```


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## wblock@ (Jan 4, 2011)

You are missing a line from /etc/rc.conf:

```
gnome_enable="YES"
```


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## red (Jan 4, 2011)

Added 
	
	



```
gnome_enable="YES"
```

Now all error disappeared but gnome-audio-control, with pulseaudio failed to load module error. I'll check on the web for this problem, after that if not able to solve will come back to bother in the forum .

Anyway I still got the corrupt login screen on ALT+CTRL+F9, I'm now writing from ALT+CTRL+F10, posted an image about it. It feels like I've two gnome session launched, is it possible, I don't have any other explanation. This problem only happens when I add 
	
	



```
gnome_enable="YES"
```
 to /etc/rc.conf.


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## jaba (Jan 16, 2011)

red said:
			
		

> Added
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I have the same problem with xorg. I got the same green/white login screen.(ATL+CTRL+F9) So I can`t get xorg work with FreeBSD.

In /etc/rc.conf added lines -> 

```
linux_enable="YES" 
gnome_enable="YES" 
hald_enable="YES"
gdm_enable="YES"
dbus_enable="YES"
```

In /etc/fstab added lines ->

```
proc /proc procfs rw 0 0 
linproc /compat/linux/proc linprocfs rw 0 0
```

Can anyone got solved this?


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## wblock@ (Jan 17, 2011)

jaba said:
			
		

> I have the same problem with xorg. I got the same green/white login screen.(ATL+CTRL+F9) So I can`t get xorg work with freebsd.
> 
> In /etc/rc.conf added lines ->
> 
> ...



I thought we did.  Adding the /proc line to /etc/fstab does not mount it right then, that's only done at startup.  So restart the system, or su(1) to root and mount it:
`# mount /proc`


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## jaba (Jan 17, 2011)

wblock said:
			
		

> I thought we did.  Adding the /proc line to /etc/fstab does not mount it right then, that's only done at startup.  So restart the system, or su(1) to root and mount it:
> `# mount /proc`



Today I did try mount manually, but still no luck. And I think mount process is ok, because I have three lines at /boot/loader.conf ->


```
linux_load="YES"
linprocfs_load="YES"
atapicam_load="YES"
```

What else can be here? Already chech all log files, nothing strange out there.


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## wblock@ (Jan 17, 2011)

jaba said:
			
		

> Today I did try mount manually, but still no luck. And I think mount process is ok, because I have three lines at /boot/loader.conf ->
> 
> 
> ```
> ...



But none of those lines has anything to do with /proc.  You can verify that /proc is mounted after you boot:
`% mount`

```
procfs on /proc (procfs, local)
```



> What else can be here? Already chech all log files, nothing strange out there.



Have to confess that I'm not clear on the exact problem.  Do you get a blank GDM login screen just like the one in post #11?  If not, please describe precisely what shows.


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