fresh install of Deb 9 can't log in via GUI?

[este.el.paz]

Folks:

After a number of years of playing around with other linux distros I checked out the Debian 9 MATE edition liveDVD and it looked fine, so I ran an install . . . from the liveDVD, using "install Debian" option from the EFI boot image . . . to a Mac Pro '12 . . . and generally it seemed like the install went "OK" nothing crashed out, and after install I shut down and on reboot the Debian version of grub showed up and Debian was the top listed item and we booted into a nice Debian login manager window . . . and my user name and password were taken to a black screen . . . a moment's pause . . . and then back to the log in manager screen!!! Tried a number of times and different alias's, burned some incense . . . nothing seemed to get me into the GUI desktop.
and
Hit the TTY and logged in and ran apt update/upgrade . . . that went well . . . rebooted . . . same issue. I recall in past variations of ubuntu there would be "gdm" or "lightdm" problems and this was the result . . . ran a couple googles . . . found a million answers . . . no time to read them all. Is this a "known issue" with a "known fix" and if so how to adjust via the TTY to get the GUI working?? Or, this is a problem with installing Debian via the liveDVD and I should have used the "install" iso? Seems like something ain't right if installer installs w/o error showing, but then, it don't work to the GUI??

Also, after I did the Debian install my other linux OS's now take three or four minutes to boot up . . . with some kind of "starting cron-job" . . . which I didn't request or do, but seems to be related to the Debian install?? Is it like OSX that Debian doesn't play well with others and does stuff in grub so that the other guys seem "slower" to boot??

TIA

eep

[bw123]

Seems like something ain't right if installer installs w/o error showing, but then, it don't work to the GUI??

I know it seems that way, but the installer has no idea what hardware you are using. The best thing is probably read the installation manual, ID the graphics hardware and search for known issues. Lot of times I do searches, for example, debian+brand, debian+model, or debian+hardware and that gets some smaller selection of relevant hits.

Also, after I did the Debian install my other linux OS's now take three or four minutes to boot up . . . with some kind of "starting cron-job" . . . which I didn't request or do, but seems to be related to the Debian install?? Is it like OSX that Debian doesn't play well with others and does stuff in grub so that the other guys seem "slower" to boot??

Did you change something in the partitioner with your existing partitions, or swap partition?

[este.el.paz]

I know it seems that way, but the installer has no idea what hardware you are using. The best thing is probably read the installation manual, ID the graphics hardware and search for known issues. Lot of times I do searches, for example, debian+brand, debian+model, or debian+hardware and that gets some smaller selection of relevant hits.

Did you change something in the partitioner with your existing partitions, or swap partition?

@bw123:

Thanks for the reply . . . but, having done a fair number of linux installs by now, the installer almost invariably seems to run a "checking hardware" toward the end of the install . . . which seemingly should "check hardware"?? The MP uses pretty standard stuff, intel processor and radeon card . . . but, OK . . . no thoughts on the "gdm" vs "lightdm" options as far as log in manager goes??

As far as the partitioner goes, I did of course "format" the partition that I was installing Deb 9 into . . . and, perhaps "overenthusiastically" I did point the installer to the swap partitions, which I have done in other installs . . . seems like you are saying that I should not have "mentioned" the swap partitions to mr Debian? They are or were "shared" by three other distros? Is there a way to get them shared again? Or I would have to nuke/pave mr Debian and run it again as a fresh install?

eep

[stevepusser]

Radeon card? Then the standard question would be if you have firmware-amd-graphics installed from the non-free part of the repository. See the Debian wiki concerning AMD graphics for more information.

[sunrat]

They are or were "shared" by three other distros? Is there a way to get them shared again?

Yes. Use blkid to find the UUID of the swap partition and edit fstab in the other distros.

[este.el.paz]

Radeon card? Then the standard question would be if you have firmware-amd-graphics installed from the non-free part of the repository. See the Debian wiki concerning AMD graphics for more information.

@stevepusser:

Alright, thank you for the reply . . . of course it would be "easier" to check the repos via the GUI, which I am a basic GUI driver, but, when I get back to playing with mr Debian I will check into your suggestions.

They are or were "shared" by three other distros? Is there a way to get them shared again?

Yes. Use blkid to find the UUID of the swap partition and edit fstab in the other distros.

@sunrat:

Also thank you to you, I have messed with "blkid" a few times after OSX has futzed with my grub files, but I have yet to do anything to or with "fstab" . . . no idea what that is; also I have a couple of OpenSUSE installs and they do things "differently" . . . . It's all in the joys of multi-booting, where not all distros are friendly to each other.

eep