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[Solved]Have to run startx from tty to get to GUI

Graphical Environments, Managers, Multimedia & Desktop questions.
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BrokeXorg
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[Solved]Have to run startx from tty to get to GUI

#1 Post by BrokeXorg »

Lately my computer has been stuck just before it boots into Gnome. startx from a tty terminal seems to be working, though I am not sure how long that will last. One of the more bizarre behaviors I have been experiencing is that it seems to be automatically switching between tty sessions. I could be entering either my root or user password and it would switch from tty3 to tty4, for example. I also have started Xorg through one tty interface and it will switch to the login screen on another. If I try to login there the screen will go blank for about 30 seconds and go right back to the login prompt.
Last edited by BrokeXorg on 2018-05-11 00:20, edited 2 times in total.

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bw123
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Re: Have to run startx from tty to get to GUI

#2 Post by bw123 »

Yeah i have been there, it's a real drag. So on bootup the display-manager doesn't come up? and drops you back to a login prompt? Try these instead of logging in and running startx, login as root.

Code: Select all

# systemctl status display-manager.service
# systemctl stop display-manager.service
# systemctl start display-manager.service
It's normal for the old way of doing it to login on one tty, then run X on another, usually tty7 or so. You did not say what version of debian you are on.
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BrokeXorg
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Re: Have to run startx from tty to get to GUI

#3 Post by BrokeXorg »

bw123 wrote:So on bootup the display-manager doesn't come up? and drops you back to a login prompt?
Not even dropping to a terminal. It will just pause at the screen just before login until I switch to a tty. What does tty stand for anyway? I am running Debian stable.

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4D696B65
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Re: Have to run startx from tty to get to GUI

#4 Post by 4D696B65 »

BrokeXorg wrote:
bw123 wrote:So on bootup the display-manager doesn't come up? and drops you back to a login prompt?
Not even dropping to a terminal. It will just pause at the screen just before login until I switch to a tty. What does tty stand for anyway? I am running Debian stable.
Once you log in, check dmesg for clues.

TTY stands for teletypewriter.

Caluser2000
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Re: Have to run startx from tty to get to GUI

#5 Post by Caluser2000 »

Try logging in a root in a terminal "su" then password. Run "apt-get install gdm" It should reinstate the gnome display manager with a graphical login prompt and options to select whatever destop enviroment you have installed on the system. If it says gdm is already installed remove it with "apt-get remove gdm" and reinstall.

cgirerd
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Re: Have to run startx from tty to get to GUI

#6 Post by cgirerd »

Hi there,
I think I have the same issue as yours. I openned a thread in this forum here to explain my problem: http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=137404

cgirerd
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Re: Have to run startx from tty to get to GUI

#7 Post by cgirerd »

Hi @BrokeXorg, is the problem solved on your side? Please let me know if that is the case :wink:

BrokeXorg
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Re: Have to run startx from tty to get to GUI

#8 Post by BrokeXorg »

No sir still takes minutes to boot if at all. Though bw123 seems to have the best answer

Code: Select all

# systemctl status display-manager.service
# systemctl stop display-manager.service
# systemctl start display-manager.service
I can login as root in tty. Then I get the login screen by Cntrl+Alt+F1. Thank you bw123 for coming up with this.

cgirerd
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Re: Have to run startx from tty to get to GUI

#9 Post by cgirerd »

Take a look here: http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php? ... 4&start=30. This seems to solve the problem for most users.

BrokeXorg
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Re: [Solved}Have to run startx from tty to get to GUI

#10 Post by BrokeXorg »

The haveged package readily available within the Stable repositories solved the problem. Basically from what I can ascertain is the /random directory(not sure what the parent directories are) does not generate enough of a cache on startup to get to the login screen. Another fix that works is to punch a bunch of random keys and that will generate enough random numbers to get to your desktop.

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sunrat
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Re: [Solved]Have to run startx from tty to get to GUI

#11 Post by sunrat »

For those who came in late and haven't read the dozen or so other posts on this issue, the kernel that was pushed in security updates fixes this.
“ computer users can be divided into 2 categories:
Those who have lost data
...and those who have not lost data YET ”
Remember to BACKUP!

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