X server failure in Sabayon 13.04

[DavidMcCann]

I've got the 13.04 live disk, 32-bit Xfce version. When I try to run it, it ends with a lockup. The disk is OK: I checked.

If I start in the console mode, it works. If I then try startx or xinit, I get a quick flash of unreadable messages followed by a blank screen and a lock-up. And it's a complete lock-up: I can't get to tty2 to see what's happening; all that works is Alt-Sysrq-b.

I've tried the safe mode, using nomodeset, and replacing the video parameters with xdriver=vesa, but nothing helps. My video is just an SiS chip on the motherboard, so the VESA driver should work.

[Fitzcarraldo]

xdriver=sis is also a valid kernel boot parameter, so, if you have a SiS video chip then try that, although I'm not sure if the LiveDVD has the Xorg SiS driver (xf86-video-sis) installed. EDIT: Just checked; yes it does.

[DavidMcCann]

I did try xdriver=sis, but the boot then hung at the message
autoload 0 modules

[Fitzcarraldo]

Hmm... Well, if you can boot to a console, log in as root user and check if the main kernel boot line in the GRUB 2 file /boot/grub/grub.cfg contains the boot parameter "nox" (no X Windows).

Also, if I recall correctly, you cannot use the startx command because there is no ~/.xinitrc and a DM is set up:

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[email protected] ~ $ ls -la ~/.xinitrc
ls: cannot access /home/fitzcarraldo/.xinitrc: No such file or directory
[email protected] ~ $ cat /etc/conf.d/xdm | grep DISPLAYMANAGER
DISPLAYMANAGER="lxdm"

So, assuming OpenRC is set up rather than systemd, you would need to use the following command:

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/etc/init.d/xdm start

But I think that will not work as there is an underlying problem. Not sure what, though.

[DavidMcCann]

I tried that command after booting in console mode and got
warning: xdm has already been started.

Out of curiosity, I've just downloaded the CDX version: exactly the same problem.

I've just had a brainwave! I mounted a USB stick and redirected the output of xinit to it. The last entries are
Initializing built-in extension DRI2
Loading extension GLX
That's where it goes pear-shaped. I tried blocking glx, then dri, but that didn't help. Then it occurred to me that it was what was supposed to happen after loading glx that was failing, and I didn't know what that was. I think that's where I give up.

[DavidMcCann]

Well, I've just discovered I can run a CLI installer. Unfortunately, it offers the options
1. use the whole disk
2. use free space
3. overwrite an existing Linux.
I have two existing Linuxes: which was it intending to overwrite? It's rather important to know such things!

Am I going to delete my guest partition and trust Sabayon to use the free space with no further problems? Or am I going to write a dismissive review based on my experiences so far? Another reviewer once suggested that the Sabayon team were more interested in adding things than in actually getting them to work. Looking at the number of installation problems, you could start there.

[Fitzcarraldo]

What I normally do is to use GParted first (on any LiveCD/LiveDVD/LivePenDrive I have to hand) and set up the partitions manually before I boot the SL LiveDVD/LivePenDrive and launch the SL Installer. Then I launch the Installer, select the Use Free Space option (or perhaps it's the Create Custom Layout option) and install SL to the partitions I specify to the Installer. If using the CLI installer, I always check in /boot/grub/grub.cfg to see if "nox" is one of the boot parameters in the kernel boot line and I remove the "nox" so that X Windows can start once I have installed a DM and DE.