Gnome preventing usage

bluewall21

Golden Member
Feb 13, 2004
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I installed SuSE 9.1 (64-bit), and it ran great in KDE. I then installed Gnome, and it booted into it, but it has a really small font, and I can't read anything on the desktop. I can't logout, and it automatically logs in to my last session type, which is Gnome. How can I fix this or get back into KDE? Are there any arguments that I can enter at GRUB?
 

drag

Elite Member
Jul 4, 2002
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It depends on how your starting X. If your logging in thru a graphical login you should be able to select the session type there thru preferences and such. I don't remember with Suse what it allows to be done, for security they configure it a bit different.

If your starting X from the command line with startx command then your session is customizable with a .xinitrc file. For user preferences/configurations you have all these hidden files in your home directory, this is were your preferences are kept because as a user you don't have much rights outside your home directory. The dot before the filename makes them "hidden".

I am not a kde user, but I think the command you use would be "startkde". So if your using startx then go:
echo "startkde" > ~/.xinitrc
and that should be enough.

If your logging in thru the GUI look for a preferences or session thing you can select. You should be able to pick what you want to use fairly easily.

To fix your small fonts problem in Gnome you use a tool called "gnome-font-properties". If you go thru the applications menu ---> desktop preferences ---> Font, and then fix your fonts.
OR
If everything is too small to read, then open up a terminal. The icon looks like a gray tv screen with a small >_ text in it. It may be on the bar itself, click on that, if isn't then go into applications --> System Tools ---> Terminal
once you get the xterm open type:
gnome-font-properties

and hit enter, that will open the font preferences and you can select bigger fonts that way.

Hope that helps.
 

drag

Elite Member
Jul 4, 2002
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Oh, so it's setup to log you in automaticly as your user, no password or anything? I don't like that, but I've done it before.

The way to kill X when it's hanging or unusable is to hit the key combo 'ctrl-alt-backspace', that will kill it and when it resets hopefully it goes back to the graphical login instead of automaticly logging you in again.

I THINK it should just log you automaticly when you boot up... if you do ctrl-alt-backspace it should kick you back into the login screen.

Another thing you can try is to change the resolution of your screen to try to make the letters and such more readable. You change it by going
ctrl alt minus-key (the ones by your numerical keypad rather then above your enter key)
ctrl alt plus-key

And that will cycle thru your aviable resolutions. You desktop area will remain the same size and you can then just move the view port around buy pushing on the edge of the screen with your mouse.

Hopefully then you can see enough to go up into the "actions" menu and select log out.
 

drag

Elite Member
Jul 4, 2002
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I hope it works. I tend to forget details with stuff like that, when something goes wrong I tend to plow right thru it until it's fixed then completely forget about it afterwords.

Also it's stuff like this is why I still prefer to turn off the graphical login stuff and just login thru the command line. Then I can just use startx to start x. To me that makes more sense.. the graphical login is pleasent all can be very nice looking and all that, but I don't see the point realy.

If you want to disable the graphical login (this works for Fedora and Suse should be similar) you hit ctrl-alt-F1 (or any F# button from F1-F6) to get to a console login (which is also usefull if X ever geeks out.) Login as root, and then type "telinit 3". That will change the runlevel (runlevels are different running configuration modes. Runlevel 5 is default, and means "mutliuser with X" and Runlevel 3 means "multiuser without X". It differs from distro to distro, though. Debian would be completely different as would Gentoo).

then you can switch to another virtual console and login as your user and type startx that way. That way you can use your .xinitrc in your home folder to change you desktop type. To make it perminate you have to edit your /etc/inittab file and change the default runlevel.

Also if your X session ever geeks out and you can't get response from your keyboard you can usually login thru a different computer using ssh and issue the shutdown command to gracefully reboot your computer (shutdown -h now). You can use putty.exe as a ssh client from a windows computer.

that way you can get everything reset without risking your data. It's pretty rare for the machine to lock up completely.
 

bluewall21

Golden Member
Feb 13, 2004
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Well, it worked. Thanks for all the various information that will be used in the future. I will change to runlevel 3 now.