Beginner's problem

[TonyGroves]

I have just started exploring Linux (I installed SuSE 8.2 today), and think I messed up the KDE settings. I don't particularly like the fancy graphics and would prefer to use a plain 16- or 256-colour theme for the desktop, so I opened SaX and changed the colours setting to 16 colours and rebooted. But now, the system starts with a shell instead of KDE, and I can't figure out how to get back to where I was.

Can anybody help? Thanks.

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ALTER world DROP injustice, ADD peace;

 

[stefanwagner]

To start X11 from the console use: startx
To start X11 automatical edit /etc/inittab (as root)

change:

#The default runlevel
id:4:initdefault

## to:
id:5:initdefault

don't forget to have a look at man inittab

We recently had a similar topic here...

 

[TonyGroves]

Sorry to be such a gobshite, but how do I edit a file like inittab? I only started playing with Linux today, and I don't have a manual yet.

Also, how do I escape from the 'man' program back to the shell?

Thanks a lot.

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ALTER world DROP injustice, ADD peace;

 

[TonyGroves]

Update:

I figured out how to open the file using vim, but the id:5:initdefault: entry is already there, so I didn't change it.

And when I do startx at the console, the command fails with "Fatal server error: no screens found".

I'll have to get myself a decent manual when the shops open again on Tuesday.

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ALTER world DROP injustice, ADD peace;

 

[stefanwagner]

I don't know SaX and don't have it here.

perhaps you have a file /etc/sysconfig/desktop .
If yes, you may edit it.

But perhaps you have a different configuration/ X-start-sequence and it will not work on your machine. (I don't have SuSe but perhaps other users have and might lead you better.)

 

[shrubble]

Use your man pages, too!

deletion mistake
no I can't recover that
you didn't save it

-Shrubble

http://www.ishrubble.com

 

[flugh]

Sounds to me like you just plain broke your X configuration. Make a known working one again (I hope 'sax' has some 'start a new X config from scratch' option). Doing a google search for "<your type of graphics card> linux XF86Config" will usually get you some good results.

Once you get X working -in any usable capacity- make a backup copy, maybe in ~/, or some other safe place ;-)

A Haiku for shrubble
a recycle bin?
rtfm
that's not GPL

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JBR

 

[TonyGroves]

Thanks for all the contributions.

I reinstalled the OS from scratch, and vowed to think before messing with settings in future.

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ALTER world DROP injustice, ADD peace;

 

[stefanwagner]

and 'q' like 'quit' ends the man-page-viewer 'man'.

But don't hit it too early

seeking a job as java-programmer in Berlin:

http://home.arcor.de/hirnstrom/bewerbung

 

[chipperMDW]

> vowed to think before messing with settings in future.

Well, don't let it discourage you from messing with settings. Part of the fun of using Linux is getting everything to work exactly how you want it to.

If possible, learn the syntax for configuration files, make backups of them, and then edit them to do what you think you want them to do. If you break it, you'll still have the working one.

In your case, I don't know what SaX is, but I assume it was editing the file /etc/X11/XF84Config or something similar. Next time you want to mess with a setting that could affect it, you might want to make a backup first.

Also, most X distributions have some way to autodetect stuff concerning your video card and generate a suitable file. If you don't want to make a backup, you can use that to get out of a mess.

Finally, you made the mistake of messing with X before you knew how to get along without it. Most other things whose configuration you mess with won't be such a problem if you happen to break them.