X11 Screwed???

Hi All,

Warning: You may attempt this - at your own risk. I and my blog nor Debian and Linux are responsible for anything that may go wrong. 

Ok fine.. You mess up with your X and it shows you the end of UI...!!!

And this is Debian 5 - where you plan to restore it back.. [in the end issue startx or just X (uppercase)]

Here are some of the steps:

1. You got to have a proper broadband connection. And hopefully unlimited download :)
2. You need to have at least the first CD / first DVD / Some experience of working on Debian

Lets begin...from 2

You got a proper clean CD - 1 of the 32 CD collection of Debian 5 !!! - then put that CD into your ROM and then restart your machine - by changing the Boot options to - Run Bootable disks.. [Boot from CDROM option]

You will see the UI - and then see the GRUB well - You would find - Advanced - Go to it and then any of the Safe Mode options.

Next is the complication.. You need to know your kernel installation along with your '/' partition...

If you know it - mount it to a shell or to the root shell..

Enter your http_proxy variable value if you are under proxy .. if not - issue this command

[See some of the Fb (framebuffer load options - I wrote in Feb month posts)]

The command is

apt-get install xserver-xorg

If this fails.. You have complications growing..

I would simply for a layman - would provide a solution this way -

apt-get upgrade or apt-get dist upgrade

But never forget to issue apt-get update before issuing either of the 2 trial and error commands mentioned above...

I pretty well know - when apt-get install xserver-xorg would not restore X - the first command after that - apt-get upgrade - will of course !work...

Also hope you have the repos - updated for apt-get dist upgrade and I would sincerely suggest you folks to be with Lenny stable

But I appreciate if you folks have the courage to go with Squeeze - but still remain with 6.0 stable and not Sid... !! Your system will die or else... [If you only don't know how to restore it back...!!!]

Hope you all know to fix the dependencies you would face..

For the repo command -

Enter this line in the /etc/apt/sources.list file [before an apt-get update] as root....

If you face any apt issues - like unknown host.. You may have to issue proxy options to this file - /etc/apt/apt.conf [I will write this next time]


deb http://us.debian.org/debian lenny main contrib non-free

[without underline :P]

Single syntax error with this above line including a space - would give Synaptic Parse errors..

So be careful !!!

Follow these same steps for DVD.


I will cont. from here next time - and do remind me if I forget the same!!!

Take care,
Ananth Gouri