How to recover X display?

[Lisa Kachold]

Updates between versions are sometimes a lottery! 

Let's look at how we must package a problem for the PLUG:  We follow these steps (dumping into email):

1) What is it (versions, etc)?  
2) What is she whining about (Linux like any good partner will tell you very clearly what is the issue)?

[Ignore my installation references for Ubuntu's Virtualbox (they are just info); but possibly an update to the ABI module or v41 module were done during the installation?]

Check the file creation date for your Grub at /here/boot/grub/menu.lst
Check to verify what she is currently booting there - look for backup files and diff.

Discussion:  http://www.pclinuxos.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=54523.0

We might logically research the exact Xorg errors for these, spoze?

3) Research our error for known solutions:

module ABI major version (1) doesn't match server's version (2)
failed to load module "v41" (module requirement mismatch,0)

http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-313691.html

PCLinuxOs virtualbox module issues

http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=611644


4) The Zen of Troubleshooting, "The error is the problem"

Looks like you have a kernel module mismatch grasshopper.


Obnosis | (503)754-4452




PLUG Linux Security Labs 2nd Saturday Each Month at Noon - 3PM


> Date: Sun, 22 Mar 2009 12:04:29 -0700
> Subject: Re: How to recover X display?
> From: joe at actionline.com
> To: plug-discuss at lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
> 
> Thanks very much Lisa.  Following is what I've discovered so far:
> 
> On 3/22/09, Lisa Kachold <lisakachold at obnosis.com> wrote:
> > Quick Resurrection -- [drop info from these steps w reply to organize the issue]
> >
> > 1) Verify bootloader GRUB -- What does your grub.conf look like?
> > Compare old and new, specifically looking at kernel boot options.
> > What are you booting into?
> 
> There is no grub.conf. In /boot/grub found menu.lst dated Apr 6, 2007
> (last date chgd)
> It boots to /boot/vmlinuz VGA=788 (this is the one that locks up)
> Also to /boot/vmlinuz without VGA-788 and this works, opens to # command line
> Also to /boot vmlinuz "failsafe"
> Also to win.xp which still works
> All three /voot/vmlinuz boot to kernel.h-2.6.18.6 dated Feb 23, 2007
> 
> > 2) Verify X -- Boot to rescue mode and see what your /etc/X11/xorg.conf says.
> > There would have been an old xorg.conf that was copied to backup.
> 
> xorg.conf and xorg.conf.old are both dated Apr 6, 2007
> (Apparently no change from when everything was working.)
> diff showed "old" had "DPMS" "false" and current "DPMS" (no false)
> 'diff' also showed the following line identical in both old and new:
> #DontZoom # disable <CTRL><ALT><KP_+><KP_-> (resolution switching)
> 
> > Look at /var/log/Xorg.0.log for clues.
> 
> Scrolling through the entire log file showed only two items flagged (EE):
> module ABI major version (1) doesn't match server's version (2)
> failed to load module "v41" (module requirement mismatch,0)
> 
> > Run Xconfigurator after copying current xorg.conf to KNOWNBACKUP.
> 
> Found no 'Xconfigurtor' nor 'xconfig' on the system.
> 
> > Or just copy the current file to backup and move the old over.
> 
> The current and 'old' are the same except as noted above.
> 
> > You might want to add vboxdrv to the list of modules in /etc/modules to be
> > loaded automatically at startup in.
> 
> I did this and rebooted, but still get the message:
> "cannot connect to X server"
> 
> > Virtualbox
> > apt-get install virtualbox-ose
> 
> I don't have 'apt-get' so don't know where to go from here. :(
> 
> > virtualbox-ose-modules-2.6.24-1-amd64 virtualbox-ose-source
> > apt-get install module-assistant
> > module-assistant prepare virtualbox-ose
> > module-assistant auto-install virtualbox-ose
> > modprove vboxdrv
> > adduser myusername vboxusers
> 
> We did add my user name to vbox users yesterday.
> The system was working (after installing virtualbox)
> until we rebooted, then the current problem began.
> I can still boot the system into the non-fb (sp?) second
> grub boot option and can switch among the terminals,
> except F7 has a blank screen with solid cursor upper left.
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