How to recover X display?

[Josef Lowder]

Thanks for all your suggestions.  I've tried to follow-up on every one,
but still haven't been able to solve the problem.  Perhaps I'll just have
to reinstall and risk losing my data as I don't know a way to get it copied off.

On 3/22/09, Lisa Kachold <lisakachold at obnosis.com> wrote:
> 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)?

As previously reported, the Linux kernel booting is: kernel.h-2.6.18.6
dated Feb 23, 2007 and /boot/vmlinuz is dated Apr 6, 2007
None of this changed as a result of installing virtualbox.

> 2) What is she whining about (Linux will tell you what is the issue)
> Check the file creation date for your Grub at /here/boot/grub/menu.lst
> Check to verify what she is currently booting. look for backup files and diff.

As previously reported, there has been no change in the grub menu.lst.
It also is dated Apr 6, 2007.  There are no backup or previous version
files for this, so nothing from which to 'diff' compare.

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

As previously mentioned, I did this and found only two reported errors
as listed below.

> 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)

I have searched the 'net for any info about how to resolve these two
reported errors, including the two links you provided, and have seen
a few corresponding references, but still haven't found any way to
correct these two errors.  ("v41" above should have been "v4l" --
lower case letter "L" not the number one "1")

> 4) The Zen of Troubleshooting, "The error is the problem"
> Looks like you have a kernel module mismatch grasshopper.

You are no doubt correct, but how might one correct this problem?

Linux boots up fine, but without any "X" graphical access, just a
blank screen.  I can switch to terminals 1 thru 6 and they all work,
but when I type 'startx' the response is: "Cannot access the X server."

The problem seems to pertain mainly if not exclusively to the X server.
I tried running '/usr/sbin/XFdrake' and it seems to show that everything
is set correctly.

Should I try to remove all files on the system pertaining to virtualbox?