failed to start x server Mint 13 Cinnamon

[xmohd]

I tried to search for solution. But unfortunately couldn't find any.
I've installed linuxmint 13 Cinnamon on my desktop without any errors.

using the same memory stick installing it on my HP laptop however didn't go thru, had to use the "compatibility" mode.

after installation, reboot, i get the error msg "Failed to start X server (your graphical interface). It is likely that it is not set up correctly. Would you like to view the X server output to diagnose" - & I clicked "YES"
I scrolled thru the text & found "Fatal Server Error: No Screen found"

Then, "The X server is now disabled. Restart MDM when it is configured correctly" i click "OK". This took me to login screen but in shell mode. I entered my login, & password.
i typed " sudo service mdm restart "
*Stopping MDM Display Manager mdm
*Starting MDM Display Manager mdm
and am back to the "Failed to start the X server" error message


Am thinking since it's a new release sure there will be some errors & problems. But annoying that the installation went successful on my desktop but not on my laptop. Downloading now the MATE's version to throw it there on the laptop maybe this would work.

I'd be grateful for any help guys thanx.

[Cousin Itt]

I am getting the exact same error message. I'm also unable to find a solution after searching. I am having the problem on a Dell desktop computer and Mint 13 Cinnamon 64 bit.

[vlad-sh]

I have the same problem with starting xserver on my intel D510MO motherboard (intel N10 int graphics).
Live DVD Mint 13 MATE 32 bit starts in compatible mode only and Xserver did't start after installation with error - "no screens found".
Have anyone the solution?

[Cousin Itt]

I took the Nvidia card out of my computer and that took care of the problem. I'm just using the on board video from the motherboard for now. I didn't have this problem with Mint 9 on the same computer.

[vlad-sh]

I took the Nvidia card out of my computer and that took care of the problem. I'm just using the on board video from the motherboard for now. I didn't have this problem with Mint 9 on the same computer.

I did't have any troubles with my hardware on Mint 9 too.
Yesterday i decided to install fresh Mint 13 and i had have no running system .

[oobetimer]

http://ubuntu-tutorials.com/2010/05/06/ ... orkaround/

http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=1614

"Workaround for LMDE 201012 32-bit users:

If you downloaded LMDE 201012 32-bit and all you're getting is a black screen, you might just be a kernel argument away from a successful boot. The solution is to download 201101, but you can save 1GB of download and a new DVD by using the following arguments:

* For ATI chipsets: radeon.modeset=0
* For nVidia chipsets: xforcevesa or nomodeset
* For GeForce and Generic: nouveau.modeset=0
* For Intel: i915.modeset=0

This should give you a live session in low resolution. Since the embedded kernel is already up-to-date, you don't need to configure anything post-installation and your system should then boot in high resolution."

[vlad-sh]

http://ubuntu-tutorials.com/2010/05/06/ubuntu-10-04-lucid-blank-screen-at-startup-workaround/

http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=1614

"Workaround for LMDE 201012 32-bit users:

If you downloaded LMDE 201012 32-bit and all you're getting is a black screen, you might just be a kernel argument away from a successful boot. The solution is to download 201101, but you can save 1GB of download and a new DVD by using the following arguments:

* For ATI chipsets: radeon.modeset=0
* For nVidia chipsets: xforcevesa or nomodeset
* For GeForce and Generic: nouveau.modeset=0
* For Intel: i915.modeset=0

This should give you a live session in low resolution. Since the embedded kernel is already up-to-date, you don't need to configure anything post-installation and your system should then boot in high resolution."

Thanks, setting i915.modeset=0 in the grub resolved the issue.
Now all work very well.

[vlad-sh]

The situation is't very well i wrote recently.
After I added setting i915.modeset=0 in the grub, the system starts normally but the performance of graphics card is very slow.
When i run any 3D applications the mouse cursor slows down and picture starts to blink.

I tried the Ubuntu 12.04 with same HW and was surprised because of ubuntu was installed without any problems and the card's performance seems ok (no blinking, no freezing).

What is the problem may be with LM 13 MATE?
How i can resolve this issue?
I like the Linux Mint and i don't want to switch to Ubuntu...
Help me please, i have not a possibility change HW now.

[xmohd]

cinnamon nor mate worked in my case. kinda gave up from burning dvd's and using different methods for making a startup USB disk. my laptop installed Ubuntu & Xubuntu 12.04 without any errors at all. i thought i was the only one with this problem at first due to my lack of knowledge with linux. but apparently something is wrong with the installers of mint 13's .. it does not accept some hardware settings & no clear answer how to get around this.

[vlad-sh]

cinnamon nor mate worked in my case. kinda gave up from burning dvd's and using different methods for making a startup USB disk. my laptop installed Ubuntu & Xubuntu 12.04 without any errors at all. i thought i was the only one with this problem at first due to my lack of knowledge with linux. but apparently something is wrong with the installers of mint 13's .. it does not accept some hardware settings & no clear answer how to get around this.

Hm, yesterday i installed Cinnamon on my HW and Live DVD has started fine without blank screen.
After installing cinnamon i got 1024x768 screen resolution but it was resolved by disabling one of two monitors (the system shows two monitors - notebook?! and my Dell, although i have only Dell) and set appropriate resolution on Dell.
Also the performance of my graphics became normal without freezing or blinking.

I decided to use Cinnamon instead MATE, although MATE is more fast and suitable for me. It is sad

[xmohd]

vlad-sh

time to move to other distro i guess. as i said mint 13 worked beautifully on my hp desktop but not on my laptop.

[shahrooz]

well this is the third distro Im trying, only one of them barely worked. giving up on linux... I think it's far from standard, at least for me. back to windows

[JustMinted]

I had the same problem, but I've found a fix - http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1130582&highlight=HOWTO%3A+Jaunty+Intel+Graphics

NOTE: For LM13, in the step where you create a link to ensure that the fixmtrr.sh script is executed upon each login (Part A, step 3), replace gdm with mdm.
Correct code should read:

Code: Select all

sudo ln -s /usr/local/bin/fixmtrr.sh /etc/mdm/PostLogin/Default

When I rebooted, I encountered the same backlight issue I had with LM12. I'm using an HP Folio 13 with an Intel Sandybridge graphics card. So I used the same fix that I had to employ with LM12. Namely, I did the following.

1. After pressing the power button, I held down <SHIFT> to access GRUB.
2. With the right LM13 OS highlighted, I pressed "E" on my keyboard to edit GRUB.
3. Navigate to just before 'quiet splash' and add

Code: Select all

acpi_backlight=vendor

4. <CTRL> X to boot.
5. After logging in, I made the GRUB edit permanent.

Code: Select all

sudo gedit /etc/default/grub

Change the line GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="", to read GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="acpi_backlight=vendor".
Then, to compile/update GRUB,

Code: Select all

sudo update-grub

I hope that helps someone . . .

[Jozi]

I decided to switch my parents to Linux and was after something that would work which brought me here but I've had a few issues. The first was to do with the slideshow while installing crashing the instlller, which I solved after a quick search. My next problem is the same as the OP on I'm running a old amd athlon 2500+ with a nvidia 6600 agp card. I don't quite understand what has to be done in the post by oobetimer and thats what I was going to reply on but then I spotted the post above by JustMinted and tried his method, which brought me to a screen saying the following

Code: Select all

[11.967096] [drm] nouveau 0000:02:00.0: mem timing table lenght unknown: 14

This was after hitting "E" to access GRUB and editing in acpi_backlight=vendor

I've no idea if I did something wrong or if I'm missing something? My experience is pretty much nil with Linux, I tried ubuntu years ago when it gained popularity but had problems with a ati card and that was the height of my linux experience. Compared to my attempt at installing win7 LM went pretty smooth except the slideshow issue - I've no idea why I'm having so much hassle even with windows...

[JustMinted]

I decided to switch my parents to Linux and was after something that would work which brought me here but I've had a few issues. The first was to do with the slideshow while installing crashing the instlller, which I solved after a quick search. My next problem is the same as the OP on I'm running a old amd athlon 2500+ with a nvidia 6600 agp card. I don't quite understand what has to be done in the post by oobetimer and thats what I was going to reply on but then I spotted the post above by JustMinted and tried his method, which brought me to a screen saying the following

Code: Select all

[11.967096] [drm] nouveau 0000:02:00.0: mem timing table lenght unknown: 14

This was after hitting "E" to access GRUB and editing in acpi_backlight=vendor

I've no idea if I did something wrong or if I'm missing something? My experience is pretty much nil with Linux, I tried ubuntu years ago when it gained popularity but had problems with a ati card and that was the height of my linux experience. Compared to my attempt at installing win7 LM went pretty smooth except the slideshow issue - I've no idea why I'm having so much hassle even with windows...

Jozi:
Sorry, the backlight fix I posted is specific to HP Folio 13 users on Intel Sandybridge. I don't know about the NVIDIA cards . . .

[xclusive585]

I also have this problem. Mate flavor installs on my laptop but no joy on desktop, get the described issue.

Cinnamon boots the installer disk in compatability mode only, but will install. After rebooting post-install, nvidia proprietary drivers were needed to get full resolution on my monitor.

I too have a Nvidia card so I believe this problem is DEFINITELY with the nouveau module included with Mate.

So, though I prefer mate, my desktop will have cinnamon.


[Edit}
So, Mate was a nogo, Cinnamon installed and booted but with limited graphics. After installing cinnamon I installed proprietary Nvidia drivers and have proper resolutions and a booting Linux Mint.

I'd still rather have Mate.


Later Edit]

I tried Cinnamon out for a few hours, It feels too much like Gnome3, I hated it (personal opinion)
So I became obsessed with getting a Mate install to boot properly.

I installed mate (installer in compatability mode to run), once rebooted the Xserver failed with the "no screen found" error, leaving me at a login prompt. (Meanwhile I also had errors constantly bombarding the prompt which needed the "nvidia-current" package to be installed to fix.)

ran an apt-get update/upgrade/dist-upgrade from the shell

Knowing that my nvidia issue was solved, I set out to find out how to fix the X-server. You can thank a fellow Mint forums user for this one:
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=105156#p594097

I got the same error and I resolved it this way:

1. When the message about viewing the X server output came, I pressed Ctrl Alt F2
2. Now on the new shell I ran command sudo Xorg -configure
3. Then I copied /home/oobe/xorg.conf.new to /etc/X11/xorg.conf
sudo cp /home/oobe/xorg.conf.new /etc/X11/xorg.conf
4. At last I started X using command startx

That was the answer, upon reboot the Xserver started right up.

This was my solution to not being able to boot Mint/mate due to the Xserver error.

[alamaby]

I had the same problem, but I've found a fix - http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1130582&highlight=HOWTO%3A+Jaunty+Intel+Graphics

NOTE: For LM13, in the step where you create a link to ensure that the fixmtrr.sh script is executed upon each login (Part A, step 3), replace gdm with mdm.
Correct code should read:

Code: Select all

sudo ln -s /usr/local/bin/fixmtrr.sh /etc/mdm/PostLogin/Default

When I rebooted, I encountered the same backlight issue I had with LM12. I'm using an HP Folio 13 with an Intel Sandybridge graphics card. So I used the same fix that I had to employ with LM12. Namely, I did the following.

1. After pressing the power button, I held down <SHIFT> to access GRUB.
2. With the right LM13 OS highlighted, I pressed "E" on my keyboard to edit GRUB.
3. Navigate to just before 'quiet splash' and add

Code: Select all

acpi_backlight=vendor

4. <CTRL> X to boot.
5. After logging in, I made the GRUB edit permanent.

Code: Select all

sudo gedit /etc/default/grub

Change the line GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="", to read GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="acpi_backlight=vendor".
Then, to compile/update GRUB,

Code: Select all

sudo update-grub

I hope that helps someone . . .

Thanks! I spend days find out why my laptop screen still black even after successful driver install.
Appending acpi_backlight=vendor did the trick.

[Zayofethos]

Wow, it seems I messed up something for the worse now... I tried the adviced sudo commands after the X server fail -message pops up, but it not only did not fix the problem, but now Mint 14 will not boot even after recovery mode selection.

All advice much appreciated!

[Aleik]

Hi,

I seem to encounter the X server problem after I've updated the FGLRX graphics driver on my AMD HD6410D (at least I THINK that's the problem), and have needed to reinstall twice. I've included radeon.modeset=0 (as I have an AMD processor hence I think an ATI chipset) after "quiet splash" in GRUB and this makes sure my screen doesn't go black. When I reboot I need edit GRUB this way again though. How do I make it permanent?

Thanks, Alex.

[xclusive585]

Hi,

I seem to encounter the X server problem after I've updated the FGLRX graphics driver on my AMD HD6410D (at least I THINK that's the problem), and have needed to reinstall twice. I've included radeon.modeset=0 (as I have an AMD processor hence I think an ATI chipset) after "quiet splash" in GRUB and this makes sure my screen doesn't go black. When I reboot I need edit GRUB this way again though. How do I make it permanent?

Thanks, Alex.

you need to make that edit in /etc/defalut/grub,
and then:

Code: Select all

sudo update-grub

after you made that edit.