X fails to load video driver and breaks session gnome

[Emerson Prado]

Hi all,
I did a fresh install of LMDE and updated it (the CD is somewhat old), and this seems to have broken X and/or Gnome.
I decided to update because a previous attempt to install a couple applications also broke X. Many people in this forum and elsewhere recommended an updated system before attempting anything else.
Then, after reinstall, i did some apt-get update && apt-get upgrade, then apt-get dist-upgrade. On failures, I did apt-get -f install and, after solving dependencies, dpkg --configure -a. mintdesktop and initramfs-tools complained of lack of some directories and files, and I created them. perl failed immediate configuration, and I disabled it for installing perl. I repeated the process 'till I got no more errors.

Now, when I try to boot the system normally, it goes OK until logon. After that, I get an error saying "Error loading session gnome". This is the content of ~/.xsession-errors:

/etc/gdm3/Xsession: Beginning session setup...
gnome-session-is-accelerated: No hardware 3D support.
gnome-session-check-accelerated: Helper exited with code 256
x-session-manager[2053]: WARNING: Session 'gnome' runnable check failed: Saiu com o código 1

Then I went to /var/log/Xorg.0.log and saw (among several other stuff) this:

(EE) AIGLX error: dlopen of /usr/lib/dri/i915_dri.so failed (/usr/lib/dri/i915_dri.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory)
(EE) AIGLX: reverting to software rendering
(II) AIGLX: Screen 0 is not DRI capable
(EE) AIGLX error: dlopen of /usr/lib/dri/swrast_dri.so failed (/usr/lib/dri/swrast_dri.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory)
(EE) GLX: could not load software renderer

I tried to attach the full log just in case it could help, but the forum complained "The extension log is not allowed".

i915_dri.so doesn't indeed exist in my system, not in /usr/lib/dri/ nor nowhere else, so no surprise on the errors above. The surprise is that, searching in aptitude, xserver-xorg-video-intel is installed. It's just not updated, but my video chipset isn't new at all. Anyway, I tried to update xserver-xorg-video-intel in aptitude and also thru apt-get, and I saw it would break several dependencies - some of them seemingly unsolvable.

So, after this long sad tale, I'm left with the questions:
How do I get this driver to be correctly installed? Should I force install and resolve broken dependencies later? Is there another way?
Is it indeed what broke gnome? Is it possible to, maybe, disable acceleration and disregard the driver failure?
Being my system old (Pentium 4), and probably also my video chipset, is it possible that it requires downgrade rather than upgrade for xserver-xorg-video-intel?

Many thanks for all and keep up,
Emerson

[Emerson Prado]

I forgot to add relevant info from my system and from my live DVD. inxi -F will do it:

System: Host Nosso Kernel 2.6.32-5-686 i686 (32 bit) Distro Linux Mint Debian Edition
CPU: Single core Intel Pentium 4 (-UP-) cache 1024 KB mflags (sse sse2 sse3) bmips 4800.57 clocked at 2400.287 MHz
Graphics: Card Intel 82865G Integrated Graphics Controller X.org 1.7.7 Res: 128x48 Gfx Data: N/A for root out of X
Audio: Card-1 Fortemedia Xwave QS3000A [FM801] driver FM801 at port a400 BusID: 01:03.0
Card-2 Logitech Inc. Webcam C210 driver snd-usb-audio
Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Version 1.0.21
Network: Card-1 Intel 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) integrated LAN Controller driver e100 v: 3.5.24-k2-NAPI at port ac00 BusID: 01:08.0
Card-2 Realtek RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+ driver 8139too v: 0.9.28 at port a000 BusID: 01:02.0
Disks: HDD Total Size: 2082.4GB (3.7% used) 1: /dev/sda Maxtor_6Y080L0 82.0GB 17C
2:m /dev/sdb WDC_WD2001FASS 2000.4GB 24C
Partition: ID:/ size: 12G used: 4.4G (39%) fs: ext4 ID:/home msize:914G used: 17G (2%) fs: ext4
ID:swap-1 size: 3.22GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap
Sensors: System Temperatures: cpu: 21.8C mobo: N/A
Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A
Info: Processes 62 Uptime 1 min Memory 22.7/2010.2MB Client Shell inxi 1.4.23

Ran inxi from the live DVD from which I installed the system:

System: Host mint Kernel 2.6.32-5-686 i686 (32 bit) Distro Linux Mint Debian Edition

Another useful info is that apt-get dist-upgrade upgraded my kernel to 3, but it panicked in the first attempt to boot, so I downgraded again.

Hope this helps someone to help me.
Thanks,
Emerson