HD Install :: Unable to Start X windows

when I try to login to X windows I get the following message

xauth : error in locking authority file /home/dsl/.Xauthority
xauth : error in locking authority file /home/dsl/.Xauthority
xauth : error in locking authority file /home/dsl/.Xauthority
xauth : error in locking authority file /home/dsl/.Xauthority

giving up

xinit : Connection refused (errno 111) : unable to connect to Xserver
xinit : No such process (errno 3) : Unexpected Signal 2
xauth : error in locking authority file /home/dsl/.Xauthority

Can anyone tell me what is happening and how to rectify it

Thanks

Looks like something is wrong with your /home/dsl/.Xauthority

Try to rename it to /home/dsl/.Xauthority.old using:
mv /home/dsl/.Xauthority /home/dsl/.Xauthority.old

There's no need to save it, you could delete it right out.

If it's somehow still in use/locked, you can use xauth -b on it to try and break the lock.

If you get a permission error, you may need to use super-user privileges.

Quote (Ankuryu @ Nov. 20 2006,05:51)

G'day Ankuryu

If this is happening on bootup it looks as though the pc wasn't closed down or restarted properly. If this is the case do the following

Code Sample

sudo su
fsck

Follow any repair prompts made by fsck, then

Code Sample

reboot

What the above achieves is a repair of the file system and then a proper restart. I need to do this on a couple of my boxes when I don't shut them down or restart them properly.

Doing a fsck will only affect a non-frugal, traditional debian-style installation.

Even then, using a xauth -b or removing the file should be tried first.

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