need Xfree86 help

[J-P]

Ok, lets see if I can word this right.

My xf86 log file indicates that it is trying to use a config file that dosen't exist, something like XFree86-4.test.

I need to know what file tells XFree86 which configuration file to use.

[junkieclown]

that (.test) file is in /tmp. Weed it out.

If you have a /etc/X11/XF86Config that is more or less what you think it should be, delete every XF86Config out of /tmp, leaving the proper /etc/X11/XF86Config file in place to revisit and mess with.

The test file is put there by redhat-config-xfree86 I believe. Possibly during post-installation setup if you haven't run it yourself.

Another example of how X can screw up using the wrong config file is if you backed up XF86Config to /root (without renaming it to something incorrect like OLD_xf86config ) and did startx as root. X would find the config file in /root first and try to go with it.
Or if you made a copy of XF86Config in /etc, that copy would always be found by X before the one in /etc/X11 and so changes you made to the proper /etc/X11/XF86Config would seem to not be having any effect.

The thing about Redhat 8.0's X configuration tool is that when it works, it works --but if it doesn't work (like if it doesn't know your card) its failures will screw up your attempts to make X work.
:-(

[J-P]

Sorry but I forgot to mention that I was using Mandrake 8.2. I did do a post installation setup in the hardware manager. Do you think the same principles would apply?

[junkieclown]

Yes, I think that "X*.test" file was put wherever it was put by a distro-level configurator.
I am guessing it's in /tmp - but maybe it's not.

The principle is the same- If you're making changes to /etc/X11/XF86Config-4, but X keeps starting up from some other file, that X* .test file, a file which doesn't reflect the changes you've been making, such as trying to get X to use the 'nvidia' driver instead of its own 'nv' module, then...

- either you want to make changes to the file X is actually using, ie: the "*.test" file...

-or you want to eliminate that .test file(s) altogether and force X to read the file it should normally use (the one in /etc/X11 )

Since X hasn't been using it, it might be that /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 doesn't reflect the correct driver or monitor settings. You probably want to check it versus the file that X has been using.
It would be safest therefore, to make a backup of the file that you created with the distro configuration tool (that 'XF86Config-4.test' file you see reported in /var/log/XFree86.0.log, wherever it happens to be in your filesystem) but name it something X will never be confused by.

(Don't just move it, keeping the same name, into /root --in other words-- make it something like /root/NOT_xf86config_dash4_dot_test . You'll know what is , but X won't.
If you moved it to /root but didn't change the name, there are conditions (runlevel 3) under which X could accidentally load it, instead of the normal config file in /etc/X11/.)