Somehow startx2 got renamed or copied to startx (probably fumble fingered me typed the trigger key with the gun aimed at my foot). Since all that is in that file is
startx -- :1
it was starting itself like crazy, didn't even take a new shell, because it is on the path before the "real" startx.
Now I will reboot into that machine, and see if I did anything else to shoot myself in the foot.
So far so good. I am up in Xwindows on the new install, typing away in Thunderbird.
Thanks for the help. I'll save my next request for another day.
Ted Miller