[CentOS] [NOT SOLVED] suddenly X gives black screen with small clock cursor

Fred Smith fredex at fcshome.stoneham.ma.us
Fri Oct 11 01:53:51 UTC 2013


On Thu, Oct 10, 2013 at 09:08:06PM -0400, Fred Smith wrote:
> On Thu, Oct 10, 2013 at 08:08:08PM -0400, Fred Smith wrote:
> > Gang:
> > 
> > I'm puzzled...
> > 
> > I rebooted a while ago (and in between the down and up, I installed Fedora
> > 20 Beta on a USB hard drive, making sure it wouldn't mess with my Centos
> > system). The install went fine, but afterwards, when I reboot Centos, it
> > comes up with a black screen and a clock as the mouse cursor (small clock).
> > 
> > Tried CTRL-ALT-BKSP and the clock disappears and reappears.
> > 
> > I did "init 3" to stop the apparently busted X server, removed the X lock
> > file from /tmp and attempted "startx", which didn't work either.
> > when startx is run I get a bunch of messages ending with:
> > 
> > 	Initializing built-in extension XFree86-VidModeExtension
> > 	Initializing built-in extension XFree86-DGA
> > 	Initializing built-in extension XFree86-DRI
> > 	Initializing built-in extension DRI2
> > 	Loading extension GLX
> > 	Loading extension NV-GLX
> > 	Loading extension NV-CONTROL
> > 	Loading extension XINERAMA
> > 	xinit:  Permission denied (errno 13):  cannot open /dev/null: Permission denied
> > 
> > 	waiting for X server to shut down Server terminated successfully (0). Closing log file.
> > 
> > curiously, when I log in on a console I also get this:
> > 
> > 	-bash: /dev/null: Permission denied
> > 	-bash: /dev/null: Permission denied
> > 	-bash: /dev/null: Permission denied
> > 	-bash: /dev/null: Permission denied
> > 	-bash: /dev/null: Permission denied
> > 	-bash: /dev/null: Permission denied
> > 
> > So something is seriously hosed here. Can anyone give me a clue?
> > 
> > thanks!
> 
> So, I don't know what the heck  happened, but I have what looks like a
> solution: a number of important files in /dev somehow had their permissions
> changed. I had to do the following:
> 
> 	chmod a+rw /dev/null
> 	chmod a+rw /dev/urandom
> 	chmod a+rw /dev/zero
> 	chmod a+rw /dev/full
> 	chmod a+rw /dev/random
> 
> After which X started and the complaints about /dev/null went away.
> As I worked thru fixing first /dev/null, each step got me a bit further,
> with more complaints about inaccessable /dev/ entries, so I just kept
> fixing them until the complaints went away. 
> 
> I also compared permissions in /dev against my Fedora 19 netbook, which is
> how I knew what permissions to use for the rest, as well as being where I
> found correct permissions, as well as /dev/zero and /dev/full being wrong.
> 
> I have NO CLUE what hosed the permissions, and I can't be sure that there 
> may not be some other items also wrong (that I can't see because they
> don't appear on the F19 system).
> 
> Can anyone suggest an accurate way to have the system fix all the permissions
> in /dev? some arcane options on rpm, perhaps?
> 
> thanks!

Ah, it was too good to be true. Reboot returns those files to the incorrect
permissions. 

Suggestions on where to look will be welcomed.

> 
> Fred
> > 
> > -- 
> > ---- Fred Smith -- fredex at fcshome.stoneham.ma.us -----------------------------
> >                          God made him who had no sin
> >                       to be sin for us, so that in him
> >                  we might become the righteousness of God."
> > --------------------------- Corinthians 5:21 ---------------------------------
> 
> -- 
> ---- Fred Smith -- fredex at fcshome.stoneham.ma.us -----------------------------
>                     The Lord detests the way of the wicked 
>                   but he loves those who pursue righteousness.
> ----------------------------- Proverbs 15:9 (niv) -----------------------------
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-- 
---- Fred Smith -- fredex at fcshome.stoneham.ma.us -----------------------------
                    The Lord detests the way of the wicked 
                  but he loves those who pursue righteousness.
----------------------------- Proverbs 15:9 (niv) -----------------------------



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