KDE Cannot start from kdm or gdm

Same problem here. Fresh Remix -> Intrepid upgrade using Adept2 upgrader tool. Try to log in and start KDE from KDM and submit username and password, screen switches briefly to the loader and then goes back to the KDM login.

Dunno if this is useful, found it in the startup feedback screen:

grep: /usr/lib/kde4/etc/kde4/kdm/kdmrc: No such file or directory
Not starting K Display Manager (kdm-kde4); it is not the default display manager

And X feedback from ~/.xsession-errors:

Xsession: X session started for seele at Tue Oct 21 13:35:06 EDT 2008
Setting IM through im-switch for locale=en_US.
Start IM through /etc/X11/xinit/input.d/all_ALL linked to /etc/X11/xinit/xinput.d/default.
/usr/bin/xmodmap: unable to open file '/usr/share/apps/kxkb/ubuntu.xmodmap' for reading
/usr/bin/xmodmap: 1 error encountered, abording.
x-terminal-emulator: Fatal IO error: client killed
konsole (5179) Konsole::SessionManager::~SessionManager: Konsole SessionManager destroyed with sessions still alive

I can also confirm this bug. Upgrade test from Hardy KDE4 remix to intrepid. This was a VM which had only the default Hardy KDE4 package set installed. I launched the upgrade with the command kdesudo 'adept_manager --dist-upgrade-devel'

Once the upgrade completed I restarted and tried to log in. I observed the same symptoms reported by Celeste. The cause seems to be that no Session type is selected by default. The work around is to click the 'Session type' menu at the bottom of the log in screen and choose KDE. Choosing Default (previous) does not work. If KDE is chosen the system logs in as normal.

x-session-default alternative is to blame, fixed in kdebase-workspace-bin 4.1.2-0ubuntu12

This bug was fixed in the package kdebase-workspace - 4:4.1.2-0ubuntu12

---------------
kdebase-workspace (4:4.1.2-0ubuntu12) intrepid; urgency=low

  * In kdebase-workspace-bin.postinst remove hardy KDE 4
    default for x-session-manager, closes LP: #287488

 -- Jonathan Riddell <email address hidden> Thu, 23 Oct 2008 02:04:39 +0100

Hmm, this doesn't seem to be fixed testing from a Hardy KDE 4 Remix upgrade.

Setting back to New, not yet fixed.

Someone suggested this was adriver problem with the intel 82865 drivers --
beeter check that

On Wed, Oct 29, 2008 at 7:20 AM, Jonathan Riddell <email address hidden>wrote:

> Setting back to New, not yet fixed.
>
>
> ** Changed in: kdebase-workspace (Ubuntu)
> Status: Fix Released => New
>
> --
> KDE Cannot start from kdm or gdm
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/281950
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in "kdebase-workspace" source package in Ubuntu: New
>
> Bug description:
> i have a system which i upgraded via internet from 8.06 (hardy) to 8.10
> (intrepid) - -the system was originally built as a ubuntu (gnome) machine,
> then had fluxbox added and run as that for a time. some time later i
> installed the kubuntu meta-package and ran it for a time as kubuntu - -the
> upgrade went fine - -expcept that when i try to login to kde - i can enter
> the username and password, and the login box clears and the icons begin to
> fade in representing the kde startup - -the first is a hard disk icon - then
> a pair of crossed tools (screwdriver and pliars maybe? i dont remember) at
> that point the screen blanks and returns to the login screen. i tried
> switching to GDM with the same result.
>
> Due to this result - i suspected a bad install of kubuntu -- so i installed
> a new hdd and tried to install from a downloaded cdrom -- the sam error
> sequence resulted -- except, since the live CD does not require login, it
> just keeps looping through the fading icons.
>
> The machine is an Intel Pentium 4 HT 2.0ghz with 1Gb memory and a 40gb hdd
>
> someone in one of the IRC chans asked which video card im running - -its an
> Intel 82865 integrated graphics controller.
>

TEST CASE:

debootstrap hardy hardy
sudo chroot hardy
edit /etc/apt/sources.list, add universe
apt-get install kdebase-workspace-bin
update-alternatives --display x-session-manager <it will point to /usr/lib/kde4/bin/startkde>

edit /etc/apt/sources.list s/hardy/intrepid/ and add intrepid-updates/proposed is enabled (or add deb http://people.ubuntu.com/~jriddell/tmp/archive/ ./)

apt-get update
apt-get install kdebase-workspace-bin
update-alternatives --display x-session-manager <should point to /usr/bin/startkde>

Uploaded to intrepid-proposed, waiting for approval

thats still not the bug -- when i had the problem kde TRIED to start (as it
should) but couldnt the chatter in the IRC chan was that it was an issue
with the drivers for the intel card -- please RE READ the description of the
bug
TIM

On Wed, Oct 29, 2008 at 9:53 AM, Jonathan Riddell <email address hidden>wrote:

> Uploaded to intrepid-proposed, waiting for approval
>
> --
> KDE Cannot start from kdm or gdm
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/281950
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in Ubuntu Release Notes: New
> Status in "kdebase-workspace" source package in Ubuntu: New
>
> Bug description:
> i have a system which i upgraded via internet from 8.06 (hardy) to 8.10
> (intrepid) - -the system was originally built as a ubuntu (gnome) machine,
> then had fluxbox added and run as that for a time. some time later i
> installed the kubuntu meta-package and ran it for a time as kubuntu - -the
> upgrade went fine - -expcept that when i try to login to kde - i can enter
> the username and password, and the login box clears and the icons begin to
> fade in representing the kde startup - -the first is a hard disk icon - then
> a pair of crossed tools (screwdriver and pliars maybe? i dont remember) at
> that point the screen blanks and returns to the login screen. i tried
> switching to GDM with the same result.
>
> Due to this result - i suspected a bad install of kubuntu -- so i installed
> a new hdd and tried to install from a downloaded cdrom -- the sam error
> sequence resulted -- except, since the live CD does not require login, it
> just keeps looping through the fading icons.
>
> The machine is an Intel Pentium 4 HT 2.0ghz with 1Gb memory and a 40gb hdd
>
> someone in one of the IRC chans asked which video card im running - -its an
> Intel 82865 integrated graphics controller.
>

Then we'll go back to using bug 287488 for the x session issue.

Marking release notes task as invalid, now using bug 287488 for the x-session-manager alternates issue.

In my case I upgraded from Hardy to Intrepid final and it used to have KDE 3.5.10. After the upgrade, I can't enter in KDE4 after boot, nevertheless I could starting it manually with "sudo /etc/init.d/kdm restart" . I was trying to fix this when I applied an updated package the Tuesday from repos and after that there is no way to login in KDE4 anymore, when I tried the command "startx", it begins to start the X server but then it suddenly died. When I tried to do it with the "sudo /etc/init.d/kdm restart" command, I can get the session manager, choose a session and write my pass, try to login and it died again one more time. Reading the Xorg.0.log I noticed that in my case is a problem with the SiS video driver, but I post it here because I think the problem is close related. I attached to this bug repot the xorg.conf, Xorg.0.log and kdm.log files. If you need another file please let me know. By the way the file .xsession-errors is empty.

Thank you very much for your help in advanced and keep the good work!

Can someone please update the description and bring us up-to-date what the problem is and attach an X log and a kdm log and a .xsession-errors file?

@Andrey: It's the driver, and the driver only, got nothing to do with KDM really.

Thank you for your answer Harald. It seems I should wait a little more :(

We are closing this bug report because it lacks the information we need to investigate the problem, as described in the previous comments. Please reopen it if you can give us the missing information, and don't hesitate to submit bug reports in the future. To reopen the bug report you can click on the current status, under the Status column, and change the Status back to "New". Thanks again!