Only root can log on (Properly)

[visor_mac]

Hey lads i'm just after updating my system and next reboot my user account wouldn't work. This is what i get when i try and login.

/etc/X11/gdm/PreSession/Default: Registering your session with wtmp and utmp
/etc/X11/gdm/PreSession/Default: running: /usr/bin/X11/sessreg -a -w /var/log/wtmp -u /var/run/utmp -x "/var/gdm/:0.Xservers" -h "" -l ":0" "mcx"
/etc/X11/gdm/Xsession: Beginning session setup...
/etc/X11/gdm/Xsession: Setup done, will execute: /usr/bin/ssh-agent -- gnome-session
_IceTransmkdir: ERROR: euid != 0,directory /tmp/.ICE-unix will not be created.
_IceTransSocketUNIXCreateListener: mkdir(/tmp/.ICE-unix) failed, errno = 2
_IceTransMakeAllCOTSServerListeners: failed to create listener for local

** (gnome-session:10443): WARNING **: Cannot establish any listening sockets

Any ideas lads ?

[ChrisWhite]

Ah, no bad. gdm HAS to be run as root because it logs in other users and has to access system files. You run gdm as root to login as another user and drop down to that user's permissions for all inherited programs (web browsers, shells, etc). If you want it to run as a user (let's take gnome for example):

1) login as the user in a virtual terminal
2) echo "gnome-session" > ~/.xinitrc
3) startx

and you'll get an X session with the rights of that user and running gnome.

[visor_mac]

Right i was messing with it last nite and started getting some different errors that were related to kde so since i installed kde and qt for some reason i forget i just unmerged them and it logged me in.

Now i have no errors on login but there is no desktop background > No icons, no wallpaper and can't get up the right click menu. The panels and menus seem to function alright but only certain programs will launch. i.e > i can't get nautilus up but i can get a terminal.

This is my xsession-errors

/etc/X11/gdm/PreSession/Default: Registering your session with wtmp and utmp
/etc/X11/gdm/PreSession/Default: running: /usr/bin/X11/sessreg -a -w /var/log/wtmp -u /var/run/utmp -x "/var/gdm/:0.Xservers" -h "" -l ":0" "mcx"
/etc/X11/gdm/Xsession: Beginning session setup...
/etc/X11/gdm/Xsession: Setup done, will execute: /usr/bin/ssh-agent -- gnome-session
SESSION_MANAGER=local/daemon:/tmp/.ICE-unix/9485
Gnome-Message: gnome_execute_async_with_env_fds: returning -1

(clock-applet:9645): GConf-CRITICAL **: file gconf-client.c: line 547 (gconf_client_add_dir): assertion `gconf_valid_key (dirname, NULL)' failed
IN INITIALIZE!!!
outputting the keyboard
[LTMK-Gentoo]
brandname = "Logitech"
modelname = "Media Keyboard"
[KEYS]
Email=236
Forward=118
Media=237
Mute=160
New=188
Next=153
Play|Pause=162
Previous=144
Reply=188
Search=229
Send=119
Stop=164
VolumeDown=174
VolumeUp=176
WebBack=234
WebForward=233
[END KEYS]
[END LTMK-Gentoo]
You must start this program using mysql-administrator.
X connection to :0.0 broken (explicit kill or server shutdown).

The application 'clock-applet' lost its connection to the display :0.0;
most likely the X server was shut down or you killed/destroyed
the application.
Window manager warning: Lost connection to the display ':0.0';
most likely the X server was shut down or you killed/destroyed
the window manager.
The application 'gnome-panel' lost its connection to the display :0.0;
most likely the X server was shut down or you killed/destroyed
the application.
The application 'gnome-volume-manager' lost its connection to the display :0.0;
most likely the X server was shut down or you killed/destroyed
the application.
X connection to :0.0 broken (explicit kill or server shutdown).

The application 'gnome-session' lost its connection to the display :0.0;
most likely the X server was shut down or you killed/destroyed
the application.
XIO: fatal IO error 104 (Connection reset by peer) on X server ":0.0"

after 0 requests (0 known processed) with 0 events remaining.

[nbrinza]

I've posted on other threads as well, I have a similar problem.

I can login with root, but I can't login with other users. I haven't done any spectacular changes -- I've only "emerge kde" to 3.3.2 (prior to that I had 3.2.2). After an attempt to log in, the screen goes blank, then back to the login pane.

I've created a new user and tried to login with it, with the same results as above. So I'm doomed to sin using the root on linux.

[danix]

I had the same problem.

Check the permissions on /tmp - in my case, they had been changed to mode 700, owner root.gdm (must have been an install of gdm I was testing).
Proper permissions are mode 1777, root.root.