xfce doesn't work properly without second instance

[stanchiang]

using Samsung Chromebook ARM Problem: crouton started out fine, but for reasons i don't understand the GUI became buggy. My hackish solution: start another instance exactly like the first one i.e. "sudo startxfce4". with this, the second instance works as expected. i then close the first one and go about my business.

Please help, what can I do to solve the root issue and have it work the first time?

/////////////////////////////////////////// first instance issues: --the cursor turns from the default arrow into a black "x" whenever it's hovering over applications or the terminal. --i can no longer resize windows from the edges or resize/close windows from the upper-right corner --there is only one available workspace, it normally has 4 --clicking/right-clicking on files and buttons with the cursor still works

/////////////////////////////////////////// first instance in chrome OS shell from start to finish Welcome to crosh, type 'help' for a list of commands. crosh> shell chronos@localhost / $ sudo startxfce4 /usr/bin/startxfce4: Starting X server

[dix] Could not init font path element /usr/share/fonts/X11/misc, removing from list! [dix] Could not init font path element /usr/share/fonts/X11/cyrillic, removing from list! [dix] Could not init font path element /usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi/:unscaled, removing from list! [dix] Could not init font path element /usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi/:unscaled, removing from list! [dix] Could not init font path element /usr/share/fonts/X11/Type1, removing from list! [dix] Could not init font path element /usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi, removing from list! [dix] Could not init font path element /usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi, removing from list! [dix] Could not init font path element /var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/TrueType, removing from list! /usr/bin/xinit: XFree86_VT property unexpectedly has 0 items instead of 1 Agent pid 23032 xfdesktop[23063]: starting up

(xfce4-settings-helper:23066): xfce4-settings-helper-WARNING **: Failed to get the _NET_NUMBER_OF_DESKTOPS property. xfce4-settings-helper: Another instance is already running. Leaving...

(xfce4-session:23047): Wnck-CRITICAL **: wnck_workspace_activate: assertion `WNCK_IS_WORKSPACE (space)' failed

(polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1:23073): GLib-CRITICAL **: g_variant_new_string: assertion `string != NULL' failed

(polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1:23073): polkit-gnome-1-WARNING **: Failed to register client: GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown: The name org.gnome.SessionManager was not provided by any .service files

\ (zeitgeist-datahub:23071): WARNING **: recent-manager-provider.vala:133: Desktop file for "file:///usr/bin/chromium-browser" was not found, exec: exo-helper-1, mime_type: application/octet-stream xfce4-panel: No window manager registered on screen 0. To start the panel without this check, run with --disable-wm-check.

(xfce4-session:23047): Wnck-CRITICAL **: wnck_workspace_get_number: assertion `WNCK_IS_WORKSPACE (space)' failed running 'ssh-agent -s -k' unset SSH_AUTH_SOCK; unset SSH_AGENT_PID; echo Agent pid 23032 killed; /usr/bin/xinit: connection to X server lost

waiting for X server to shut down xscreensaver: 23:59:28: SIGHUP received: restarting... xscreensaver: 23:59:28: running as stan/stan (1000/1000)

xscreensaver: 23:59:28: Can't open display: :2 xscreensaver: 23:59:28: running as stan/stan (1000/1000)

xscreensaver: 23:59:28: Errors at startup are usually authorization problems. But you're not logging in as root (good!) so something else must be wrong. Did you read the manual and the FAQ?

          http://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/faq.html
          http://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/man.html

Unmounting /usr/local/chroots/precise... chronos@localhost / $

//////////////////////////////////////////////// second instance

crosh> shell chronos@localhost / $ sudo startxfce4 /usr/bin/startxfce4: Starting X server

[dix] Could not init font path element /usr/share/fonts/X11/misc, removing from list! [dix] Could not init font path element /usr/share/fonts/X11/cyrillic, removing from list! [dix] Could not init font path element /usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi/:unscaled, removing from list! [dix] Could not init font path element /usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi/:unscaled, removing from list! [dix] Could not init font path element /usr/share/fonts/X11/Type1, removing from list! [dix] Could not init font path element /usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi, removing from list! [dix] Could not init font path element /usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi, removing from list! [dix] Could not init font path element /var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/TrueType, removing from list! /usr/bin/xinit: XFree86_VT property unexpectedly has 0 items instead of 1 Agent pid 24136 xfdesktop[24156]: starting up xfce4-settings-helper: Another instance is already running. Leaving...

\ (zeitgeist-datahub:24167): WARNING **: recent-manager-provider.vala:133: Desktop file for "file:///usr/bin/chromium-browser" was not found, exec: exo-helper-1, mime_type: application/octet-stream

(polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1:24169): GLib-CRITICAL **: g_variant_new_string: assertion `string != NULL' failed

(polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1:24169): polkit-gnome-1-WARNING **: Failed to register client: GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown: The name org.gnome.SessionManager was not provided by any .service files running 'ssh-agent -s -k' unset SSH_AUTH_SOCK; unset SSH_AGENT_PID; echo Agent pid 24136 killed; /usr/bin/xinit: connection to X server lost

waiting for X server to shut down xscreensaver: 23:58:56: SIGHUP received: restarting... xscreensaver: 23:58:56: running as stan/stan (1000/1000)

xscreensaver: 23:58:56: Can't open display: :3 xscreensaver: 23:58:56: running as stan/stan (1000/1000)

xscreensaver: 23:58:56: Errors at startup are usually authorization problems. But you're not logging in as root (good!) so something else must be wrong. Did you read the manual and the FAQ?

          http://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/faq.html
          http://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/man.html

Not unmounting /usr/local/chroots/precise as another instance is using it. chronos@localhost / $

[stanchiang]

now the first two instances have been corrupted. It only works properly when i do sudo startxfce4 a 3rd time

[tedm]

if you can get to the above prompt, try sudo unmount-chroot -help, I think there is a -p switch to show what processes it can't shut down.

Also, xscreensaver above indicates there may be other x sessions running, so you may have x display files in use or locked, check /tmp and . files. Do you have any apps that are auto-saving to say ~/Downloads? Did you try removing xscreensaver temporarily (killing the pid)?

[dnschneid]

I don't think that's at all relevant to his issue.

It just sounds like the window manager isn't running. Try running xfwm4 --replace from a terminal window inside the chroot.

[stanchiang]

great call David! running that line instantly fixed the issue. Do you know what might have caused the window manager to stop running? and how I can avoid it in the future?

[dnschneid]

Try going to Settings -> Session and Startup -> Session tab and make sure xfwm4 has a restart style of "immediately".

You can avoid the issue by not checking "save session" when you go to log out.

[stanchiang]

got it. thanks again.