problems using the GUI

[Bob Johnson]

On 3/16/06, Kris Wieschhaus <ktrw25 at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>    I've been using FreeBSD for about a month now as I will be presenting
>    it to my class in a couple of weeks. I am having a problem getting the
>    the Windows X System to work. I have been trying for the last 2 weeks
>    to get it to work. I have looked in the FAQ's section and the FreeBSD
>    Handbook, but I am still unsuccessful.
>

What version of FreeBSD (the output of "uname -a" would be informative)?

How did you install X?  As part of the initial install, from the
installer?  Or later, as a port or package?


[...]
>    I went to the X.Org web site and came to the conlusion that it is a
>    problem with the Windows X System not "playing" with my mouse the way
>    it should. I have a USB mouse and I can move the cursor around the
>    screen.

If you can move the cursor around on the text console, then you are
running the mouse daemon (moused).  You seem to have figured that out,
but I don't understand why your xorg.conf was not already configured
for a mouse.

>
>    I have modified the /root/xorg.conf.new file for my mouse but was
>    still unsuccessful at starting the GUI

I don't think /root/xorg.conf.new is a default config file.  I think
that if you are not explicitly specifying it when you start Xorg, you
aren't using it.  Try copying it to /etc/X11/xorg.conf and then run
startx.

How did you generate the initial config file?  What happens if you run
"Xorg -configure" (which IIRC should create a new
/root/xorg.conf.new)?

And, on the matter of terminology:  "Windows" is a Microsoft
trademark, so the word "Windows" isn't part of the name of the X
system.  The full name is "The X Window System, Version 11"; short
versions are "X", "the X System", "X11", etc.

- Bob