[lug] startx failing

[D. Stimits]

luke p wrote:
> 
> Hey,
> This problem as seemed to have 'just happened.' Not sure where it came from,
> but when I boot up, login as either root or as a user, then startx, it
> fails, giving me this msg in the XFree86.log file:
> ((near the end))
> (
> WW) No core pointer registered
> No core pointer
> 
> Fatal server error:
> failed to initialize core devices
> 
> I'm running RH 7.1, what shall I do?
> Thanx,
> -Luke

I recently had the same error after making a typo while testing
something (a capital letter had changed to a non-cap letter...took all
night to find it). But here is a sample to test against in your
/etc/X11/XF86Config-4. ServerLayout needs an InputDevice for
CorePointer. Here is generic:

Section "ServerLayout"
        Identifier "XFree86 Configured"
        Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0
        InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
        InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection

Then somewhere below it needs an InputDevice section to describe Mouse0.
Here is a minimal version (it assumes a PS2 mouse on /dev/mouse, which
is a sym link to /dev/psaux on my system):
Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier  "Mouse0"
        Driver      "mouse"
        Option      "Device" "/dev/mouse"
        Option      "Protocol" "PS/2"
        Option      "Emulate3Buttons" "off"
EndSection


Note that the word "CorePointer" will fail if "Pointer" is not
capitalized, i.e., this will fail: "Corepointer".

D. Stimits, stimits at idcomm.com