Crunchbang freezes before SLiM login

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Videodrome

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Short background: My Aunt said she was willing to try Linux, so I replaced WinXP with Crunchbang Linux. I found Linux equivalents for all her applications like LibreOffice and Skype and added Printer Support. I put Cairo-Dock on there with icons for everything to make it as user friendly as possible.

It seems to be working out except for one issue. Sometimes, it seems that Crunchbang loads but sits on a black screen without loading SLiM. If she powers down the computer and tries again, sometimes it will work, and sometimes it won't.

Here are a few ideas I've thought of:

Detach all USB devices to reduce Hardware Detection during bootup.

Have the Wifi hardware button set to off in case it's getting hung up on network detection.

Remove and Reinstall SLiM. Or replace SLiM with another login manager.


Anyway, I thought I'd put this on here in case anyone had other ideas. The tricky part is I'm not at her place anymore, so I'll have to talk her through doing these fixes, especially anything involving the command line. I hate to even tell her how to use Sudo. I'm really hoping unplugging the USB Hub/Splitter somehow does it.

Alternatively, I'd welcome any suggestions on how to access her Crunchbang computer remotely over the internet. I think I know how to do it but I'm not sure. I think she would have to find out her IP Address and enable VNC Server.
 


Why not use a different login manager? If she is not a computer savy person, why not use Linux Mint or Ubuntu?
 
Well, it's a bummer that I'm no longer by where they live. I stayed at their place while finishing college and now I'm done. Now I'm way up north and I'd have to talk my Aunt through installing a distro over the phone lol.

Also, I have all these programs setup nicely and I hate to start from scratch. Another concern is whether it might do this again with another Linux. If there is something hardware related that is contributing to this.

For now, I will seriously consider trying to replace SLiM.

As for why I chose Crunchbang, that was for good performance and I think using Cairo-Dock made it user friendly. She does seem okay with it except for this one issue.
 
Ubuntu supports Cairo-dock and offers great performance (although not as great as #!, but close, maybe ;)). Although, if performance and user friendliness is of top priority, Fedora may be a better choice. Fedora seems more lightweight than Ubuntu. CentOS is another good choice. Puppy Linux is not too pleasing to the eye, in my opinion.

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Also, I have all these programs setup nicely and I hate to start from scratch.

Copy some of the configuration files in the $HOME folder. Or, install the distro with $HOME on its own partition, then the personal files and setting can always be retained.
 
The idea that Ubuntu and Mint are the ideal choices for people who are not computer savvy is a myth. Although Videodrome's current situation makes it unfeasable to configure a system for someone else, normally most systems are usable by complete novices if configured by someone else. The default installations of distributions like Debian, Slackware, Fedora, CentOS, etc., are ready to use for most people and, with the exception of Slackware, can be easily installed by people with no knowledge. The problem is configuring the system to be different than a default installation. If one is configuring a system for someone else, there will be no problems. Any system can be configured to use things like Cairo-Dock and Conky. And that is what this thread is about. Configuring a system to meet someone else's needs, not someone else installing and configuring a system.

Back on-topic, @Videodrome, being in a different location puts you in a pickle. I wish I could advise you, but I cannot think of an easy solution.
 
I've never used crunchbang myself, but it may be worthwhile to check the xinit setup and slim.conf to make sure they are loading the correct WM for the system. I had an issue with the load order of my xinit file when I first loaded SLiM on Arch, but it has been a while since then and I can't remember the details but the issue was similar to what your aunt is experiencing. The xorg logs might help you root out the problem as well. I've had an issue where the system would intermittently not recognize my display so everything would load but I would just get a black screen.

Agreed that the toughest part will be remotely connecting. If Crunchbang comes with sshd you could possibly ssh to her system although she may have to manually set it up to receive connections, which could be a pain. Last resort could be her emailing you the log files to check and I guess writing a VERY detailed list of steps to take once you find a possible solution. You aren't making any trips out there soon are you? :)
 
Well, I talked my Aunt through command line over the phone to install GDM3 display manager and remove SLiM lol.

I really hope this is solved. She rebooted and logged in through GDM3 and Crunchbang came up.
 
i am running with the UBUNTU OS and have got the test how bitter it has been to me .. WIN XP was far more better
 
This can be marked as Solved.

My aunt emailed me and said it no longer freezes. Just replace SLiM with another display manager. I used GDM3, but another one might work.
 

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