Many questions revolve around X. Here are some general tips for
things to try if you are having difficulties setting up the X Window
system:
◼ For mouse problems, run XF86Setup and try the PS/2, Microsoft,
MouseSystems, and Logitech options. Most mice will fit under one
of these. Also, the device for your mouse is /dev/psaux for PS/2
mice and a serial port such as /dev/ttyS0 for serial mice.
◼ If you don’t know what video chipset you have, try running
SuperProbe; it can often figure this out for you.
◼ If your screen doesn’t have a lot of color, try selecting a
different video card or tell X how much video RAM you have.
◼ If your screen goes blank or has unreadable text when you start
X, you probably selected an incorrect refresh rate. Go back to
XF86Setup or xf86config and double-check those settings.
◼ xvidtune can help if the image on the screen is shifted too far
to the left or right, is too high or low, or is too narrow or
wide.
◼ xdpyinfo can give information about a running X session.
◼ XF86Setup can set your default color depth.
◼ You can select your default window manager by editing
/etc/X11/window-managers.
/
◼ /var/log/xdm-errors can contain useful information if you are
having trouble getting xdm to start properly.
As a final reminder, try the XF86Setup or xf86config tools for
configuring or reconfiguring X for your hardware.