Running the X-Windows Desktop

annomatik

Hi! I have just installed the "Desktop" through "Raspbian Tools" in the RetroPie Setup script.

"Desktop" now shows up in the Emulation Station, but when I launch it, I just get a text shell window, where the mouse and keyboard are not working, no graphical gui. The keyboard is working in Emulation Station.

Please advise on how to make it work.

I'm running RetroPie 4.4 on Stretch on a Raspberry Pi 3B+.

Thanks!

mitu

@annomatik Have you followed the documentation on how to install the Desktop ? If you install the necessary packages, then starting the Desktop will put you in the full graphical environment.

annomatik

@mitu , I have done "Install Pixel desktop environment" and then a startx. The startx in the terminal (I have installed remotely via ssh) showed me some sort of X-Windows output but did not show anything else on the tv (where the Raspberry Pi is attached to).

Killing that startx and starting the Desktop via "Desktop" in the ports section of Emulation Station gave me a commandline with no possibility to enter anything via keyboard, as if the X-Window installation would be running on a different virtual screen. I have switched through the screens with Alt-F1 to Alt-F12, which gave me different text-based login screens but no X-Window.

Rebooting and trying launching "Desktop" in "Ports" again gave the same result -- a (unfocused?) bash window where the keyboard doesn't work. So my guess is, X-Windows is running but I'm on the wrong screen and don't know how to switch to X-Windows. Also, imho it should switch automatically.

I have followed this page, not sure if it's the documentation you're referring to:
https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/FAQ#where-did-the-desktop-go

mitu

@annomatik I just did the installation for Pixel recently and running the Desktop link from Emulationstation starts lxde automatically without the problems you're describing, so I'm not sure where your problem comes from.

annomatik

Hi @mitu , I got a little further...

Apparently, installing vim caused my installation to be broken. It wanted to overwrite something from vim.tiny or something and thus, apt-get was stuck. I went the "manual" route described in the link above and that error showed up.

So I've uninstalled vim with apt-get remove vim and now, apt-get could install X-Windows with a couple of dependencies. It seems that the installation previously was not complete, thus not working. It still doesn't work but it behaves differently now:

when I start it via "Desktop" in Emulation Station, the screen goes black. After a while, Emulation Station is back.
when I start via user "pi" on ssh, I get "/usr/lib/xorg/Xorg.wrap: Only console users are allowed to run the X server".
when I start via user "root" on ssh, I get "modprobe: FATAL: Module g2d_23 not found in directory /lib/modules/4.14.52-v7+"

mitu

@annomatik said in Running the X-Windows Desktop:

Apparently, installing vim caused my installation to be broken [...]

No, that's not the cause. Also, you can't run an X server over SSH and it's definitely not advisable to run it as 'root'. Run apt-get -f install and let it finish, then re-do the steps from the docs.

annomatik

Hi @mitu , not sure why, but it works now.

Will also run the apt-get -f install, just in case.

Thanks!