Still trying to solve this problem I ran two straces. strace -f -e trace=open,read /etc/init.d/xdm restart
This trace ends "xdm is not the default manager" after reading /usr/sbin/xdm from the file /etc/X11/default-display-manager. There is no file xdm in /usr/sbin/ although xdm is installed. strace -f -e trace=open,read /etc/init.d/gdm3 restart This trace ends "Not starting GNOME: it is not the default display manager after reading "BOOT-IMAGE=/boot/vmlinux-3.2.0-4 ..." from the file /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gconv/gconv-modules.cache. There is a file gdm3 in /usr/sbin and if the file /etc/X11/default-display-manager is edited to read /usr/sbin/gdm3 and the command /etc/init.d/gdm3 restart is run a gnome desktop is opened at F7 and the virtual terminals at F1 through F6 are lost. If Ctl-Alt-F1 is pressed the screen goes black for several seconds and then blue with the floating message NO SIGNAL!. Ctl-Alt-F7 will reopen the gnome desktop wrapped around a vertical division at the center of the screen. Summary: The system will boot as xdm with 6 virtual terminal, no x window OR The system will boot as gdm3 with a gnome desktop, no virtual terminals. Somewhere a wire is crossed. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20130831182137.ga22...@tomgeorge.info