Thanks Guy, I followed your second suggestion - using Live CD to examine Xorg.0.log.
I found the following error flag: Failed to initialise GLX extension (Compatible NVIDIA X dribver not found) That was the only entry. What is the significance of the other log files (Xorg.0.log.old, Xorg.9.log and Xorg.9.old.log) alongside Xorg.0.log ? The only useful thing I've managed to extract from Xorg.0.log it is that my video card would appear to be an nVidia GeForce 8500 GT. I'm almost convinced that I will be able to re-install Ubuntu 8.04LTS from the CD, leaving the contents of my home folder untouched (I've also made a backup copy of it) but really need a bit more 'hand-holding' before I take that leap. Live user mode, from the CD, is a useful get-me-home option at the moment while my old Windows 98 machine copes with this e-mail traffic. Many thnaks for your support. Best regards Greg -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/