Ubuntu Linux X Server Problem


You cannot complete your Ubuntu Linux installation and see an error message like this:

Failed to start the X Server (your graphical interface). It is likely that it is not set up correctly. Would you like to view the X Server output to diagnose the problem?

Then, you are given a “Yes” or “No” option, and you are stuck. What to do next? This is probably due to your graphical interface, meaning your graphic card driver. In Windows, you can easily install the motherboard driver which includes the onboard VGA driver.  Whereas in Ubuntu, you cannot do that with the motherboard driver given by the manufacturer (because most are built for Windows).

All you have to do is to reconfigure the X server. Type sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg and answer the questions accordingly. If you are not sure which option to choose (especially on the preinstall graphic driver), I suggest you to use the trial and error method.

Please take note that you can solve this problem by typing the command above if you are just using an onboard graphic card. I’m not sure how will it work with additional graphic cards like nVidia or ATI.

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