Cannot login on GUI

Question

I'm using Debian Jessie with Xfce and cannot login into the GUI as a normal user, root works. I can login on another terminal. I tried to reinstall lightdm, but I still cannot login. After a login attempt, dmesg tells me

systemd-logind[2638]: New session c4 of user lightdm.
systemd-logind[2638]: Linked /tmp/.X11-unix/X0 to /run/user/110/X11-display.
systemd-logind[2638]: Removed session c2.

How can I get more information about what's going wrong? What could prevent me from login in?

Solution

The fix for me was to chmod +x this file:

/etc/X11/Xsession

Source: https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=748944#27

Comments

[terdon]

What happens when you try to log in? Does the screen go blank for a second and then you are returned to the login screen? Could you post the contents of your ~/.xsession-errors file?

[pfnuesel]

Yes, that's what happens. I don't have the file ~/.xsession-errors. I do have /root/.xsession-errors though.

[terdon]

Well, this kind of thing is usually related to errors in your shell's configuration files. Try renaming ~/.profile, ~/.bash_profile and ~/.bash_login and then logging in. Does that help? Do you have any other desktop environments installed? If so, can you login to those?

[TPS]

try creating new user and check can you login with that.

[pfnuesel]

Thanks for your help, guys. I was able to log in with a new user, so I figured something in my home directory must be wrong. I then ran sudo chown -hR username:username /home/username/ and I'm now able to log in again.

[Raspbeguy]

Usually XFCE/lightdm if what saves me when I break something in my GNOME/GDM installation. So I guess XFCE is herd to break. Good job :)