Xubuntu stuck after login

Question

How can I debug an issue with Xubuntu 12.04 (fresh install) which just waits idle after a login for about 30 seconds?

The login screen is delayed correctly. After login, I get my desktop background, but no panels or auto-starting apps.

It doesn't seem to be an authentication/pam issue, because I can login without delay at the console while the graphical session is still stuck. There's no disk or cpu activity and no obvious respawning of any process when I look at htop. There's nothing obviously wrong in .xsession-errors. Most interesting errors:

openConnection: connect: No such file or directory
cannot connect to brltty at :0
WARNING: gnome-keyring:: couldn't connect to: /tmp/keyring-wFn4VR/pkcs11: No such file or directory
...
(polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1:2131): polkit-gnome-1-WARNING **: Failed to
 register client: GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown: The nam
e org.gnome.SessionManager was not provided by any .service files
** Message: applet now removed from the notification area
** Message: using fallback from indicator to GtkStatusIcon
...
(xfce4-indicator-plugin:2176): libindicator-WARNING **: IndicatorObject class does not have an accessible description.
...
(xfce4-indicator-plugin:2176): Indicator-Application-WARNING **: Unable to get application list: Operation was cancelled

Bootchart seems to end before I login, so it's not that helpful.

Where else can I look for information?

Solution 1

As long as those slow logins happen with Xubuntu 12.04, 64-bit you can use the following patch as a workaround according to https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/accountsservice/+bug/996791 (lightdm is patched):

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:andreas-diesner/lightdm-fix-temporary
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

Solution 2

I finally found a workaround solution here. Ignore posting #15 (seems not to work as I tried). The same author (thanks to Orbital_sFear) has a second solution in #20 which worked for me (and others).

1. Store the attached tar file: http://ubuntuforums.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=217600&d=1336595748
2. Extract the tar file to /usr/sbin/ (lightdm-safe and lightdm-restart)

3. Ensure the permissions on the files are correct.

   cd /usr/sbin
   sudo chown root:root lightdm-safe lightdm-restart
   sudo chmod 755 lightdm-safe lightdm-restart
   

4. Edit /etc/init/lightdm.conf. Change the line that reads:

   exec lightdm
   

   to read:

   exec lightdm-safe
   

You can have extra arguments after the lightdm-safe script, they get passed through to lightdm. I have --log-file=/var/log/lightdm for arguments on mine.

I'm on a 64bit machine. The 32bit version of Xubuntu 12.04 seems not to have this problem.

Comments

[Sean W.]

While I don't know of a fix, I can tell you it's not just you. I have the same issue.

[Bram]

You write "the login screen is not displayed" but yet you are able to log in and at least your session starts to build. So it appears that your login manager at least is working. Does this occur for all users? Even with a new profile?

[viraptor]

@Bram My silly mistake, thanks for spotting it. Corrected to "The login screen is delayed correctly.". It's a completely new system, clean account was affected.

[Bram]

Anything in /var/log/Xorg.*.log? Is this a full install or did you manually select packages and are perhaps missing some component?

[tvdo]

Welcome to Super User! Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference.