Xorg error
can't star x as non-root user. I think this might be the problem: xinit doesn't read the system-wide /etc/X11/xinit/xserverrc file, so you either have to copy it into your home directory as name .xserverrc , or specify vt$XDG_VTNR as command line option in order to preserve session permissions . will try later. [edit] So, it wasn't anything to do with install, permissions, or config I reckon, just user error. The answer is in the blullet point directly above the one quoted from the xinit page of the above: The above commands run Xorg on the same virtual terminal the user is logged in to. [1] This maintains an authenticated session with logind , and prevents bypassing the screen locker by switching terminals. What I was doing was logging in as root, tooling about a bit, then su'ing to my user profile. D'Oh! Works fine when I login as user.