[SOLVED] Quadruple X screen!

Question

Hi,
I have just installed Xorg, following carefully the instructions in the Beginner's Guide. I start it up as described with startx and see a few xterms and the clock - everything as it should be AFAIK. I then switch to virtual terminal 2 with Ctrl-Alt-2 to check something in the text environment. Switch back to the graphical environment with Alt-F7 and can't believe my eyes when I see the screen below. Four copies of one of the xterms (not 4 separate xterms - witness the black cursor - this is the active xterm, anything typed now appears in all four).   
I have already done a lot of reading and searching and this is the third time of installation.
I would be very grateful for the slightest hint or clue of what direction to look in for a solution because I've run out of ideas for the time being.
I've put a listing of the Xorg.0.log in the pastebin at  http://paste.pocoo.org/show/569479/
I'd be glad to provide any other input needed.
Of course this is not really a critical error as I can use and am using my new Arch system for a variety of activities. I have also recently joined the local Linux club and am unfortunately experiencing quite a bit of anti-Arch feeling - "far too difficult" (especially for you as a beginner)  and so on - and unfortunately they have seen this quadruple screen business
Last edited by Battus (2012-03-26 14:00:53)

Answer 1

A step in the right direction!
I discovered that PCLinuxOS works on this old laptop and does not cause the problem mentioned above.
It uses /etc/X11/xorg.conf, which Arch doesn't. So I decided to copy that file over to the Arch system.
When I pressed the fatal keys everything worked fine! Until I tried it a second time and then it was back
to seeing four of everything...
This is what happens with the current setup... It works one time, then no more. Here's the xorg.conf I borrowed from PCLinuxOS:
# File generated by XFdrake (rev 262502)
# Refer to the xorg.conf man page for details about the format of
# this file.
Section "ServerFlags"
Option "DontZap" "False" # disable <Ctrl><Alt><BS> (server abort)
#DontZoom # disable <Ctrl><Alt><KP_+>/<KP_-> (resolution switching)
AllowMouseOpenFail # allows the server to start up even if the mouse does not work
EndSection
Section "Module"
Load "v4l" # Video for Linux
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "monitor1"
VendorName "Generic"
ModelName "Flat Panel 1024x768"
HorizSync 31.5-48.0
VertRefresh 56.0-65.0
# TV fullscreen mode or DVD fullscreen output.
# 768x576 @ 79 Hz, 50 kHz hsync
ModeLine "768x576" 50.00 768 832 846 1000 576 590 595 630
# 768x576 @ 100 Hz, 61.6 kHz hsync
ModeLine "768x576" 63.07 768 800 960 1024 576 578 590 616
EndSection
Section "Device"
Identifier "device1"
VendorName "S3 Inc."
BoardName "S3 Savage-based cards"
Driver "savage"
VideoRam 4096
Option "DPMS" "false"
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "screen1"
Device "device1"
Monitor "monitor1"
DefaultColorDepth 24
Subsection "Display"
Depth 8
Modes "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "640x480" "480x360" "320x240"
EndSubsection
Subsection "Display"
Depth 15
Modes "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "640x480" "480x360" "320x240"
EndSubsection
Subsection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "640x480" "480x360" "320x240"
EndSubsection
Subsection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "640x480" "480x360" "320x240"
EndSubsection
EndSection
Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "layout1"
Screen "screen1"
EndSection
I think I shall just install the rest of the graphical environment now, knowing that this can happen, backing out of it when it does.
Nevertheless if any of you experts have any more ideas, I'd be most grateful to hear them and thanks for the help so far!