Can't login Red Hat! Please help!

[jmoore2001]

Ok, so here's the newb again asking questions
I recenlty installed Red Hat 7.3 and usually when I boot up it gives me a graphical interface where I just type in 'root' and my password and red hat comes right up.

Now however ( i didnt even do anything!) the graphical stuff doesn't come up, only a text version and it says:

login:

so I type 'root'

then it says

password:

and i type my password

but then it just says

You last logged in at blah blah blah
You have mail.

[root@localhost]:

or something like that....what do i do in order to load up the OS?

[Siliconjunkie]

You are there. If you installed X you may try running 'startx' to fire it up. It may just be booting to the console rather than to X (the GUI).

Run 'pine' to look at the mail.

This is worth a look:
http://www.tuxfiles.org/linuxhelp/xbootup.html

[lynchmob]

If startx works you need to check the /etc/inittab file for a line saying id:x:initdefault:
If it's like this:
id:3:initdefault:
edit(as root)the line to look like this:
id:5:initdefault:

Also dont log on regularly as root.You may have done somthing and dont know it.Root doesnt give warnings
Create a regular user account for every day use and be root only when you do system stuff.
You can also just type:mail
HTH
lynch

[CMonster]

.what do i do in order to load up the OS?

OS is loaded -I think you want to start the a gui interface... yeah, like they said, "startx"

[jmoore2001]

Originally posted by lynchmob
If startx works you need to check the /etc/inittab file for a line saying id:x:initdefault:
If it's like this:
id:3:initdefault:
edit(as root)the line to look like this:
id:5:initdefault:

Also dont log on regularly as root.You may have done somthing and dont know it.Root doesnt give warnings
Create a regular user account for every day use and be root only when you do system stuff.
You can also just type:mail
HTH
lynch

How do i create a user account in red hat, do you know?

[CMonster]

1. open an xterm

2. type man useradd or man adduser -see the instructions

BTW -Redhat also has a GUI utility for user administration, you should be able to browse to it from the <cough!-gag!> "start" menu button in the lower left corner of your screen

[nukes]

you have to su to root first, unless you're running X as root, which isn't a good thing to do.