Kali 2019.1 cannot start X after apt upgrade

[planetearth]

Hi everybody, this is my first post, I'm pretty new on this forum   , I'm seeking your help because it seems I can't quite overcome an upgrade issue with Kali on Gemini...

I downloaded the 2019.1 version from support.planetcom.co.uk/partitionTool.html, installed a couple of tools like vim, htop, ufw, run an apt update & upgrade from the standard kali repos and sbam! I cannot start x anymore!

I think I reflashed the thing five times in the last few weeks but I could not find the issue. The only clue I've got: if I comment out the following line in /etc/xorg.conf:

Driver                "hwcomposer"

I can successfully start X but the GUI is a little scrambled  (below is the error log from Xorg, line *not* commented out).
After the 4th reflashing I tried to hold back all xorg-, lxqt-, qt4/qt5-, libhybris- related packages I could find to circumscribe the problem,
but somehow it didn't work. If you want I can attach the full list of upgraded packages.
I'm kind of stuck right now and I thought some of you could have run into the same Issue.

Thank you for your help and feedback!

[div class=\'codetop\']CODE[/div][div class=\'codemain\' style=\'height:200px;white-space:pre;overflow:auto\']root@kali:/var/log# cat Xorg.0.log
[  1159.948]
X.Org X Server 1.20.3
X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0
[  1159.948] Build Operating System: Linux 4.9.0-8-arm64 aarch64 Debian
[  1159.949] Current Operating System: Linux kali 3.18.41-kali+ #11 SMP PREEMPT Tue Feb 5 22:09:55 AEDT 2019 aarch64
[  1159.949] Kernel command line: console=tty0 console=ttyMT0,921600n1 root=/dev/ram vmalloc=496M slub_max_order=0 slub_debug=OFZPU androidboot.hardware=mt6797 maxcpus=5 androidboot.verifiedbootstate=green bootopt=64S3,32N2,64N2 log_buf_len=4M printk.disable_uart=1 bootprof.pl_t=1130 bootprof.lk_t=2930 boot_reason=0 androidboot.serialno=NFN7T8BQEUGYCQZ9 androidboot.bootreason=power_key gpt=1 usb2jtag_mode=0
[  1159.949] Build Date: 25 October 2018  06:15:23PM
[  1159.949] xorg-server 2:1.20.3-1 (https://www.debian.org/support)
[  1159.949] Current version of pixman: 0.36.0
[  1159.949]    Before reporting problems, check http://wiki.x.org
   to make sure that you have the latest version.
[  1159.950] Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, (==) default setting,
   (++) from command line, (!!) notice, (II) informational,
   (WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown.
[  1159.951] (==) Log file: "/var/log/Xorg.0.log", Time: Fri Apr 12 13:52:39 2019
[  1159.952] (==) Using config file: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf"
[  1159.952] (==) Using system config directory "/usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d"
[  1159.952] (==) No Layout section.  Using the first Screen section.
[  1159.952] (**) |-->Screen "Screen0" (0)
[  1159.952] (**) |   |-->Monitor "Monitor0"
[  1159.954] (**) |   |-->Device "MediaTek HWC"
[  1159.954] (**) Option "OffTime" "1"
[  1159.954] (==) Automatically adding devices
[  1159.954] (==) Automatically enabling devices
[  1159.954] (==) Automatically adding GPU devices
[  1159.954] (==) Max clients allowed: 256, resource mask: 0x1fffff
[  1159.954] (WW) The directory "/usr/share/fonts/X11/cyrillic" does not exist.
[  1159.954]    Entry deleted from font path.
[  1159.954] (==) FontPath set to:
   /usr/share/fonts/X11/misc,
   /usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi/:unscaled,
   /usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi/:unscaled,
   /usr/share/fonts/X11/Type1,
   /usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi,
   /usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi,
   built-ins
[  1159.954] (==) ModulePath set to "/usr/lib/xorg/modules"
[  1159.954] (II) The server relies on udev to provide the list of input devices.
   If no devices become available, reconfigure udev or disable AutoAddDevices.
[  1159.954] (II) Loader magic: 0x7068f26e08
[  1159.954] (II) Module ABI versions:
[  1159.954]    X.Org ANSI C Emulation: 0.4
[  1159.954]    X.Org Video Driver: 24.0
[  1159.954]    X.Org XInput driver : 24.1
[  1159.954]    X.Org Server Extension : 10.0
[  1159.958] (--) using VT number 2

[  1159.958] (II) systemd-logind: logind integration requires -keeptty and -keeptty was not provided, disabling logind integration
[  1159.959] (II) no primary bus or device found
[  1159.959] (II) LoadModule: "glx"
[  1159.959] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/extensions/libglx.so
[  1159.964] (II) Module glx: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[  1159.964]    compiled for 1.20.3, module version = 1.0.0
[  1159.964]    ABI class: X.Org Server Extension, version 10.0
[  1159.964] (II) LoadModule: "hwcomposer"
[  1159.965] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers/hwcomposer_drv.so
[  1160.036] (II) Module hwcomposer: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[  1160.036]    compiled for 1.20.3, module version = 0.3.8
[  1160.036]    Module class: X.Org Video Driver
[  1160.036]    ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 24.0
[  1160.036] (II) hwcomposer: Driver for Android devices with HWComposser API:
   hwcomposer
[  1160.036] (WW) Falling back to old probe method for hwcomposer
[  1160.036] (WW) VGA arbiter: cannot open kernel arbiter, no multi-card support
[  1160.036] (**) hwcomposer(0): Depth 24, (--) framebuffer bpp 32
[  1160.036] (==) hwcomposer(0): RGB weight 888
[  1160.036] (==) hwcomposer(0): Default visual is TrueColor
[  1160.036] (==) hwcomposer(0): Using gamma correction (1.0, 1.0, 1.0)
[  1160.036] (DB) xf86MergeOutputClassOptions unsupported bus type 0
[  1160.074] (II) hwcomposer(0): width: 1080 height: 2160
[  1160.075] (II) hwcomposer(0): Output hwcomposer using monitor section Monitor0
[  1160.075] (II) hwcomposer(0): Printing probed modes for output hwcomposer
[  1160.075] (II) hwcomposer(0): Modeline "2160x1080"x60.0  194.50  2160 2304 2528 2896  1080 1083 1093 1120 -hsync +vsync (67.2 kHz)
[  1160.075] (II) hwcomposer(0): Output hwcomposer connected
[  1160.075] (II) hwcomposer(0): Using sloppy heuristic for initial modes
[  1160.075] (II) hwcomposer(0): Output hwcomposer using initial mode 2160x1080 +0+0
[  1160.075] (**) hwcomposer(0): Display dimensions: (135, 68) mm
[  1160.075] (**) hwcomposer(0): DPI set to (406, 403)
[  1160.075] (II) Loading sub module "fb"
[  1160.075] (II) LoadModule: "fb"
[  1160.075] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/libfb.so
[  1160.075] (II) Module fb: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[  1160.075]    compiled for 1.20.3, module version = 1.0.0
[  1160.075]    ABI class: X.Org ANSI C Emulation, version 0.4
[  1160.075] (II) Loading sub module "ramdac"
[  1160.075] (II) LoadModule: "ramdac"
[  1160.075] (II) Module "ramdac" already built-in
[  1160.121] (EE)
[  1160.121] (EE) Backtrace:
[  1160.125] (EE) 0: /usr/lib/xorg/Xorg (OsLookupColor+0x1a8) [0x7068e85050]
[  1160.125] (EE) unw_get_proc_info failed: no unwind info found [-10]
[  1160.125] (EE)
[  1160.125] (EE)
Fatal server error:
[  1160.125] (EE) Caught signal 6 (Aborted). Server aborting
[  1160.125] (EE)
[  1160.126] (EE)
Please consult the The X.Org Foundation support
    at http://wiki.x.org
 for help.
[  1160.126] (EE) Please also check the log file at "/var/log/Xorg.0.log" for additional information.
[  1160.126] (EE)
[  1160.126] (EE) Server terminated with error (1). Closing log file.[/div]

[planetearth]

I also tried to add the following repos and upgrade, thinking that maybe there were some dependency not yet fixed, to no avail:
deb http://gemian.thinkglobally.org/debian/ stretch main
deb http://deb.debian.org/debian stable main contrib non-free
deb http://deb.debian.org/debian unstable main contrib non-free

[planetearth]

This is a wild guess, but (since this seems to be a hwcomposer-related problem) running the command:
apt-cache depends xserver-xorg-video-hwcomposer
I should be able to get the packages from which hwcomposer depends.
Among them, the only one I upgraded with the last destructive update is: libc6:arm64 from version 2.28-2 to version 2.28-8.
Could this be the culprit?
Again, I don't really know how this could prevent xorg from starting with hwcomposer driver...

[Geeber]

I had this problem but fixed it by disabling glamor as the accellmethod and then uninstalling the glamor-hybris package.

Warning I think that disabling glamor will prevent you from using VLC media player and chromium web browser, it also prevents sddm from displaying correctly. (it still works as a login screen you just can't see it.) So you may need to install a new display manager such as lightdm or lxdm (lxdm will also install the lxde desktop environment. Obviously you don't have to use it.)

SSH in to the PDA and paste this into your /etc/X11/xorg.conf under the where it says Section "Device"
Option "AccelMethod" "None"

Then run

sudo dpkg --purge glamor-hybris

lastly install a new display manager

sudo apt-get install lxdm

or
sudo apt-get install lightdm

Finally installing a new display manager might mess up your hdpi settings see here https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/HiDPI for fixing that.

Hope this works for you.

[planetearth]

@Geeber
Thanks, really!!

Next weekend I will try this out. I ended up flashing the thing for the (hopefully) last time and apt-mark hold everything I was unsure about!  

Thanks for the tips!

[Geeber]

Some things I forgot to mention:

Before an upgrade remember to run
dpkg --purge vim-tiny

it conflicts with vim-common and will break the dpkg and apt package managment systems saying "process returns error code 1."

Also just if you don't know disabling glamor as the accell method will make the scrolling up and down applications a lot faster. It is a must have for me.

A question for you as well. (Will probably make a proper post about this in more detail later.) I have been unable to get audio working under kali. I haven't tried debian btw. I was curious if your audio works when using Kali.

[planetearth]

Some things I forgot to mention:

Before an upgrade remember to run
dpkg --purge vim-tiny

it conflicts with vim-common and will break the dpkg and apt package managment systems saying "process returns error code 1."

Also just if you don't know disabling glamor as the accell method will make the scrolling up and down applications a lot faster. It is a must have for me.

A question for you as well. (Will probably make a proper post about this in more detail later.) I have been unable to get audio working under kali. I haven't tried debian btw. I was curious if your audio works when using Kali.

Nope, I can confirm audio doesn't work for me as well under Kali...

[Geeber]

Ahh Thanks for your reply. I guess I must not be the only one. I'll make a new thread discussing this.

[Geeber]

found this link that may help out as well. Kali is a derivative of Debian buster and there is something there about the hwcomposer driver failing. you can try it if my method does not work.

https://github.com/gemian/gemini-keyboard-a...ki/DebianBuster