Interesting (wierd) X-server video errors

[Larry Hartman]

OK, I tried to install Beryl-KDE-xgl a couple weeks ago on my robust ATI 
XPress 200M card....it failed.  I figured it would not go....

I purged the whole lot and gave up on it.  No big deal.  I removed all of the 
configuration files and sym-links that the instructions had me create.  No 
big deal.

At about the same time--I am unsure if this correlates with my attempt at 
Beryl--I began getting an unusual error on the video.  When I switch to 
virtual terminals ALT-F1-6/F8-9, I get a screen filled with vertical flashing 
colored stripes.  The terminal still works, but is invisible to the user.

I have the same symptoms with both the opensource and the ATI fglrx drivers, 
which led me to believe this is an x-server issue.  So I reinstalled 
X-server, no change.  Just to make sure that it had nothing to do with KDM, I 
switched momentarily to GDM, then purged and reloaded KDM...no change.

The good thing in all of this is that the KDM/KDE is still operational...so I 
am not dysfunctional.

Would like some advice to troubleshoot this....also presents another good 
Linux learning opportunity.

Larry