Edit /etc/ld.so.conf and add /usr/X11R6/lib. Run ldconfig Add /usr/X11R6/bin to your PATH environment variable in .bash_profile. The statement should look something like PATH=$PATH:/usr/X11R6/bin and be placed before the export PATH statement. Run source ~/.bash_profile Set up your mouse: cd /dev ln -s psaux mouse Adjust the symbolic link as necessary for other types of mice. For instance, a serial mouse on the first serial port would be linked to ttyS1. Create the XF86Config file with cd ~ XFree86 -configure The screen will go black and you may hear some clicking of the monitor. This command will create a file, XF86Config.new in your home directory. Edit XF86Config.new to suit your system. The details of the file are located in the man page man XF86Config. Some things you may want to do are: Section "Files". Change the order of the font paths searched. You may want to put 100dpi fonts ahead of 75dpi fonts if your system normally comes up closer to 100 dots per inch. You may want to remove some font directories completely. Section "Module". Remove or comment out some of the modules. The "glx" and "dri" sections are not operational until we install DRI below. Leaving modules in does not hurt anything. Section "InputDevice". You may want to change the keyboard autorepeat rate by adding Option "Autorepeat" "250 30". Section "Screen". Add a DefaultDepth statement such as: DefaultDepth 16. In the SubSection for your default depth, add a modes line such as: Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768". The first mode listed will normally be the starting resolution. Test the system with XFree86 -xf86config ~/XF86Config.new You will only get a gray background with an X-shaped mouse cursor, but it confirms the system is working. Exit with Control-Alt-Backspace. If the system does not work, take a look at /var/log/XFree86.0.log to see what went wrong. Move the configuration file to its final location mv ~/XF86Config.new /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 Create .xinitrc cat > ~/.xinitrc << "EOF" # Begin .xinitrc file xterm -g 80x40+0+0 & xclock -g 100x100-0+0 & twm EOF This provides an initial screen with an xterm and a clock that is managed by a simple window manager, Tab Window Manager. For details of twm, see the man page. Start X with startx to get basic functional X Windows System.