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I have an AMD64 desktop that I currently run a Centos client on and today I got inspired to convert it into a BSD machine with a gnome desktop environment. I have been running an open BSD server on this machine prior and as it was an server I choose no on the question " do you expect to run the x window system" and I have since had several different Linux flavours running on the machine and that what’s making me a bit confused because now when I ran the open BSD install it skips this question and goes direct to ask me if I want the x window system to be started by xdm.

Is the information from my initial OpenBSD install stored somewhere despite the fact that I have reinstalled the machine several times between? I have googled and found answers on how to start the x windows system but nothing on why the install skips the question.

As to test this more I downloaded OpenBSD 5.9 from an official ftp and pushed it to an USB and used that to install OpenBSD to one of my machines. On the install I choose no on the question to " do you expect to use X window on this system". After verifying the install I went ahead and did a clean CentOS install on the machine. After verifying the CentOS install I then started an OpenBSD install on the same machine using the same USB stick as on the first OpenBSD install but on the second install it skipped the question on expecting to run x window system and went directly to the question on if I want the x window system to be started by xdm.

So how come that the installation behaves differently on what should be a clean install ? And on this machine I have previously been running OpenBSD with the xfce desktop.

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  • "I have since had several different Linux flavours running on the machine" - OpenBSD is a BSD, not a Linux... OpenBSD does not use the Linux kernel, and while they are similar, they behave in different ways sometimes. Commented Jun 4, 2016 at 17:14

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
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OpenBSD InstallationIf you are using the official ISO to install (found here), than you should be asked if "you expect to run the X Window System". In fact, the default option is Yes, so as long as you have the newest, official version of OpenBSD, you will have the X Window System installed unless you explicitly say otherwise.

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  • Thank you for the answer but as I write in the update to my question I don't get the question once I ran the instal a second time on the same machine despite the fact that it should be a clean install both times. Commented Jun 5, 2016 at 21:24
  • Yes, you cannot have a "clean" default install unless there is nothing on the hard drive. A possibility is to back up your data, and then reset the machine. Commented Jun 5, 2016 at 21:42
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See this answer. Since it was posted KMS drivers are available (inteldrm(4) and radeondrm(4)) on OpenBSD so changing machdep became unnecessary on some platforms and for some chipsets, thus rendering the installer question also unnecessary.

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