Got it! After removing the problem user from all likely groups, there was no difference - still could not run X.
Started getting desparate and deleting anything that looked like a configuration file or directory in the user's home directory. It all came right when I removed .gconf. Therefore, it seems that for some reason dpkg-reconfigure fiddles with something in the .gconf directory. Should I file a bug against dpkg-reconfigure? Many thanks for suggestions from Michael Pobega and Florian Kulzer. Bruce Ward = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Bruce Ward Christchurch, New Zealand
