Problems with X

[John Holland <john@xxxxxxxxx>]

The RH7.1 install recognizes the video driver.  Clicking the test button 
displays the gnome desktop.  I click accept and complete the install.

After text based login, I run startx.  This gives a dark screen that gets 
brighter and brighter, eventually creating vertical banding.  The only 
input that has any effect is the three fingered salute.

The Xfree log shows no obvious error messages.

Is the config file X is startx is using in /etc/X11/XF86Config.  Anaconda 
created the file /etc/X11/XF86Config-4.  I copied that file 
to  /etc/X11/XF86Config and ran startx with the same result.

The video is the SMI LynxEM+, which is supported under XFree 4.0.3 with the 
siliconmotion driver.  The computer is a Gateway Solo laptop.

Any ideas?  How is it that the test worked but startx fails?