Michael,

> What graphics card driver are you using?

Card: Intel Corporation Mobile 915GM/GMS/910GML Express Graphics
Controller (rev 03).  I don't know which driver the LiveCD loaded, but
it would be whatever driver the distribution suggests by default for my
card.

>  Are you attempting to hibernate or use an external monitor?

No. When it starts up in KDE, the screen is black (although I can see my
mouse pointer).  If I move my mouse, the screen "flickers" revealing KDE
dialogs that are open; this "flickering" only barely reveals what's
beneath.  I don't believe this is an X11 problem because kdm displays
perfectly.  It's only once I actually login that things go crazy.

And, yes, I plan to go through the LiveCD boot and select xfce at the
kdm, instead of KDE.  Perhaps it's just a KDE thing?

Daniel
--
Daniel Underwood
North Carolina State University
Graduate Student - Operations Research
email: daniel.underwood@ncsu.[redacted]
phone: XXX.302.3291
web: http://www4.ncsu.edu/~djunderw/