HELP: X11 won't start!

[linuxophile]

Hello,

this is a desperate call: I am at a conference with my MBP, (10.6.7, all updates done). I need Matlab for my presentation, which needs X11.
X11 (and XQuartz) decided that they won't start anymore: the icon bounces in the dock for a while, then sits there without the little light underneath, and X11 is "non responding".

The logs show something like this.

I have googled and searched: similar problems once in a while appear but no posted solution.


I tried:
1) reinstalling XQuartz (I would reinstall X11, but how? I do not have the disks with me, I am away!)

2) from an admin account

3) create a new account.

4) repair permissions.

5) reinstall the font update from Apple that was recently issued.

HELP PLEASE!!!

11-05-16 5:02:01 PM [0x0-0x44044].org.x.X11[20759] X11.app: DISPLAY ("/tmp/launch-bHvQen/org.macosforge.xquartz:0") does not match our id ("org.x"), unsetting.
11-05-16 5:02:01 PM [0x0-0x44044].org.x.X11[20759] X11.app: main(): argc=2
11-05-16 5:02:01 PM [0x0-0x44044].org.x.X11[20759] argv[0] = /Applications/Utilities/X11.app/Contents/MacOS/X11.bin
11-05-16 5:02:01 PM [0x0-0x44044].org.x.X11[20759] argv[1] = -psn_0_278596
11-05-16 5:02:01 PM [0x0-0x44044].org.x.X11[20759] Waiting for startup parameters via Mach IPC.
11-05-16 5:02:01 PM [0x0-0x44044].org.x.X11[20759] X11.app: Could not connect to server (DISPLAY is not set). Starting X server.
11-05-16 5:02:01 PM [0x0-0x44044].org.x.X11[20759] X11.app: Launching /usr/X11/bin/startx:
11-05-16 5:02:01 PM [0x0-0x44044].org.x.X11[20759] argv[0] = /bin/sh
11-05-16 5:02:01 PM [0x0-0x44044].org.x.X11[20759] argv[1] = -c
11-05-16 5:02:01 PM [0x0-0x44044].org.x.X11[20759] argv[2] = /usr/X11/bin/startx
11-05-16 5:02:01 PM [0x0-0x44044].org.x.X11[20759] font_cache: Scanning user font directories to generate X11 font caches
11-05-16 5:02:01 PM [0x0-0x44044].org.x.X11[20759] font_cache: Updating FC cache
11-05-16 5:02:01 PM org.x.privileged_startx[20781] font_cache: Scanning system font directories to generate X11 font caches
11-05-16 5:02:01 PM defaults[20791]
The domain/default pair of (org.x.X11, dpi) does not exist
11-05-16 5:02:01 PM [0x0-0x44044].org.x.X11[20759] Couldn't create cookie
11-05-16 5:02:02 PM org.x.privileged_startx[20781] font_cache: Updating FC cache
11-05-16 5:02:04 PM [0x0-0x44044].org.x.X11[20759] font_cache: Done
11-05-16 5:02:04 PM org.x.privileged_startx[20781] font_cache: Done

 

[linuxophile]

Solution!

Well, there is nothing inherently wrong with x11: the problem is that about 30 files in /usr/bin are hosed! (0 file size, amongst which things like gzip, hexdump and other amenities).

I wonder what happened! I recall a recent OSX update was hung and I had to reboot.... Surprising it did not bring down the whole system!