Q: Why does "startx" produce only white dots across the bottom of the screen?

When I launch the X Window System with "startx", the screen goes dark except for a row of white dots across the bottom of the screen. I can`t even exit X.

A: You must connect the mouse to the PS/2 mouse port. If you do not boot the system with a mouse, later remove the mouse, or install a serial mouse without changing your X configuration files in /etc/X11, this behavior will result.