TIP Changing Gray Startup Background

From Gentoo Linux Wiki

[edit] Ugly Gray

By default when the X server is started a checkered gray screen flashes on the screen. It tells us that X is displaying correctly but is plain ugly and makes the boot process seem inconsistent. The following are steps to change that startup screen to black. There are slightly different steps depending on how you start X.

[edit] GDM

Open /etc/X11/gdm/custom.conf and add the following to the [servers] section:

[server-Standard]
command=/usr/X11R6/bin/X -audit 0 -br

Now logout of GNOME and press Ctrl+Alt+F1 to get to the terminal and restart GDM: /etc/init.d/xdm restart.

[edit] KDM

[edit] Before KDE-3.4

Open /usr/kde/3.3/share/config/kdm/Xservers and change this line:

:0 local@tty1 /usr/X11R6/bin/X -nolisten tcp 

To this:

:0 local@tty1 /usr/X11R6/bin/X -nolisten tcp -br

[edit] KDE-3.4

Open /usr/kde/3.4/share/config/kdm/kdmrc, find the [X-:*-Core] section and change this line:

ServerArgsLocal=-nolisten tcp

To this:

ServerArgsLocal=-nolisten tcp -br

After editing restart X or reboot.

[edit] KDE X.X

Open /usr/kde/X.X/bin/startkde and change this line:

xsetroot -solid "#C0C0C0"

To this:

xsetroot -solid black

[edit] XDM

Open /etc/X11/xdm/Xservers and change this line:

:0 local /usr/X11R6/bin/X

To this:

:0 local /usr/X11R6/bin/X -br

You may find the file says

:0 local /usr/bin/X vt7

In which case change it to

:0 local /usr/bin/X vt7 -br

Now restart X or reboot.

[edit] XFCE

Open /usr/bin/startxfce4 and change all lines with

exec $prog [...]/xinitrc $*

into

exec $prog [...]/xinitrc $* -- -br

Done!

[edit] Startx

Startx should already be configured for a black background but if for some reason it is not, you may run startx with a black background by using the following:

startx -- -br

[edit] Entrance

Run as root:

entrance_edit --xserver "/usr/X11R6/bin/X -quiet -nolisten tcp vt7 -br"

[edit] Slim

Update the file /etc/slim.conf with -br xserver_argument.

# Path, X server and arguments (if needed)
# Note: -xauth $authfile is automatically appended
default_path        ./:/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin
default_xserver     /usr/bin/X
xserver_arguments   -br

NOTE: This Tip was compiled from posts made to a topic on the Gentoo Forums. Some parts were shamelessly copied.