On my quest to get a working X, I've encountered yet another problem: doing startx as a normal user gives me the error message mentioned in the subject. Since my system always crashed hard before doing startx, I'm reluctant to try it out as root ;-) What did I overlook this time?
-- Wake now my merry lads! Wake and hear me calling! Warm now be heart and limb! The cold stone is fallen; Dark door is standing wide; dead hand is broken. Night under Night is flown, and the Gate is open! -- J. R. R. Tolkien