X and Fluxbox :: X start automatically
Maybe your /etc/inittab has been changed. That's the only thing I know of that would prevent an auto login. In a typical frugal (50mb) install, there is no login prompt unless you configure it to do so. ...unless the frugal installer has a multi-user option?
A login manager won't help...all it would do is present you with a prettier login prompt with buttons and pictures. It needs x to be started automatically as well, so it probably wouldn't even work =o)
I am guessing that when you turn on the power and dsl runs through the boot you end at the prompt and have to type StARTX to get to the desktop. if you want to boot and avoid typeing STARTX and go directly to the desktop..in otherword hit power and in a couple mins see the desktop then you have to install without being prompted. it is an option during install. I am not sure what install option you used..but my install boots to X..when I first booted dsl, at the initial dsl screen I pushed f2 and typed expert dsl tohd=hdc1 dsl vga=normal dsl dma..this loaded dsl to my personal partition and ran x..I chose install to hd from the menu and when prompted for the location said hda1..the boot partition..I said yes to install boot loader and choose grub..it rebooted the computer and ask for passwords for root and dsl and continued to X as hd install. this is similar with the frugal install. if you want to boot to X install and boot to x desktop
What this sounds like is a hard drive install and you selected multiple user login during the install. When you install this way you get the text login prompt. If you don't choose multiple logins with the hd install you go directly to the dsl user. I have never done a frugal install so I don't know how it works but I am assuming that the multiple users option is not available. This really looks like an install with multiple users, probably typical HD install. I can't remember at this time the exact change in inittab (i think it is) to fix this.
If it is inittab, then this thread might help:
http://damnsmalllinux.org/cgi-bin....t=11000
original here.