X and Fluxbox :: I broke it! X won't start

This has happend to me several times in the past,  and I just wiped out my backup.tar.gz (lots of lost time) to fix it.  But now I'm pissed and I want to learn what I am doing wrong.

When I boot (frugal install with backup.tar.gz) x doesn't start.  I get dropped off at the command line after 4 lines of:

xauth: timeout in locking authority file /home/dsl/.Xauthority

1.   I tried:       startx
and got the same 4 lines,  then x starts but it's a desktop with no Icons,  no programs except xterm and the dock app

2.  I tried:       xsetup.sh
went through the setup process then it dropped me off back at the command line.  (back to step 1 above)

I know it's me...    Please
Help me Help Myself

yep... no problems        The problem is definately something I did in my latest tweeking (but it was late last night and I don't remember what exactly what I did).  I even have an older 'saftey' backup.tar.gz that works fine but it doesn't have my last weeks worth of changes.  

Here are the contents of my backup.tar.gz (the one that needs fixing):

--EDIT--
./home/
./home/dsl/
./home/dsl/.mozilla/
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/profiles.ini
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/history.dat
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/key3.db
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/cert8.db
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/formhistory.dat
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/XUL.mfasl
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/downloads.rdf
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/US/
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/US/bookmarks.html
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/US/chrome/
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/US/chrome/userChrome-example.css
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/US/chrome/userContent-example.css
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/US/localstore.rdf
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/US/mimeTypes.rdf
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/US/search.rdf
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/chrome/
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/chrome/userChrome-example.css
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/chrome/userContent-example.css
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/chrome/chrome.rdf
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/extensions/
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/extensions/Extensions.rdf
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/extensions/installed-extensions.txt
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/extensions/{641d8d09-7dda-4850-8228-ac0ab65e2ac
9}/
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/extensions/{641d8d09-7dda-4850-8228-ac0ab65e2ac
9}/install.rdf
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/extensions/{972ce4c6-7e08-4474-a285-3208198ce6f
d}/
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/extensions/{972ce4c6-7e08-4474-a285-3208198ce6f
d}/install.rdf
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/localstore.rdf
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/mimeTypes.rdf
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/search.rdf
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/compatibility.ini
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/components.ini
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/compreg.dat
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/cookies.txt
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/secmod.db
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/xpti.dat
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/Cache.Trash/
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/bookmarks.html
./home/dsl/.mozilla/firefox/default.j24/prefs.js
./home/dsl/.mozilla/appreg
./home/dsl/.mozilla/pluginreg.dat
./home/dsl/.xserverrc
./home/dsl/.xinitrc
./home/dsl/Mail/
./home/dsl/Mail/trash/
./home/dsl/Mail/trash/.sylpheed_cache
./home/dsl/Mail/trash/.sylpheed_mark
./home/dsl/Mail/draft/
./home/dsl/Mail/draft/.sylpheed_cache
./home/dsl/Mail/draft/.sylpheed_mark
./home/dsl/Mail/queue/
./home/dsl/Mail/queue/.sylpheed_cache
./home/dsl/Mail/queue/.sylpheed_mark
./home/dsl/Mail/sent/
./home/dsl/Mail/sent/2
./home/dsl/Mail/sent/.sylpheed_cache
./home/dsl/Mail/sent/1
./home/dsl/Mail/sent/.sylpheed_mark
./home/dsl/Mail/inbox/
./home/dsl/Mail/inbox/4
./home/dsl/Mail/inbox/3
./home/dsl/Mail/inbox/2
./home/dsl/Mail/inbox/acct2/
./home/dsl/Mail/inbox/acct2/.sylpheed_mark
./home/dsl/Mail/inbox/acct2/.sylpheed_cache
./home/dsl/Mail/inbox/.sylpheed_cache
./home/dsl/Mail/inbox/.sylpheed_mark
./home/dsl/Mail/inbox/1
./home/dsl/Mail/inbox/5
./home/dsl/Mail/inbox/7
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/addrbook-000001.xml
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/addrbook-000002.xml
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/command_history
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/menurc
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/templates/
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/uidl/
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/uidl/squid13.laughingsquid.net-breze
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/uidl/mail.earthlink.net-djdavemezee
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/tmp/
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/newscache/
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/mimetmp/
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/imapcache/
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/sylpheed.log.bak
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/sylpheed.log
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/actionsrc.bak
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/actionsrc
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/dispheaderrc.bak
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/dispheaderrc
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/folderlist.xml.bak
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/folderlist.xml
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/sylpheedrc.bak
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/sylpheedrc
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/filterrc.bak
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/filterrc
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/accountrc.bak
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/accountrc
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/addrbook--index.xml.bak
./home/dsl/.sylpheed/addrbook--index.xml
./home/dsl/.mplayer/
./home/dsl/.mplayer/gui.history
./home/dsl/.mplayer/gui.url
./home/dsl/.mplayer/gui.pl
./home/dsl/.mplayer/gui.conf
./home/dsl/.mplayer/config
./home/dsl/.mplayer/mplayer.conf
./home/dsl/.mplayer/menu.conf
./home/dsl/.mplayer/input.conf
./home/dsl/.mplayer/codecs.conf
./home/dsl/.mplayer/subfont.ttf
./home/dsl/.xtdesktop/
./home/dsl/.xtdesktop/cpanel.lnk
./home/dsl/.xtdesktop/cpanel.png
./home/dsl/.xtdesktop/emelfm.gif
./home/dsl/.xtdesktop/emelfm.lnk
./home/dsl/.xtdesktop/firefox.gif
./home/dsl/.xtdesktop/firefox.lnk
./home/dsl/.xtdesktop/sylpheed.lnk
./home/dsl/.xtdesktop/sylpheed.png
./home/dsl/.xtdesktop/synaptic.png
./home/dsl/.xtdesktop/xterm.lnk
./home/dsl/.xtdesktop/xterm.png
./home/dsl/.xtdesktop/alienNet.lnk
./home/dsl/.xtdesktop/root.lnk
./home/dsl/.xtdesktop/root.gif
./home/dsl/.xtdesktop/alienNet.png
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/slitlist
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/bsetbg
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/init
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/styles/
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/styles/Alien
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/styles/7matrix
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/styles/autumnacres
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/styles/forestfalls
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/styles/winterschill
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/styles/Trippy
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/styles/Liquidglass
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/styles/rainyday
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/styles/Breze
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/backgrounds/
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/backgrounds/7matrixbkg.jpg
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/backgrounds/dreamin.jpg
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/backgrounds/ForestFalls.jpg
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/backgrounds/winter1.jpg
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/backgrounds/xnature23_1024.jpg
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/backgrounds/kaleidoscope.jpg
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/backgrounds/glass.jpg
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/backgrounds/rainyday.jpg
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/backgrounds/breze1.jpg
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/backgrounds/alien3.jpg
./home/dsl/.fluxbox/backgrounds/lightning.jpg
./home/dsl/filetool.lst
./opt/
./opt/.firefox_plugins/
./opt/.firefox_plugins/flashplayer.xpt
./opt/.firefox_plugins/libflashplayer.so
./opt/.mydsl_dir
./opt/powerdown.sh
./opt/bootlocal.sh
./opt/ppp/
./opt/ppp/chap-secrets
./opt/ppp/ip-down
./opt/ppp/ip-down.d/
./opt/ppp/ip-down.d/0dns-down
./opt/ppp/ip-up
./opt/ppp/ip-up.d/
./opt/ppp/ip-up.d/000usepeerdns
./opt/ppp/ip-up.d/0dns-up
./opt/ppp/no_ppp_on_boot
./opt/ppp/options
./opt/ppp/options.ttyXX
./opt/ppp/pap-secrets
./opt/ppp/peers/
./opt/ppp/peers/dsl-provider
./opt/ppp/peers/provider
./opt/ppp/peers/wvdial
./opt/ppp/peers/wvdial-pipe
./opt/ppp/peers/net
./opt/ppp/ppp_on_boot.dsl
./opt/ppp/pap-secrets.bak
./opt/ppp/resolv.conf
./opt/ppp/resolv/
./opt/ppp/resolv/net
./opt/ppp/chatscripts/
./opt/ppp/chatscripts/net

--END of EDIT--

My filetool.lst:

opt/ppp
opt/bootlocal.sh
opt/powerdown.sh
opt/.mydsl_dir
home/dsl/filetool.lst
home/dsl/.fluxbox/backgrounds
home/dsl/.fluxbox/styles

home/dsl/.fluxbox/init
home/dsl/.fluxbox/bsetbg
home/dsl/.fluxbox/slitlist
home/dsl/.xtdesktop
home/dsl/.mplayer
home/dsl/.sylpheed
home/dsl/Mail

home/dsl/.xinitrc
home/dsl/.xserverrc
home/dsl/.mozilla
opt/.firefox_plugins


Thanx in advance,  this has been really frustrating.  Especially because I know it's something simple (I just don't know what).

I tried your suggestion:

cd\;startx                 (is that a typo?  the '  \  ' )

it gave me the following message:

-su:  cd;startx:  command not found
then it gave me the  '  xauth:  timeout...... ' four times and started x in the minimal way that I previously described (dock apps and only xterm in the menu)

I tried:

cd/;startx

didn't work either.  similar result.



also:  I wasn't root when I tried these.

****also I just realized what  tar -tzf does.  so I edited my post above.  Thanx