[ale] loading xkb keymaps

[Jukebox]

i have a problem and excuse my ignorance
i can start x windows as "root"    but when i use "rob" i only get
wallpaper and one menu that allows me to quit x windows. the error
message i get is

error:     bad length in geometry
             output file: "var/tmp/server-0.xkm" removed
errors from the xkbcomp are not fatal to the X server
couldn't load the XKB keymap, falling back on the pre-XKB keymap

i'm using redhat 5.2
it would be great if you could help because this is way beyond me now
regards
rob