X startup fails after latest kernel upgrade on 8.10

[Chris G]

I'm running xubuntu 8.10 and, after the latest kernel upgrade on my
system X fails to start.  Fortunately I still have the virtual
terminals running (hence this mail is possible).

Looking at the .xsession-errors file it may be that some applications
which were running when I rebooted after the kernel upgrade are
causing the problem.

How do I get a basic X startup rather than one with a session memory?
I don't currently even get to the X login screen as it seems to be
trying to restore my session as it was when I rebooted.

-- 
Chris Green