> 1. why is my fs read-only? chmod is totally impotent, despite the fact that
> whoami says 'root'. Yes, single user mode, yes, did a fsck.

Because, by default, the root fs is mounted read-only when booted in
single user mode.  Try "mount -u /".

> 2. how do i run X-win?

After installing X, you should be able to run it with the startx
command.  I suggest you read the man pages or a beginner's guide
book for X of some sort.

ken