On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:05:43 -0500 Chris Jones <cjns1...@gmail.com> dijo:
> On Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 06:23:16PM EST, Rob Owens wrote: > > [..] > > > Somebody else mentioned it already, but I'll second it: it is important > > to remove/rename the .gnome, .gconf, etc. files while not logged into > > Gnome. In my experience they are written at logout from your Gnome > > session, so your problems will not go away if you are in Gnome when you > > remove/rename those files. > > Yes, I'm pretty sure of that. > > But there's also a distinct possibility that gnome keeps some user > specific data around across sessions. > > To be on the safe side and dispel any lingering doubts as to whether > gnome recreates your user's configuration from scratch, that's what I > would do: > > 1. boot into Squeeze for a 'fresh start' > 2. as soon as you see the GDM screen, drop to a linux console via an > Alt+Ctrl+Fn > 3. Log in as your regular user and rename/delete your config files > 4. Alt+F7 back to GDM and login to gnome as your regular user > > Maybe I'm paranoid, but I think that this procedure should ensure that > gnome will no chance to tamper with the config files behind your back. > > The alternative is to mount the Squeeze partition from another system, or > use a rescue CD - now, that's really paranoid :-) > > To the OP: I read the entire thread online, and it appears you come from > the Ubuntu world. I've never installed Squeeze, only did a dist-upgrade > on a sacrificial clone of lenny.. but does the install guide you through > setting up sudo for your regular user, or do you use /bin/su? > > Hopefully, you don't log in to gnome as the superuser? I installed Squeeze from the netinst CD. Other than answering the typical questions like what my time zone is, I pretty much let it take the entire hard disk and do as it pleased. Later, while installing things, I discovered that sudo gave an error message that jjj (that's my regular username) was not a member of the sudoers list. The install utillity did ask me to set up an account and password for root, so I could always be root if I wanted. I decided to add myself to the sudoers list rather than always having to become root to do something. Like, for example, in the process of trying to fix the missing window manager and gnome-panel I need to copy config files from the account of the new user I created. I note that the Squeeze method is different from the Ubuntu method. The Ubuntu install utility does not set up a root account or password, but does automatically add the user to the sudoers list. Having used sudo a lot over the years I have to say that it is not necessarily a bad way to set a new user up. In Ubuntu once you give your sudo password at a command line you can continue to give sudo commands without having to reenter the password. But if you don't use a command with sudo for a while eventually the system "forgets" and you have to reenter the password. Being root or using sudo both have their place, I guess. The only time I ever log in as root is when I use the Recovery Mode boot option. Recovery Mode automatically leaves you at a command line, and then I would log in as root. After all, I booted to Recovery Mode because I needed to fix something. If I know I'm going to be doing a lot of apt-getting and editing system config files, then it's easier just to be root where the system is not going to forget and make me reenter my password. Regarding all the suggestions: There are quite a few that I am going to try; enough that it's going to take some time. Unfotunately, I unexpectedly had to work 10 hours today and I'm going to have to work 10 hours or more tomorrow, so I may not get back to this problem immediately. I am currently functional as jjj logged in to Xfce4. I should also add that apparently I gave some people in this thread the idea that after installing Squeeze I just copied my entire home folder over. That is not what I did. Squeeze installed numerous programs that I would have installed anyway had they not been part of the default install - OOo, Inkscape, inter alia. Before launching any of them I copied over the config file for just that app, and for any other apps that I installed myself manually, e.g., Scribus. But the only config files that I copied were application config files. Then I copied over all my data files. There are no config files in any of my data folders. Then I modifed the desktop manually. I never copied my old Gnome config files. Before discovering and working on the problem I didn't even know what the Gnome config files were. I started modifying the desktop by adding/removing things from the panel, and I deleted the bottom panel. Then I selected my favorite screensaver, and I selected the background that I wanted for the desktop. I had everything looking the way I wanted it, except for Nautilus. I tried to change the Preferences in Nautilus only to discover that there is a bug that causes Nautilus to crash if you click on Preferences. So I changed the Nautilus settings with gonf-editor. Once I had the desktop and Nautilus configured the way I wanted I proceeded to install more apps. Each time I copied over the config file for the app, if it had one. But I only copied the config files one at a time. I got to the point where I had almost everything installed and configured, and then I rebooted. That's when I discovered the missing metacity and gnome-panel. I just want to make it clear that the problem was not caused by using one of Gnome's config files from an Ubuntu installation. Thanks again for all the suggestions. As soon as I have time to work on the problem some more I'll report back, so stay tuned! -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org
