On Thu, 2011-06-09 at 20:54 +0100, AG wrote: > On 09/06/11 20:10, Ralf Mardorf wrote: > > On Thu, 2011-06-09 at 19:26 +0100, AG wrote: > > > >> On 09/06/11 19:19, Ralf Mardorf wrote: > >> > >>> On Thu, 2011-06-09 at 18:38 +0100, AG wrote: > >>> > >>>> Hi all > >>>> > >>>> Having just rebooted after an uptime of 7 days, I have logged into my > >>>> Gnome DE to find that all of my settings for the desktop have been > >>>> borked and the desktop is close to unfunctional. > >>>> > >>>> These are some of the issues: > >>>> 1. Windows manager is "unknown" and no configuration tool is registered > >>>> 2. windows are launched at the top of the screen& I cannot drag these > >>>> elsewhere > >>>> 3. clicking a mouse on a window does not bring it to the fore > >>>> 4. there are no longer multiple workspaces > >>>> 5. windows do not have the 'x' in the corner to close, nor any option to > >>>> minimise/ enlarge > >>>> 6. a screensaver launches after ~30 seconds of inactivity (I don't use a > >>>> screensaver) > >>>> 7. no key mapping exists > >>>> > >>>> Both metacity and nautilus are the most current versions. No other > >>>> user-based changes made to configuration except for whatever gets > >>>> configured in safe updates using update-manager. > >>>> > >>>> Can anyone please help - I really do need a usable desktop environment > >>>> to work in. > >>>> > >>>> Thanks. > >>>> > >>>> AG > >>>> > >>> I can't help but confirm that strange things happen, at least for me > >>> too. > >>> A reboot always reset everything to normal. > >>> > >>> If similar happens here, I sometimes get D-Bus errors, but again, after > >>> rebooting everything was fixed. > >>> > >>> Yesterday the GNOME terminal emulation all of a sudden changed from > >>> normal letters to some cryptic letters, I closed and opened it ant > >>> everything was ok. I lost the root command history and it kept lost. > >>> > >>> My machine is a real-time machine with a self build kernel 2.6.39.1 and > >>> I successfully switched ALSA and jackd by self build versions, but that > >>> shouldn't cause any issues. > >>> > >>> I suspect that D-Bus is broken. > >>> > >>> Just a shot in the dark ;) > >>> > >>> Ralf > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >> Hey Ralf > >> > >> Thanks for the reply ... unfortunately the reboot fix just ain't working > >> for me :-( > >> > >> I've rebooted several times now in the course of trying to fix this and > >> it is still the same fecked-up cr4p that it was when I appealed for help. > >> > >> This is a complete nonsense - why are config files being over-written by > >> a safe-update ? Sorry - don't mean to rant, but this is a complete > >> waste of time when I have work to do! > >> > >> Thanks anyway. > >> > >> AG > >> > > You don't have a multi boot with another Linux for your work? That's > > bad! If you have serious work to do, don't waste your time with fixing > > your install. If for some reasons you should need this install, keep it > > and fix it at another time. I would install a second Linux and do > > important work first. > > > > I hope somebody can help you to solve this issue. > > > > Good luck! > > > > Ralf > > > > > > > > > > Ralf > > I reckon that you've got a point there. I just didn't want to get > tangled up in UIDs for ~/ partitions and files, etc. so have avoided it > out of cowardice to date. > > Given the spate of issues that I seem to have had of late with Debian, > that may be a cowardice I will need to overcome. I don't want to > encounter this when writing up my thesis, for example, and maybe > installing a nice, safe stable version as a safety net would be good. I > assume that is possible? > > AG
You seem to be a native speaker? My English is terrible broken. IIUC you're asking if it's safe and easy to install a second Linux? You give the impression, that I guess, it's easy to do for you. The installer will show you existing installs and you can add a new install and GRUB automatically will enable you to boot one or the other install. When you are writing a thesis, you should do backups on a second hard disc very often. Usually A stable Linux will keep stable for ever and ever, but Finagle's Law of Dynamic Negatives always play against us: Anything that can go wrong, will—at the worst possible moment Nihilistic greets, Ralf -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/1307651643.6819.96.camel@debian
