(solved) unwanted desktop change

[errol]

I installed a fresh installation of Lucid from an alpha3 download. Everything went smoothly. I then adjusted the packet manager to enable updates including removing #'s from the sources.list. This is an action I do every time I install a different version of Kubuntu. I then installed Thunderbird and Firefox.
After doing an upgrade which appears to have gone well (no error reports), I restarted my computer. On restarting my whole desktop became virtually unworkable. The ONLY icons on the desktop were the Firefox and Thunderbird. Nothing else. No panel below, no K utility to open programs, nothing. The only way I can open programs is by using alt/F2 and writing the name of the program. I tried adding a panel using right click/add-panel and the panel was the enabled at the top of the screen without any way of me being able to move it to the bottom of the screen.
I did the installation a few times because I thought I was at fault. In all cases after the update, the desktop changes and I am at a loss to "fix" it. Is this a known thing? What can I do?
Errol

[Untitled]

Re: unwanted desktop change

I think an update somewhere after Alpha 3 deleted the panel. Anyway, adding the panel the way you did it, and then clicking on the Cashew should open the panel properties. From there you can stretch the panel to whatever size you want by dragging the handles with the arrows on them. You can relocate the panel by clicking and dragging the bit where it says Screen Edge.
To add the Kmenu and other widgets click on Add Widgets and add whichever widgets you want (e.g. Application Launcher for the menu, task manager, system tray, digital clcok).
Alternatively download and install Beta1 which has been released a few days ago.

[errol]

Re: unwanted desktop change

Thanks, I'll try working on the panel as you suggested. Does the Beta 1 version not have this "feature" of removing the panel?

[Untitled]

Re: unwanted desktop change

The beta works fine. It was an update after the release of Alpha 3 that removed the panel, and the beta version skips that bad update. If you already have LL installed then adding a panel should be quicker though.

[errol]

Re: unwanted desktop change

I'm going to download the beta version. As I explained in the original post it wasn't only the panel that disappeared, the whole desktop changed so Instead of trying to "fix" things, I'm going to re-install from the newer version.
Thanks for your advice. I'll mark this post as solved.