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**smoku46** · Aug 30, 2010, 08:06 AM

Re: kstartupconfig4 does not exist or fails. error code 3, cant access data

kubuntu forum help is ... miserable. Noone could at least bother to tell me that i should recover and run one of the previous distributions that were on my computer. It did work, my computer is running. Thou to find out about this i had to split that damn partition. How to link the partition back again and keep the bootup screen where i can choose from the distributions installed on my computer ?

I had similar problem way back before and i had also problems with response, not mentioning that when finally someone bothered to answer me told me to do some weird command stuff like adding users and that crap while I just had to install the system again with the same user and password. Or when there was a problem with not mounted cd for example i just had to run mount manager and turn the mounting back on, while the "experts" havent got a clue what might be wrong. Kubuntu is a fine system, but people using it - not really, because most of them doesnt have much of a clue about the system they are doing "forum help desk" for. Thumbs down... for the second time.

**Snowhog** · Aug 30, 2010, 12:00 PM

Re: kstartupconfig4 does not exist or fails. error code 3, cant access data

I'm sorry you feel the way you do, but your OP in this thread was, to say it politely, disjointed, rambling, and generally contained no real helpful information that might have allowed others to provide suggestions.

If you want a reasonable chance at getting help here (and in any other Forum), you would benefit from reading the two articles clearly identified on the main page of this Forum under Welcome All KubuntuForums Guests and Members.

**claydoh** · Aug 31, 2010, 12:04 AM

Re: kstartupconfig4 does not exist or fails. error code 3, cant access data

Originally posted by smoku46

Ok I had 3 versions of kubuntu before - 9.10, 10.04 and new 10.04, and every installation of those were on the previous installation if you know what I mean. That way I could access my data from my home folder.

This is not quite clear to me. Can I assume you upgraded from 9.10 to 10.04, then to .....10.04? I really do not know what you mean.

I am also guessing you have at least a separate /home partition that you reuse this between installs/upgrades?

But recently I did that one time too much. I had a problem with 10.04 so I decided to reinstall it with new cd that ive burned. But the problem was it decided to delete my /usr etc files from those folders

Again, not very clear here. You reinstalled, which normally would erase/overwrite anything in your root partition ("/") that did not have its own partition (such as your "/home"), though you CAN tell the installer not to format that partition. But doing this I think would cause more problems due to mis-matched library and system files.

Again it is not very clear exactly what steps you took during this last install

So after the installation I run the system, and on the login screen I see my user name, to be specific i tried exact user name so I could access my private data as I did before, but this time it didnt work. Of course I could login with my user name, but the problem was i saw (in grub i guess) a message - kstartupconfing4 does not exist or fails. The error code is 3. Check your... (intallation?) And the biggest problem is - system hangs. Well im not sure if it hangs, its just that my keyboard and touchpad doesnt seem to be working at this moment.

This sort of error ususally stems from a permissions problem on your /home/<usernam> directory

So I thought I will reinstall the system again - the same problem, I tried all of the cd`s I have, the same problem appears, or the installation program wont run.

Again, assuming you have a separate /home partition, this would happen as the installer would not touch that partition unless you told it to format it.

Now the second problem is with my data, which I cant access when, like now I`m in the kubuntu cd try-before-install edition. And I have a problem with accessing my data.

I do the sudo dolphin in the console, I try to access my home user folder, dolphins for a split second shows some new window but closes it,in text option my console displays a message:
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ ecryptfs-mount-private
ERROR: Encrypted private directory is not setup properly

Well it wouldn't be able to, as the data in your home in encrypted, so accessing it is supposed to be at least somewhat difficult

So questions - I want to do 2 things - either recover my system and recover my data or just recover my data. What to do ?

To try and fix the possible permissions problem (kstartupconfig error), at your login screen, choose a console login, and run this command:

Code:

sudo chown -Rv <username>.<username> /home/<username>

This will make sure all files and folders have the correct ownerships
(you can also do this from an ctrl-altf1 terminal, but you should hill KDE/KDM before you run the commands)

this error can be cause by various things, from running a gui app with sudo instead of kdesudo to a power outage at the wrong moment - i have had this error in both cases myself

The recovery of the encrypted data may take some more work.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/En... Data Manually
this may help, but i think it is older, I believe (but cannot verify) that you can use the user login password to decrypt the folder from a different user/install, not sure about the livecd environment.

In either case, especially using an encrypted drive, you really need to back up your data more often.

**smoku46** · Sep 07, 2010, 02:36 AM

Re: kstartupconfig4 does not exist or fails. error code 3, cant access data

Claydoh thanks for your reply, thou I understand that my english isnt best Ill try to clarify

Quotation answers :
1.No I havent been splitting partitions before. I either upgraded the system or to not loose data - installed on the same partition without changing anything and using the same user name and password. And that way I could access my previous data. The option of accesing the hard drive private folder from the cd bootup where you have option "access your private data" in your home folder doesnt work and never worked on my machine, I just needed to install the system again.

2.Like you already know i had kubuntu 9, then i switched to kubuntu 10 at the first day of relase- installed it on the same partition. It was buggy and people told me that I should wait some time with upgrade. So I awaited coupple of months, recently downloaded lucid lynx again(kubuntu) and installed it on the same partition without changing anything and keeping the user. Now that was screwed up somehow because i got the startup config error that ive told you and the system freezed everytime. But I needed my computer, so I decided to spit the partition and install kubuntu 10.04 again. I did and at bootup screen i could choose between previous editions of kubuntu. Somehow the config error is displayed, but only on some of the versions, for example oldest which i guess still have kubuntu 9 bootup screen displays kdestartupconfig error and hangs. While the newest versions that are avalible in the bootup screen works with previous data, wallpapers etc. but no programs, I had to install all of them again.

Oh I tried that stuff:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/En...ata%20Manually

But somehow it didnt work. At some of the later stages, dont remember why thou. Only thing that worked for me was splitting partition, installing new system and using the same username and password. I have the previous stuff and data and yes, looks like i need to backup data more often.

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