Tinkering killed my desktop (SOLVED)

[rbrown3rd]

Thank goodness for my Iphone that is allowing me to post this. During a slow afternoon today I tinkered with my KDE4 desktop thinking I was cleaning up and I cleaned Kwin from my system. Now I have no desktop. Is there a way I can reinstall and preserve the files in my home folder or will I have to do a clean install? Any other way to preserve my files? I am away from home and this is my laptop. I do ha e access to my son in law's desktop and a CD burner. Suggestions?

[haggus]

Re: Tinkering killed my desktop

if you can do a console login from the splash screen then just

sudo apt-get install kwin

or try booting from recovery mode

[rbrown3rd]

Re: Tinkering killed my desktop

Thanks. Recovery did a lot of stuff. Apt-get did too but cannot get to splash screen. I get to a gray screen sort of like a desktop but with a small terminal window in upper left.

[rbrown3rd]

Re: Tinkering killed my desktop

All startup tests seem ok. Last message Is "Not starting K Display Manager (kdm-kde4); it is not the default display manager. ". Stops at command line login prompt. I could see OKs for all my installed stuff such as the Virtualbox kernel.

Second attempt seems normal showing the Kubuntu gears and progress bar but ends at command line login prompt.

[haggus]

Re: Tinkering killed my desktop

try

sudo dpkg-reconfigure kdm

this should allow to set the deualt display manager kde or kde4

[rbrown3rd]

Re: Tinkering killed my desktop

That returns "kdm is broken or not fully installed. "

[Snowhog]

Re: Tinkering killed my desktop

Open a console and type:

sudo dpkg --configure -a

If you get errors, copy and past them in your reply.
Otherwise continue with:

sudo apt-get clean

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install

If you get warning/errors on this last step, copy and paste them in your reply.

What is reported

[rbrown3rd]

Re: Tinkering killed my desktop

Open a console and type:

sudo dpkg --configure -a

If you get errors, copy and past them in your reply.
Otherwise continue with:

sudo apt-get clean

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install

If you get warning/errors on this last step, copy and paste them in your reply.

What is reported

I can't copy and paste but only the last step reported errors

Removing lip-umount wrapper

Error processing kuo-umountwrapper --remove
Errors were encountered while processing:

Kio-umountwrapper

[Snowhog]

Re: Tinkering killed my desktop

Repeat the commands. There are times when you have to run through them more than once.

[rbrown3rd]

Re: Tinkering killed my desktop

Three times with same result. I am going to bed but will take up the process in the AM. Thanks very much for your support. I am treating this as a learning process.

[Snowhog]

Re: Tinkering killed my desktop

I am treating this as a learning process.

That it is, and a good attitude to have about it as well.

[rbrown3rd]

Re: Tinkering killed my desktop

I am still stuck at a command line prompt. Seems everything is there except my KDE and KDE4 desktops. I also had Gnome installed and got into trouble trying to uinstall it. Anyway, I am ready for any futher instructions.

[MoonRise]

Re: Tinkering killed my desktop

See what this does if KDM reports that it is broken.

sudo apt-get -f install kdm

[rbrown3rd]

Re: Tinkering killed my desktop

That ran but also ended with an unable to remove kio-umount wrapper. A reboot ended up at the command prompt login after showing the Kubuntu gears and progress bar.

[rbrown3rd]

Re: Tinkering killed my desktop

Don't know if it makes a diff or not but I was running KDE, KDE4, and Gnome. I was using KDE4 when I corrupted my desktops. I thought I was "cleaning up." Well, I cleaned up ok.