KDE Desktop disappeared after reboot

[sc4s2cg]

Hi,

I installed Kubuntu today, again, after finding out the first installation was the wrong Kubuntu. It was 32 bits, my laptop is 64 bits, and it was very sluggish.

After I went through the process of some basic customization on this 64 bit Kubuntu (installing firefox, music players, basic games, office suites, etc.) and then installing the NVIDIA Graphics card (180) and uninstalling/reinstalling the wireless driver, I restarted the laptop. Everything was fine up to the login screen: Kubuntu loaded, the loading and login screens looked as pretty as before. Once I logged in with my username, however, everything disappeared.

Instead of the KDE Desktop that I was used to, I was presented with the Ubuntu default desktop, the one with no start-menu type button, and just three menus (Applications, Places, System) at the top of the screen to the left of the time and date. At the same time, I got this error message:

The panel encountered a problem while loading "OAFIID:GNOME_FastUserSwitchApplet".

And then it asked me whether I'd like to delete the file. I said no each time.

My attempts so far:

1) restarted multiple times
2) used the cd I burned the ISO on to see if there is a repair function, there was but I did not understand so I just chose "restart OS"
3) checked cd for any errors, incase it was installed incorrectly. The cd had no errors or faults.

This is Kubuntu 9.04. Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'm in the process of moving from Windows 7 to Kubuntu, but it would have to be in very layman's terms. I'm still a newbie at all things Linux, best I can do is attempt to follow directions and type in commands in the Konsole.

Thank you,
sc

[vinnywright]

Re: KDE Desktop disappeared after reboot

it sounds like you'v installed gnome and the login has defaulted to it.

log out and at the login window click on seshons or setings .....cant remember what it's calde and see if you have a choise of window managers to login to ........you do so check kde and then log in

VINNY

[sc4s2cg]

Re: KDE Desktop disappeared after reboot

Thanks vinnywright,

Unfortunately, I just went ahead and reinstalled the whole OS. Had nothing to lose, it was freshly installed to begin with, but now I regret it. Should have checked the forums one last time and followed the instructions. Would have saved me the 45 minutes or so.

Thank you for your help,
sc

[przxqgl]

Re: KDE Desktop disappeared after reboot

i have encountered exactly the same message: "The panel encountered a problem while loading OAFIID: GNOME_FastUserSwitchApplet Do you want to delete the applet from your configuration" (and i suspect that it started when i typed "sudo apt-get install gucharmap" into my console, but i need that character map).

i can't get to the graphic login where you can choose the session, because when i first installed jaunty, i chose to login without a password (because i am the only person who uses this machine), which means that the only way i know of to get to the graphic login is by choosing to log out, however, when i log out, it gets stuck on "Checking battery state..." (which it doesn't have, because this machine is a desktop, not a laptop).

this appears to be a fairly simple problem, but finding the answer has stumped me. help! :P

[vinnywright]

Re: KDE Desktop disappeared after reboot

try a ctrl>alt>F1 when you get stuck and see if you get a terminal?

if you do enter

sudo adduser test

this will create a user named test and prompt you for a password ....give it one ......now you'r system should stop at the login screen......we hope

after that do

sudo init 0

and you should sutdown ......and then reboot and see if the new user can login to KDE and if thars more than just KDE in the login choises.

then we can go from thare

VINNY

[przxqgl]

Re: KDE Desktop disappeared after reboot

i created a new user using "sudo adduser test", but he's not able to login, and when i try to logout, if i choose "Log Out" i get stuck at "Checking battery state" and i can't choose "Switch User" because it is greyed out... :P

[vinnywright]

Re: KDE Desktop disappeared after reboot

did you check to see if your loging in to KDE or gnome?

next try in order

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

sudo dpkg --configure -a

and then shutdown and try agin.

VINNY

[przxqgl]

Re: KDE Desktop disappeared after reboot

i'm logging into gnome: i still get the OAFIID error message, i've still got the default ubuntu desktop instead of my nice, customised KDE desktop...

i see what you're trying to do, but i don't think it will work...

i did "sudo apt-get update" and then "sudo apt-get dist-upgrade" and then "sudo dpkg --configure -a" and then i did "sudo shutdown -r now" and when it came back up, it was the same thing: default ubuntu desktop and an OAFIID error message...

[vinnywright]

Re: KDE Desktop disappeared after reboot

I'm sorey but did you try switching to a KDE login?

at the bottom of the login window thars a button labeld seshons or somthing click it and then click KDE then login

+ did you try deleting the ofending applet.

and just so we know did you acualey install gnome??

VINNY

[przxqgl]

Re: KDE Desktop disappeared after reboot

i don't get a login, because when i first installed i chose to login without a password, since i am the only person using this machine... it goes from directly to the default ubuntu desktop without giving me a chance to change the session...

and i can't logout and login again, because when i select "logout", it gets stuck checking for a battery that doesn't exist.

and i didn't delete the offending applet because i suspect that once i get back to KDE, i won't see it again.

i suspect that it started when i typed "sudo apt-get install gucharmap" into my console, but i need that character map

[vinnywright]

Re: KDE Desktop disappeared after reboot

i suspect that it started when i typed "sudo apt-get install gucharmap" into my console, but i need that character map

I have that instaled to but no problems.

I would have thought adding a user would have got you stoped at the login screen to chose KDE so im stumped..........deleting the ofending applet isent that big a deal sence you can get it back but whatever and it looks to be a gnome applet eney way.

VINNY

[przxqgl]

Re: KDE Desktop disappeared after reboot

the error says:The panel encountered a problem while loading
OAFIID: GNOME_FastUserSwitchApplet
Do you want to delete the applet from your configuration?

it doesn't say anything about gucharmap... and, if i remove gucharmap to get KDE back, if i install it again it will just go back to the default gnome desktop (which is ugly and one of the main reasons i use KDE in the first place)...

[przxqgl]

Re: KDE Desktop disappeared after reboot

i figured it out.

i went to System Settings and clicked the "Advanced" tab and then clicked "Login Manager", then the "Convenience" tab and disabled the check box that says "Enable Auto Login"...

then, i rebooted, and - lo-and-behold - i got a login screen. i selected "KDE" from the sessions menu, entered my username and password (a user named "test" was also there, which i expected) and KDE loaded with all of my desktop settings the way they were, and no obnoxious OAFIID error message.

problem solved. thanks. 8)

[vinnywright]

Re: KDE Desktop disappeared after reboot

I dident say eneything about removeing gucharmap ??........I sead I have it as well.

I sead to go a head and let it remove

the error says:The panel encountered a problem while loading
OAFIID: GNOME_FastUserSwitchApplet
Do you want to delete the applet from your configuration?

that !!

and try to get you back to a login screen to be abell to chose to log in to KDE :P

all this time I thought you couldent even log in all the way.........LOL

VINNY

[przxqgl]

Re: KDE Desktop disappeared after reboot

no, i could log in, it was just with the ugly default ubuntu desktop and not my pretty, customised KDE desktop... and when i tried to log out of the ugly desktop, instead of logging out, i got stuck on "Checking Battery Status" when i don't even have a battery...

but it's all better now. thanks again... 8)