[SOLVED]Help, after upgrading from 9.04 to 9.10, kwin unstable, keyboard no go

[Gmafz7]

Please help me, I'm in need of urgent aid, while I was upgrading to 9.10, I was just programming on a cpp file, then when it was installing the downloaded files, it occured to me to change the comic strip and the desktop crashed, it didn't get up again and all the plasma stuff were gone and left me only with the upgrade window and the cpp file open.
I didn't know what to do because I didn't have any graphical interface so I just let it to finish upgrading. Just before it finished it suddenly closed the window I was working on and asked me to delete the oblsolete packages (which I did) and restarted it.
It went fine but at the grub it showed me two kubuntu 9.10 which were different in some numbers (which I suppose is the kernel version). Well it selected automatically the first one and began loading, eerything was fine but after the kubuntu load screen it made like a glitch type kind of thing and the screen just went black like when it suspends.
I read in the upgrading process in kubuntu's site to do the following:

Troubleshooting
If you get an error stating one of these possibilities:

•Upgrading to a pre-release version of Ubuntu

•Running the current pre-release version of Ubuntu

•Unofficial software packages not provided by Ubuntu

try executing the following:

'sudo dpkg --configure -a' in a terminal.

Afterwards, reboot, and try the upgrade again. This should help to fix any broken packages that are missing due to upgrade problems.

I did it but still didnt worked, I used the recovery mode and updated the grub by mistake (it left me with only one of the two kubuntu options I had at the grub), and did the repair broken packages oiption topo. still nothing.

After lo oking for a big while I found the only lne that worked for me:

sudo mv -v /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.bak

Now it finally loaded the login screen correctly, but when it loaded the firste message I received is that kwin is unstable, and tells me to choose another option (which I don't have).
But that's not the end of it, I could try the some options I've found but, MY KEBOARD doesn't works!!!

It has brecome really frustrating, besides that, the application launcher downs't work so i cannot open any programs using my mouse, the only thing I can acces is MY DOCUMENTS VIA MY DESKTOP FOLDER, but that's it.

Someone please help me I need to work on this OS for my programming classes and I don't want to use Windows again. Y_Y

P.D.
I have tried to explain everything as accurately as possible, and I forgot to say that each time I want to enter Kubuntu I have to go to recovery mode and type the command that worked for me before:

sudo mv -v /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.bak

[Gmafz7]

Re: Please help, after upgrading from 9.04 to 9.10, kwin unstable and keyboard no go

Well I forgot to mention my laptop is an HP 6735b, 2 GB RAM, it has integrated video card ATI HD 3200 (I need to enable the private driver).
I can open the hardware driver thing on sysem when the system recently starts, but again kwin crashes and I'm unable to install it.
I have also discovered if I open a file on My Documents (txt with kate or any docs with openoffice), my keyboard does work, I try to copy/paste some commands on the terminal but I just can't run them because the Enter button doesn't work there, at least I managed to quickly paste the password on KDE Wallet so it can allow the Connection Manager to connect to my wi-fi.
I can't believe this happened just at the time I need it most ¬¬.

[lmilano]

Re: Please help, after upgrading from 9.04 to 9.10, kwin unstable and keyboard no go

can you please boot in recovery mode, drop to a netroot (root account with network), and type this:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop
sudo mv /home/YOURUSERNAME/.kde /home/YOURUSERNANE/.kde.back

The last one is in case something went really wrong with your kde setup, you may want to omit that one.

After all that, please try to reboot and see if things are back to normal

Cheers!

[lmilano]

Re: Please help, after upgrading from 9.04 to 9.10, kwin unstable and keyboard no go

If all of this works, then try to enable the hardware driver for HD3200 (I have the same IGP in the machine I am typing this). Keep in mind, though, that you don't need the binary driver for the programming stuff, so you may want to first fix things with the regular driver.

Try to disable desktop effects, too

[Gmafz7]

Re: Please help, after upgrading from 9.04 to 9.10, kwin unstable and keyboard no go

First of all thanks for your quick response

I did all that you said but it showed me that I already was up to date. But at least now it doesn't hangs on the black
screen. The following dialog always appears when I get in(It's translaed from spanish so it may not be exactly as in English):

Kwin isn't stable
It seems to have unexpectedly terminated several times
You may choose another window manager.

Now the desktop changed a lil bit, cause my plasma apps that I had are gone, just a KDE uBlog is now, it changed my wallpaper, but still it doesn't let me to do any keyboard entry, but at least the KDE menu works, for me it's obvious that since kwin doesn't work, all dialgo boxes "aren't really there", can't move them and sometimes I can't use their buttons. So if I can access Internet from the recovery shouldn't I try to install something for making kwin to work or even install my ATI card driver? I tried using apt-cache search, one of the few commands I remember but the list is long and I don't want to mess it up more than it is.

Also I can't change between windows because they don't`appear and also I can't use alt+tab. So in order to get to one, I have to close all before it, I feel like it's windows on their first steps jeje.

Now I tried installing the video card driver, it seems it downloaded it and asked for a reinstall, I did so, but the black screen welcomed me again, the screens blinks in what seems an attempt to start the x server i suppose but it just hangs there. If i continue normal boot from recovery mode I enter console mode and asks me for my username and password, maybe from here I can make it work again but how?

[lmilano]

Re: Please help, after upgrading from 9.04 to 9.10, kwin unstable and keyboard no go

Hi,

Thanks for your kind words. I think you basic problem is the fglrx (ATI's binary) driver. I would forget about if for now.

Can you remove xorg again, and reboot to the opensource driver? Then go to the System Settings window. There, Desktop, and disable the "Desktop Effects". Log out or reboot and see if that does it. Hopefully it will!

Otherwise, I would reinstall kwin and other suspects in rescue mode:

sudo apt-get install --reinstall xserver-xorg-video-ati
sudo apt-get install --reinstall xserver-xorg
sudo apt-get install --reinstall kwin

Whatever you do, please don't enable the ATI binary driver, let's just move one piece at a time!

[Gmafz7]

Re: Please help, after upgrading from 9.04 to 9.10, kwin unstable and keyboard no go

Well sorry if I don't know but how do I remove xorg? And I tried the reinstall steps, but still no go.

What I accidentally did was typing X in the root terminal during recovery mode and it showed me my best friend black screen, I looked on google and found out that if I type startx it starts the GUI and just shows me that xorg has failed, but the keyboard works and the windows open!!

But in the desktop folder my files don't appear, I looked in google a little more and found out that my home files are inside /root/home/username and in fact they're there.
And I'm writing this from kubuntu too, I'm gonna restart and see what happens. I don't know what else to do.
Also where I read this it seems that a hidden folder (.kde) may contain some configurations that make kwin crash and it suggests to rename the folder, I'm not sure about this. Any ideas?

I got the info from here:
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3085948.0

Oh! and another thing when the system starts an "Akonadi Server" starts running, it makes a list of bugs and suggests me to make a report, which I did.

[lmilano]

Re: Please help, after upgrading from 9.04 to 9.10, kwin unstable and keyboard no go

Sorry, I meant to say remove xorg.conf, like you said you did before. that, after a reboot, should allow you to boot into the open source driver, whic is really stable.

Running startx as root will run the desktop as admin, you don;t want that! This explains where all these settings ended up.

Good luck! We'll get there, believe me.

[Gmafz7]

Re: Please help, after upgrading from 9.04 to 9.10, kwin unstable and keyboard no go

Well then should I execute that command in the root terminal from recovery mode?

On another hand, the only way until now to get into the system is exexuting this:
sudo mv -v /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.bak

But the same thing happens, the message about kwin being unstable appears and then the next one:
No se han proporcionado los argumentos de la orden
Uso: kdesudo [-u <runas>] <orden>
KdeSudo se cerrará ahora...

Which translated is something like:
The command arguments have not been given
Use: kdesudo [-u <runes>]<order>
KdeSudo will close now


Also if I want to open the system settings an error occures


I will try removing xorg now.

[lmilano]

Re: Please help, after upgrading from 9.04 to 9.10, kwin unstable and keyboard no go

Don't worry about translations, I do Spanish

Removing it will have the same effect as moving it with "mv" as you showed, and yes, that's in a root terminal. Can you also try please to move the .kde as you did above?

Here are some ideas to disable compositing from a terminal in case your system settings don't open:

http://forum.kde.org/viewtopic.php?f=111&t=6712

"sudo apt-get install icewm". This will install a very light and barebones alternative window manager, so you can at least login and open a regular terminal, run kde programs, etc while you fix this ...

[Gmafz7]

Re: Please help, after upgrading from 9.04 to 9.10, kwin unstable and keyboard no go

Well I did this:
sudo apt-get remove xorg

It removed 2 or 3 packages and then rebooted, it didn't hanged on the black screen even if I restart the system.
But still the kwin unstable message appears, and I'm left with the same problem, and now?
This is getting tiresome , but thanks a lot you've been a great help

[lmilano]

Re: Please help, after upgrading from 9.04 to 9.10, kwin unstable and keyboard no go

Did you see the suggestions in my previous post?

Something got really screwed in your upgrade, this is very unusual and you got hit, sorry. Look, you'll learn a alot about the inner parts of the OS in this exercise, which is great for a programmer (I am trying to be positive, I know). If you just need it quick, maybe just a fresh install of karmic will be easier.

Otherwise, see my previous post about removing desktop effects. Also, make sure kubuntu-desktop is still installed (you may have removed something important in the previous command to "remove xorg").

A workaround when things get screwed is some times to run

sudo apt-get install -reinstall kde-core

see here:
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3105560.0

HTH!

[lmilano]

Re: Please help, after upgrading from 9.04 to 9.10, kwin unstable and keyboard no go

BTW, IRC might be easier for this. I can probably lend a hand around 7pm New York time tonight, not sure what time that would be for you ...

We could create a channel #kubuntuforums.net
http://webchat.freenode.net/

Ok, let me know, cheers!

[Gmafz7]

Re: Please help, after upgrading from 9.04 to 9.10, kwin unstable and keyboard no go

Ok I didn't knew about that I'm connected as Gmafz7 and putted the channel you gave me, I live in Tegucigalpa, Honduras so you're aprox. two hours ahead

[Gmafz7]

Re: Please help, after upgrading from 9.04 to 9.10, kwin unstable and keyboard no go

Ok I tried what you told me:
Moved .kde succesfully and did the same procedure as the one I used

For the composite:
~/.kde/share/config/kwinrc
said Permission denied.

So i tried this
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key Enabled false
it worked but:
kwin --replace
said "Cannot connect to X server"

I tried your kde option and installed kubuntu-desktop but:

sudo apt-get install -reinstall kde-core
said something like the 'r' in -reinstall isn't a command or something like that (I rebooted and forgot to copy it, I 'm using my desktop to write here, and my laptop is the one with kubuntu).

Well after reboot I entered the system but it's still the same.

About the IRC I have an appointment at 5:30 (7:30 for you) and I'll be back at 7:30 (9:30)
So don't worry if you can't help me at that time, I really appreciate your time and effort. maybe tomorrow we can try