How to Fix a broken upgrade? <SOLVED>

[ScottyK]

This weekend I upgraded the desktop to KDE 4.5.4. Once all the updates were downloaded and installed, it wanted to reboot. I simply shut the computer down and left it for a few days.

Today I come back to it and power back on. Once I type in my user/pass, I get the blue plasma screen, and that's it. No hard drive icon, nothing.

I let it sit for a bit, then do a ALT-PRT SCRN REISUB, and reboot.

I log back in again, and still same plasma screen and nothing else.

ALT-PRT SCRN REISUB, reboot, then enter recovery mode.

First I select normal boot, thinking the recovery process might fix it. Negative.

ALT-PRT SCRN REISUB, reboot, recovery mode, select "Fix broken packages".

A good 30+ packages are selected for download, so I apt-get it all, and system informs me it needs a restart.

sudo INIT 6, user/pass and still same screen and nothing else.

go back to recovery mode, try to see if any packages were missed, 0 found.

now I still get the same screen, with nothing else, and I'm out of ideas.

Suggestions??

[Snowhog]

Re: How to Fix a broken upgrade?

Does a reboot into the previous kernel result in success?

[The Liquidator]

Re: How to Fix a broken upgrade?


Try this:
Go to a console login and type

sudo apt-get install plasma-desktop

Then reboot

Any help?

[ScottyK]

Re: How to Fix a broken upgrade?

@Snowhog - I only have one kernel to boot into.

@The Liquidator - I'll try that tonight and report back.

[GreyGeek]

Re: How to Fix a broken upgrade?

You can also use the 2nd menu option (recovery) and boot into a root Console with a network connection. Then issue
apt-get -f install
dpkg --configure -a
repeatedly until both come back with no errors or actions.

[ScottyK]

Re: How to Fix a broken upgrade?

The Liquidator's suggestion worked, I'm back in! Thanks to all for the advice.

And thanks to greygeek also, I now remember you making you suggestion a while back when another update went haywire.