Over-partitioned my disk; how do I clean it up?

[oshunluvr]

Don't think you can have a separate /boot partition of you have windows installed though, can you?

?
Not really sure what you mean.

/boot is a linux directory that holds the kernel and other necessary files for booting linux - along with grub files in most distros. It can be separate from root (/) or not. Separating it is is usually a function of using a file system not supported by grub. Like btrfs in the past or software RAID or encrypted file systems.

You may have a separate grub partition, as I have done in the past with the old version of grub - now known as grub-legacy. It was quite a bit of work to maintain. However, with grub2 a.k.a. grub-pc it's easier to chain grub installs together. Basically, I boot to a grub install and have stanzas in my 40_custom grub.d file that point to the grub.cfg file of other grub installs. I can switch back and forth until I have selected the install and kernel that I want from any number of installs this way.

In my case (which I have documented elsewhere on this forum), I simply created a vanilla install using Ubuntu server with no desktop or any software at all except the bare minimum and installed grub from this install to /dev/sda. In total, less than 800mb and it could probably be smaller if I pushed it. I boot into it every few months and run updates.

All subsequent installs' grub's are pointed at /dev/sdb and therefore never actually booted to. This does create the necessary /boot/grub/cfg files for each distro that are updated along with that install, but without re-booting into the main grub install. I manually create an entry in the main grub install that reads the secondary install grub.cfg - which I can select from or ESC back to the "main menu" as it were. This way if I decide to wipe one install or another, my system is always bootable and all other installs are reachable. Neat huh?

In either case: separate /boot or stand-alone grub install, Windows isn't aware of either so it has no effect on a Windows install.

[Feathers McGraw]

I think I need to re-visit this, I looked into it right at the start of using Linux and probably misunderstood some things!

[OlyDLG]

OK, the problem, evidently, was due to an incomplete install; I have it installed completely now and everything works OK (there's still one more OS choice screen than I need, but I can live w/ that until I can get a separate box on which to run Linux, and at least at the end it goes straight into KDE instead of grub rescue or whatevas). However, last night when I was "playing around," I must have done something I shouldn't have 'cause now it goes straight into Dolphin, maximized, w/ no window re-sizing controls! Please help (again!) Also, can someone refer me to a "KDE tour" for "power-users"? (I know it must seem like I'm elevating myself more than evidence would seem to warrant, but I really do think I'm a power-user, I swear!) :-)

[Feathers McGraw]

Glad everything is working now.

It may be that when you reinstalled, grub got reinstalled too and that is what fixed the problem (I believe that the grub being used is the one for the most recent installation, I.e. if you install Linux Mint and then install Kubuntu, you will be using Kubuntu's version of grub).

As for the other question, I'm not sure. Probably best to ask it in a separate thread, you'll get more exposure!

[oshunluvr]

F11 will return your window decorations (the stuff along with the title bar). Likely, you have "Restore Previous Session" selected in the Session Manager and so it launches Dolphin at each start. Try changing to "Start with a new session"

[OlyDLG]

F11 will return your window decorations (the stuff along with the title bar).

That didn't work.

Likely, you have "Restore Previous Session" selected in the Session Manager and so it launches Dolphin at each start. Try changing to "Start with a new session"

Where does Session Manager live (so I can launch it from a terminal, since I can't get to anything else the way it is now)?

I must say, even if I ever get this working, I'm losing my enthusiasm for learning it: it strikes me as TOO easy to reconfigure things--i.e., I'm inadvertently reconfiguring things that I don't want reconfigured and without being warned that I'm reconfiguring them--without being equally easy to un-reconfigure things. How is Ubuntu different, i.e., maybe I should give that a try?

[Feathers McGraw]

RE "too easy to reconfigure": are you serious?! Lol. I don't quite understand what you mean there - just don't mess around in the settings and change things without researching what they do... with great power comes great responsibility

In the meantime, this may help:

Once you have things the way you'd like them: right click on your desktop and select "lock widgets".

Will stop you accidentally moving or deleting toolbars and useful/essential things on your desktop.

Feathers

[oshunluvr]

Well, F11 should have done it. Boot and log in. Wait for everything to finish loading. Once you're staring at Dolphin again, type CTRL-ALT-F1. Log into the text console. Type "killall dolphin". Type CTRL-ALT-F7 to return to the desktop. Report results. If you get an error from the killall command, report that. Assuming it works, go into your home directory and look for a file named dolphinrc (it will be under .kde or .local - I can't remember the exact location and I'm not at my Kubuntu machine at the moment) and delete it, then re-open dolphin. You should be good at that point - at least with dolphin.

Re. the rest of your comments; As Feathers said with maximum choices comes maximum responsibility. No one here will feel slighted if you end up preferring a different desktop, but most of us got here (KDE) because we wanted choices. BTW, if anyone on this forum tells you they've never broken their install or desktop - run for the hills because they're about to try and sell you a bridge! This is how we learn. The frustration factor is very high at first but is usually eventually replaced with joy the first time you figure out a way to make your OS do something you want in exactly your way - and it was all for free!

As far as "Ubuntu" as a choice, a little terminology education might be in order: You are using Ubuntu. Your using it with KDE, a.k.a. K Desktop Environment. The default DE for Ubuntu of late is Unity, previously it was Gnome. You can also install LXDE, Cinnamon, XFCE and a couple other desktop environments. But they all run on Ubuntu. So Ubuntu is the Linux distro, derived from Debian and modified and maintained by Canonical. Kubuntu is Ubuntu with KDE packaged for it and all the other DE's removed. Kubuntu is supported by Blue Systems but is mostly a volunteer effort.

EDIT: Worth noting is the single largest reason we've had a ton of new Kubuntu users in the last couple of years is Canonical releasing Unity. Just my opinion, but lots and lots of users hate it. Try it though, and let us know what you think.

[Feathers McGraw]

BTW, if anyone on this forum tells you they've never broken their install or desktop - run for the hills because they're about to try and sell you a bridge!

I actually design bridges for a living. Could sell you one if you're game?

[oshunluvr]

I actually design bridges for a living. Could sell you one if you're game?

Trouble maker. No wonder you're a wanted penguin...

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