Ubuntu Screwed Me Again!

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#1

I don’t know what it is about me an Linux, but we must be mortal enemies.

A while back I installed Ubuntu 10.10 and sure enough it worked! Yeah. I had compiz and wiggly windows and everything. It found all my hardware.

So I naturally went back to Windows where I do my work and months passed till today. I decided to jump back into Ubuntu. When I did it reminded me that a new version was out and I should upgrade. So I did.

After the upgrade to 11.whatever I noticed I lost all my wiggly windows. Ubuntu took a working system and downgraded it. Pooh.

So I added back in compiz and activated the 3D cube. I turned on some other things as well. Then I accidentally dragged a printer icon onto the desktop. I did not want it so I dragged it to the trashcan. But then printer would not go in the trashcan and I got black ugly redraw issues. It looked like the dock in Ubuntu 11.0 crashed.

So I restarted and sure enough, my entire desktop is gone. All I have is a background image and a right-click menu. What is it with Ubuntu and me? I feel like Homer Simpson and nuclear meltdowns. It seems like it only takes about 10 minutes for me to render the OS completely unusable. I just don’t get it:eek:

So I manage to do a file search from the New Folder window and I found firefox and was able to do a search. It seems I am not alone. Compiz can render your desktop completely non-working.

One suggestion was to run this command and restart.

gconftool-2 --recursive-unset apps/compiz
I did run the command and no error was reported. No success either. The terminal just ate the command. So I restarted. No luck I still have a desktop with no way to control it.

Does anyone know how to fix this problem?

#2

There are so many similar stories. I don’t understand the update policies of Ubuntu, the half year cycle seems to be some kind of sales trick. What can ordinary users do? Choose Windows? Personally I use only the LTS versions of Ubuntu. LTS (Long Term Support) has a major update only every 2½ years, so you live safely quite a bit longer.

It seems the Ubuntu developers don’t listen to users at all.

#3

Ubuntu 11.04 switched to unity… I don’t like it much and I’ll bet that’s the root of your problem.

Try changing to “classic” from the login screen and you should be back in a working gnome environment…

#4

Hmm… reminds me of a guy I knew who installed Win95. First thing he did was dragged “My Computer” into the recycle bin and trashed his system. No idea why…

Ubuntu studio works fine for me, (and at my current work I’m using CentOS, so I’m completely MS free!)
Sorry I can’t help, but suggest that maybe you try studio or linux mint.
… and don’t bother with the wobbly windows.

(or do what MichaelW suggests; that’ll be quicker and will probably work just as well)

#5

I’m not a fan of the new Unity desktop in Ubuntu either.
I agree that your easiest option is to change to Ubuntu Classic on startup.
Compiz effects also seem to give me problems with certain apps so I never use them.

#6

@Michael:

Try changing to “classic” from the login screen

My system was set to autolog me in so I never see the login screen anymore. It just boots to a blank desktop.

I have managed to launch terminal, so if anyone has any commands they can post to convert me back to “classic” can you post them?

I would still like to use Ubuntu. I have a feeling the Linux is the future OS for us all.

#7

To revert to the classic Gnome 2.xxx desktop log out of ubuntu and you should see the login screen

at the bottom right of the screen there will be a menu to select ‘classic gnome’

#8

To revert to the classic Gnome 2.xxx desktop log out of ubuntu

You may not fully understand my situation. There is nothing to click on.
What part of my wall paper do I click on to logout?

#9

The icon you use to shut down should have a “log out” option.

You didn’t by any chance do a partial upgrade did you? I did that about a year ago, and what a mistake that was, it can really bugger up a system.

#10

You can also change this in the system preferences, there’s a “login screen” or thereabouts icon, click it to bring up the options.

#11

ah sorry - I didn’t read your original post properly

#12

maybe this will help?