rhythmbox / gstreamer dot file madness...

["Joseph E. Sacco, Ph.D." <joseph_sacco comcast net>]

Launched rhythmbox, selected a favorite WEB radio station, and got a
surprise:

        Internal GStreamer error: negotiation problem. File a bug.
        Internal GSreamer error: pad problem. File a bug.
        Could not get/set settings from/on source.
        
Gaaaakkkk!!! Now what??? Hmmm...

Try deleting and rebuilding the gstreamer registry:

	% rm -rf .gstream-0.8
	% gst-register-0.8
 
Didn't help... Hmmm... What to do???

"We" have been down this road before with other GNOME applications that
suddenly act weird for no apparent reason. 

Let's run an experiment:

* create a new user account

	New user account initially has no GNOME dot files

* log out

* log in as new user
        - gnome dot files auto-magically generated
        - launch rhythmbox
        - select one of the default radio stations
        	==> works fine

OK... I know a recovery sequence, the "reset-button" approach:

* log out of the GUI
[I use a command line log in. It's a generational thing...]
* mkdir ~/OLD
* mv .??* OLD/
* cd ~/OLD/
* move all of the non-GNOME dot files back to ~/
* log out completely
* log in
* kill off any GNOME processes still lurking around for good measure
* startx
	- generates new set of GNOME dot files
	- launches the GARNOME desktop

* test rhythmbox
	==> OK

* recover evolution-2.3.3.1
- cd ~/OLD
- mv .evolution ../
- mv .gconf/apps/evolution ../gconfs/apps/
- launch evolution
	==> OK

* recover rhythmbox play list
- cd ~/
- mv .gnome2/rhythmbox .gnome/rhythmbox-
- cd ~/OLD
- mv .gnome2/rhythmbox ~/.gnome2
- test: launch rhythmbox, play a WEB radio station
	==> OK
- rm -rf ~/.gnome2/rhythmbox-


* recover other GNOME application files
        Compare:
        	ls -d ~/.??*
        
        with
        	ls -d ~/OLD/.??*

- cd ~/OLD
- move the dot files that do *not* already exist under ~/ to ~/
	
	i.e., do not overwrite any of the existing dot files in ~/


-Joseph

-- 
joseph_sacco [at] comcast [dot] net