Re: HELP! startx fails to produce desktop

[mike <mike redtux1 uklinux net>]

On Sat, 2004-04-17 at 19:10 -0400, kynn panix com wrote:
> 
> Hi!
> 
> In a misguided effort to get apt-get to install some package, I
> unwisely uninstalled and re-installed several gnome-related packages.
> The re-installation went (seemingly) without a hitch, but now a
> few things are very messed up.
> 
> The most serious one is that when I run startx from the console,
> I get an X environment *with no desktop*: the background is a
> fine-grained black-and-white (effectively gray) herringbone pattern,
> not the solid-color background I had before, and there are no bars
> with launch icons, minimized windows, etc. running along the bottom
> and top.
> 
> (Luckily there were a few xterms in an earlier saved session, which
> got re-started automatically for the new X session, otherwise I
> don't know how I would have been able to communicate with the
> system--other than by switching to a text-mode console with
> ctrl-alt-F? or by killing the X server altogether with ctrl-alt-backspace.)
> 
> As before, I have chosen gdm as my default "display manager", but
> this does not seem to be enough to bring back my desktop.  If
> instead of running startx from the console I run gdm, eventually
> (after logging in again) I land at another desktop-less X environment,
> although this time I get my old solid-color background.
> 
> What must I do to bring back my old desktop or ANY desktop?
> 
> Thanks!
> 

what happens if you type gnome-panel& or nautilus& from one of the
xterms?

also what does the following give

ps -aux|grep nautilus
ps -aux|grep panel
ps -aux|grep gconf

> kj
> 
> P.S. I am running Linux Debian 3.0 (woody), with a 2.4.18 kernel.
> 
> P.S.2 Is there a way to configure gdm so that when run from the
> console it does not bring up a redundant login dialog, but goes
> directly to the desktop, just as startx does?

defeats the object of gdm, it being a login manager.

You can setup a default user to login automatically
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