Gnome's dead, but I still have X

**Curlydave** · 06-22-2005

I knew it was a bad idea to install linux on the computer of a non-geek. The OS is Ubuntu. My brother can't get into Gnome. He rebooted one day and now he can't get into gnome. He can get into X with the login screen, and get a terminal, but no GUI.

Why did this happen, and how can you fix it? Is it possible to simply re-download gnome? If so, how would you do that? One of his friends mentioned something about resetting the prefereces. How do you do that?

**Vergil83** · 06-22-2005

what does

Code:

startx

give you?

**compmodder26** · 06-22-2005

Is it the Gnome log-in screen or is it the ugly X-Windows log-in? If it's the Gnome log-in but you simply can't log-in, it could be a problem with the permissions of your .ICEauthority file. Sometimes the permissions get reset to root. Just chown the file back to your user account.

**Curlydave** · 06-22-2005

I'm at work now, so I can't test anything, but I'll try the startx when I get home. The log-in screen is the Ubuntu (gnome?) one. I don't think that it's a login/permissions thing, as if I select "failsafe terminal" under sessions, it works, and I can do things with console commands without it giving me permissions errors. This gives me a white terminal screen on the bottom-right corner of the screen that I can use to launch apps like firefox, my dedicated server etc. I can't get the gnome interface to work however.

There should be a way to reset the gnome settings or reinstall it, right? Maybe an apt-get command or something?

**compmodder26** · 06-22-2005

Originally Posted by Curlydave

I'm at work now, so I can't test anything, but I'll try the startx when I get home. The log-in screen is the Ubuntu (gnome?) one. I don't think that it's a login/permissions thing, as if I select "failsafe terminal" under sessions, it works, and I can do things with console commands without it giving me permissions errors. This gives me a white terminal screen on the bottom-right corner of the screen that I can use to launch apps like firefox, my dedicated server etc. I can't get the gnome interface to work however.

There should be a way to reset the gnome settings or reinstall it, right? Maybe an apt-get command or something?

What happens when you try to log in? Do you get an error message?

**Curlydave** · 06-22-2005

No, I just get a mouse cursor.

**Slip** · 06-23-2005

Go to your /home/whateveryourusername using the terminal and do this

Code:

# rm -rf .gnome .gnome2 .gconf .gconf-2 .nautilus .metacity

Which will delete all of your GNOME settings, now start GNOME and it should write the new default settings.

**Curlydave** · 06-23-2005

Originally Posted by Slip

Go to your /home/whateveryourusername using the terminal and do this

Code:

# rm -rf .gnome .gnome2 .gconf .gconf-2 .nautilus .metacity

Which will delete all of your GNOME settings, now start GNOME and it should write the new default settings.

Thanks. it worked without error, but now when I try to get into gnome, it gives me an error about ten seconds, and if i ask for details, it says that it can't create a gnome2 directory or something to that effect.

**jens** · 06-23-2005

I think compmodder26 was right about the ICEauthority file, in that case all you had to do was:

Code:

sudo chown username&#58;username /home/username/.ICEauthority

(replace username with your own)

PS: Don't worry if you broke something, you can always rebuild your system like this...

Code:

sudo dpkg --get-selections | egrep '&#91;&#91;&#58;space&#58;&#93;&#93;install$' | cut -f 1 | xargs apt-get install --reinstall

(should normally not even have to download anything)

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