I am blocked from my Ubuntu

[zeus2]

1452.1
I have Ubuntu 10.04 on one side of my PC and today I was using the Ubuntu side. Things were going along just fine, no problems. Then I decided to install openoffice.org suites. The installation seemed to be going along normally, then without a warning of any kind. My desktop background came up. But there was something wrong. Sure the image was there but nothing else, the icons for Firefox, Thunderbird, Opera even Evolution and the others normally across the top banner were not there. I started tapping keys to no avail. The only thing I managed to do was to get to the 'opening' page but it too was blank. I clicked the power button a couple times only succeeded in shutting the PC off. I waited a few moments then turned it on and when the option came up whether to switch to Windows XP side or Ubuntu, well I clicked the Ubuntu side. My thinking was it was a glitch and the sign in box would pop up and that would be that. No sign in box, nothing but the Ubuntu screen with nothing else. Once again I fruitless tapped numerous keys hoping something would click and I would at least be able to sign in, but like before no such luck. As before I tapped the power button several times and the PC was shut off. When I restarted it, this time I did not select Ubuntu and within a few moments I was back on the Windows side.

I have never heard of something like this happening to any Linux distro and especially not to an Ubuntu one. I am at a loss to understand what happened? Did my attempt to install OpenOffice.Org Suites in some way caused my Ubuntu to crash? If I had open office already installed would the installation have gone forward or would I have been told; "OpenOffice" already installed. I got no such warning, just a sudden blank desktop.

I still have the installation disk. If necessary I will reinstall Ubuntu 10.04 but before I do I am hoping someone here might have an idea what happened and what I can do to rectify the situation.
zeus2

[nujinini]

Welcome!

You said you were installing open office? You don't have too since it's already part of the package and you can upgrade your system with

$sudo apt-get upgrade

And it upgrades everything, including your open office.

[zeus2]

I know that now. But at no time during the installation did it stop to tell me it was already installed and when it did stop disaster was upon me.

This is what it shows me after I have used the recovery mode and installed normally?

bill-desktop tty1
bill-desktop login:
password:
Last login: Wed Apr 27  16:54:47  MST  2011 on TTY1
Linux bill-desktop   2.6.32.31 - generic  #61-
Ubuntu SMP Fri Apr 8  18:24:35  UTC  2011 i686
GNU/Linux
Ubuntu 10.04.2 LTS
Welcome to Ubuntu!
*Documentation:
6 packages can be updated
0 updates are security updates
bill@bill-desktop: ~$

I tried these commands; sudo i, sudo command, and it gave me; command not found. Then I used:

bill@bill-desktop:~$ sudo su   it came up with;
root@bill-desktop: / home/bill#

I am at a loss what I should do next?

zeus2

[Kloschüssel]

Hard to tell what broke unless you say what things you did to install openoffice. Can you remember the commands you executed?

[zeus2]

I don't want to come off here as a complete idiot, I have along way to go before I reach that exalted status. When I was on my Ubuntu I did not issue any command. I, and here I am having some difficulty recalling the names of the three .... blast! Okay, I opened up the Ubuntu software repository, then clicked on the icon marked 'office' inside there I selected Open Office. There was an install button. I clicked it. It began the installation process and the rest is misery, disaster and the end of times. okay, a bit melodramatic.
zeus2

[Kloschüssel]

Did you force a shutdown during installation process?

[zeus2]

No, I did not force a shutdown during the installation process. I would not do that under any circumstances. As far as I could tell the installation was running smoothly the 'installation bar' was showing progress. Then without warning I am staring at my desktop's wallpaper.

I can get to the desktop of my Ubuntu. It is as though it has skipped a step, that being the sign in page. I get to the desktop with its wallpaper but nothing else. I have tried using commands such as: "fsck". (without the quotes) "sudo fsck", "sudo -i", "sudo su", and "startx". I even had to create a new UNIX password. It asked me for such a password.

This is the most recent line, which is asking me for a specific number, I am assuming? It reads like: bill@bill-desktop:~$ (by this point i had tried the "fsck" and even "sudo fsck". So I did this; bill@bill-desktop:~$ sudo su. It came up with;
root@bill-desktop: ~# [indicating a number of some kind] but what number is it requesting I enter? I thought it might be the kernel number which is: 2.6.32.31, but I am grabbing at shadows..

zeus2

[nujinini]

... So I did this;

bill@bill-desktop:~$ sudo su. It came up with;

root@bill-desktop: ~# [indicating a number of some kind] but what number is it requesting I enter?

I thought it might be the kernel number which is: 2.6.32.31, but I am grabbing at shadows..

Hi and welcome zeus2!

The command

$ sudo su

makes you a super user (with admin rights).

Note that after executing sudo su '$' changed to '#'

It is not therefore asking for any number (#). In linux '#' indicates that you are operating as super user and any mistake in the command line can really screw up your system.

Please go back as ordinary user and paste here the outputs of the following:

$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get upgrade
$ sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
$ sudo dpkg --configure -a
$ sudo fdisk -l
$ df -h
$ dmesg | tail

We might see something there that can give us a clue.

Copy and paste your output here and then after you highlight, please click on the "#" shown above to wrap in in code tag. It will make it easier seen and understood.

Thank you!

[zeus2]

I ran into a little problem. I followed the unusual procedure and got the terminal. i entered the codes one by one and got some information. The problem is copying it so I could paste it here. I can not highlight the screen so I could click 'ctrl+c' to copy. I can not just click 'ctrl +c' I tried to use the PrtSc button but that did not work. My only other option would be to copy the information by hand then type it here. Unless you have a way I can copy and paste within this thread?
zeus2

[nujinini]

zeus2!

May I humbly suggest you read through this page. please.

Anyways, re your issues, have you tried highlighting by using your mouse button and dragging?