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How to repair a broken Ubuntu Desktop installation
Update: I noticed that there were a lot of hits coming to the page resulting from a search for fixing Karmic Koala. I have posted another entry for fixing Karmic Koala here. It can also be accessed using the related items link below.
I was trying to install Ubuntu Server 6.10 (Edgy) in a virtual machine and as noted earlier in one of the posts, Ubuntu server does not install the desktop component (ubuntu-desktop) by default. You have to install it separately (a download of around 1.5 Gb) if you want it.
I tried to install it on the VM from my previous knowledge by running the following command.
mukul@usrvr:~$ sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop
Ubuntu downloads the desktop component and configures it. While configuring, it asked me for the screen resolution to use. I happily gave it the resolution that my monitor support 1400x1050. Ubuntu was taking a long time to complete the configuration so I thought maybe the VM was not able to support the resolution and panicked and shutdown Ubuntu abnormally by closing the VM. When I next tried to restarted Ubuntu, it completed loading around 85% and then hung there. I tried a couple of times to reboot unsuccessfully. By now I had realised that I had totally messed up the desktop installation and was thinking about removing it and reinstalling it. Command to do it:
mukul@usrvr:~$ sudo apt-get remove ubuntu-desktop
While booting, Ubuntu provides a way to go into boot menu just like any other operating system and in the menu it provides an option to boot into recovery mode. The recovery mode is nothing but the "Safe mode" that we are all very much familiar in the Windows world. The recovery mode essentially provided me with root access to the file system without asking for the login prompt. Once I was at the bash prompt, I entered the command mentioned above to remove the desktop and it gave me a very helpful message saying that dpkg was aborted during configure and to fix it Ubuntu gave me the command to run.
mukul@usrvr:~$ sudo dpkg --configure -a
Once I ran the command above, it started running the configuration of the desktop from where it had left and completed the installation without further troubles.
How to repair a broken Ubuntu Desktop installation - Karmic Koala
- Category(s)
- Linux
- Computer Tip
- The URL to Trackback this entry is:
- http://www.dharwadkar.com/weblog/ubuntu04/tbping
I need to get to this safe mode as I accidentally crashed my laptop in the middle of the upgrade to Edgy (Long Story)
Unfortunatly my installation is now corrupted and hangs even when I try to boot into safe mode.
Do you know of a way to get in there so I can finnish the upgrade? I have the live CD for Dapper 6.06 but don't know how to find out which bit is broken so I can fix it, and I can't use apt-get because it will be referencing the live CD not my instalation.
I've posted on the ubuntu forums but no one has got back to me yet.
Hope I'm not defacing you blog with this comment but I'd really apreciate any help you can offer me.
Thanks
Hello there,
I would certainly be glad to help you. But I don't have any means to contact you. You can send me an email on my email address which I have published here on my website. Although I cannot guarantee that I will be able to help, but I can certainly try...
Mukul Dharwadkar
i just had gnome ubuntu and i was messing around with the screen resolution and i restarted my computer and the logging screen got very blurry. so i don't know what to do, i don't know the codes to fix this problem. can you please help me
Hello,
I can help you fix your problem. However, you did not provide me with any contact information. You can contact me on my email given out in the About Us page.
no installation , not ubuntu 6.06 or 7.10 or 8.04 will install on my (3)dells, nothing....although i have been using them for a long time...tried to upgrade from 6.06 and even back to 6.06 and now my computers are merely ornaments and so are the live cd's. no info is available anywhere although I see lots of others with the same new install problems everywhere and on all sorts of machines...something really has to be going on. I've even tried different hard drives...nothing works...ubuntu appears to be broken.Is this maybe a Microsoft conspiracy???
I seen the installation pause at 85% during installation.
Apparently there was some work in the background and the process continued itself later when left alone.
hello,
I installed Ubuntu 10.04 alpha 3 and after installing the updates and wireless driver, rebooted, and i get a command line and 0 desktop. If anyone knows how to fix this, please lemme know. I tried fsck, with superuser privilages, over 5 times and no fix. I can't seem to fix it, and this is running off my laptop's hard drive, it is a dell inspiron 1501.
Hi,
I was trying to upgrade my Ubuntu and in the middle it just got hanged. I am unable to boot Ubuntu anymore. Can you help?
Please help! I have to much fun converting my ubuntu to mac osx by using some online website and apps. Nearly the end of converting my computer freezed.
I restarted and I logged in as a normal user, then my top and bottom bar start to bounce up and down. I even missing some of the icons (my clock, start menu, user name etc). When I try Firefox, the app don't open. When I click 3.2GB media or insert a Usb Stick, it will simply load and close the dialog then hide all my desktop icons. I tried sudo something -install. And it says cannot fatch the files from ubuntu something .com. Please help as I used my Dsi to post (slow and small). My mum saw it, and she is very unhappy. Btw, only allowed xp home, pro will not work.
wow
great info
didnt work for me I had grub error 17 for no some reason.Infact at first i had NO GRUB ERROR and no booting of either XP or 9,10!
All I had done is plugged in a spare sata drive to access some files. reboot, and grub is BORKED.
Re - installing 9,10 again. My 9,10 CD has no 'repair a broken installation' like the older ones used to.
If it breaks again, im going back to 8.04 or debian!
thank goodness for puppy linux which im using to post now!
Hello there so my ubuntu will not load properly idk what it is doing i can not do anything on it at all. i habe tried everything. i can not connect to the internet or anything and i have no disk drive to try to reinstall it. i have tried messing with the system setup but it does nothing. and when if it does load it says that gnome was not installed.
Here is my problem, Between the Graphics mode of my VM WorkStation (it doesn't like my 1 gig graphics card no Acceleration) and my ubuntu desktop. I lost my Task listing at the bottom of the Screen and my menu off the top not only does it gone from boot on but my individual Windows pop up with no top back on them either. I have tried to reconfigure but nothing works. I can come up in your stated protected mode and get it all to run correctly it is in a diminished graphics mode which only allows one boot this way. I would love to change the Graphics mode permenantly to this so I could make necessary repairs as of right now I have access to the shell in that system. I am a noobie to Linux but understand Sudo and root I just need to be pointed in the right direction with the right commands in the shell to make this permenant change.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Alt F2 (brings up the Run command window)
Type "gnome-terminal" and hit the "Run" button to open the terminal.
$ gconftool-2 --shutdown
$ rm -rf ~/.gconf/apps/panel
$ pkill gnome-panel
This restores the original default gnome desktop.
Greetings,
I have a message for the webmaster/admin here at www.dharwadkar.com.
Can I use some of the information from this blog post right above if I give a backlink back to your website?
Thanks,
William
Hi William,
Sure you can use the information.
Thanks
Mukul - Owner
i used to run ubuntu off a usb stick, now when i try to run it, it comes up with a while lot of writing on the page sits there and does nothing. is their a way to repair this.
Hi there.
I too have a similar problem whilst do an update and trying to fix a broken link for python i have lost access to my desktop can you help here please.
Thanks
hi all,
i am using Ubuntu 10.10 since it was released,
yesterday night everything was fine,
but morning when i started network is not working,
i checked the setting for network-every thing is ok..
i can see my network computers and can share their shared folders also.
but unable to use network,
so can you friend please help me !
whether the problem is with drivers? network manger? modem?
or the administrator has blocked my computer?
regards..
I m not able to get the login window. When I start thr system .it shows,,"unable to load root Vfs and unknown puid "....Can anyone solve my problem..
Www dharwadkar.. Smashing :)
Www dharwadkar.. Retweeted it :)
i am using ubuntu 10.04. i have installed updates via update manager. As they finished title bar is removed from every window and it gives authentication error when i try to install any application through software center. plz help me
Aaahhhhh!
I've been looking everywhere for an article on this topic.
Thank you!
:D
Really Nice. Thanks for this
I'm so glad that the inetnret allows free info like this!