help with setup

[Thomas Blasejewicz]

Good evening
I would like to ask for help setting this thing (kubuntu) up.
I have been trying to get friendly with "linux" for YEARS and was forced 
to reinstall all sort of distros
a million times already, but never get through it without any problems.
And when I actually managed to set the OS up somehow, installing some 
piece of software has sent it MANY times
over the edge in a fashion, that at least I was not capable of 
recovering ... requiring reinstallation again and again ...

Right now, I freshly installed kubuntu 14.04 (deleting everything else 
that was on the disk), after an installation of xubuntu ("tuxtrans" to 
be precise),
went wacko and I could not recover it.

The new installation, has already choosen to freeze several times, so 
that I had to cut the power and restart.
Right now too, there is a mouse pointer on the screen; I can move it;
BUT it does not do anything: does not move windows, does not activate 
any buttons, does not close any windows .... nothing.
That cannot be normal.


Apart from this repeated freezing, I already noted several problems, 
even before I had any chance to mess things up.
a) on another computer running the exact same OS, the settings for 
"input devices" by default allow setting for the touchpad;
     NOT on this computer, those items are greyed out.
b) I NEED English, Japanese + German on the computer; on other computers 
I was (after much trouble) able to set up Japanese input;
     on THIS computer I cannot setup the "input method" - not even after 
I installed the relevant software (which should be there by default)

And I am afraid, a lot more trouble is to come; it ALWAYS does.
So, if anybody has any ideas as to how to make things work .. at least a 
little ... that would be great.

PS:
I am neither a computer freak, nor do I have a major in computer science.
Therefore I would much appreciate plain language. Otherwise I may not be 
able to follow you.
Thank you.
Thomas