[ubuntu-uk] ubuntu 9.04 + gnome screen error

[Rob Beard]

Paul Sutton wrote:
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> Liam Proven wrote:
>   
>> On Thu, Mar 18, 2010 at 9:53 PM, Paul Sutton <zleap at zleap.net> wrote:
>>     
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>>> http://imagebin.org/89424
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>>> just got the above, come up,  not sure what triggered it, but I can't
>>> click on desktop,  i can click menus and load programs
>>>
>>> i can't change the background using preferences
>>> can't even click, its just a white space.
>>>
>>> just wondered if anyone has come across this sort of thing.
>>>
>>> Paul
>>>
>>> - --
>>> Paul Sutton
>>> www.zleap.net
>>>       
>> I've seen something a bit like that on a couple of systems. It was due
>> to problems with Compiz.
>>
>> One 1 machine, it was due to me disabling DRI in the X server while
>> leaving Compiz enabled. It requires DRI & couldn't display a usable
>> desktop without it.
>>
>> On the other, it was due to relying on an only-partially-supported
>> graphics chipset & enabling all the visual "chrome" in Appearance. The
>> graphics couldn't support all the features and I got a blank desktop.
>>
>> In both cases, I had to flip to an alternate V-console (Ctrl+Alt+F1 -
>> thru' - F6) and fix it from the command line.
>>
>>
>>     
> hmm,  thats interesting as I seeem to be triggering it when killing the
> desktop with xkill (did this on purpose for a test). so
>
>
> alt -f2
> type xkill
> click on desktop
>
> so the two could potentially be inter related,
>
> according to #ubuntu-uk,  this isn't a but and meant to happen, i
> understand the reasons,  i can now fix it by re-running nautilus,  i am
> more concerned regarding newish users doing this,
>
> Paul
>   
Um... I'm afraid to say, I very much doubt a newish user will know what 
xkill is let alone type it.  I mean as a more experienced user (not 
saying I'm uber experienced, just more experienced than a newbie), I 
still open a terminal and type killall <process name> or maybe kill -HUP 
pid rather than running xkill.

I'd say there is more chance a user accidentally blatting their Windows 
installation than doing this.

Rob