11.4 natty gdm will not start desktop

[Charlie Zender]

Hi Ubuntites,

I installed Ubuntu 11.4 (beta) on my laptop. It worked OK for awhile
and then, after one abrupt shutdown, the display manager (gdm) started
going into an endless loop, i.e., it will not start the desktop
environment of username A (who was logged in when system was shutdown
abruptly). However, the gdm->desktop transition for username B still
works fine. This leads me to believe that the abrupt shutdown left
some corrupt X- or Gnome- or Unity-related files in username A's home
directory (probably "dot" files) that now prevent the desktop from
starting for that user. Which files may/should I safely remove to try
to get A's desktop starting from gdm again? How do I find the exact
error that prevents the desktop from starting after the gdm login?

Thanks,
Charlie
-- 
Charlie Zender, Department of Earth System Science
University of California, Irvine (949) 891-2429 :)