18.04 = circular login problem on system freeze

[Ralf Mardorf]

On Fri, 20 Jul 2018 06:09:11 -0500, Wade Smart wrote:
>Same  dconf-WARNING : failed to commit changes to deconf: Error
>spawning command line 'dbus-launch --autolaunch"

I'm running out of ideas. Using gsettings this way by a script,
launched when running an Ubuntu flavour live media works for me.

OTOH I'm logged in as the user where I want to change the gsettings,
I'm just doing it with root privileges, not from another non-root user.

Can't you login in text mode by pushing Ctrl + Alt + F2?

If you could do that, log in as dan and run

gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock show-apps-at-top false

If not, consider to use a live media, too and to mount your broken
Ubuntu install, then run

sudo -i
apt update
apt install systemd-container
systemd-nspawn -bqD /mount/Point/of/the/mounted/ubuntu/install

replace /mount/point/of/the/mounted/ubuntu/install, by the real mount
point, which likely is something like /media/foo/bar, or /mnt/bar.

Log in as user dan and simply run

gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock show-apps-at-top false

Ubuntu flavour live media is for an Ubuntu flavour install DVD, by
booting it, without installing it.

Hth,
Ralf