Xubuntu turned gray and empty after updates

[Ulvdatter]

Hi!

Today I have installed some upgrades (not too sure which ones). I also deleted Thunderbird and some other mail and chat stuff. Now all that meets after the log in screen, is a gray emptiness and and error message saying: "unable to launch startxfce4 x session" followed by something my boyfriend did not bother to write down, but we think it was something like: unable to return to default setup...
After closing the error message it does not respond to anything mouse related. We are quite blank when it comes to keyboard commands, so we have not tried much in that direction.

Mayday

[doktorOblivion]

If you can get a console session (if not reboot and go into recovery mode). Once there login for that user and try and deleting your cache,

rm -fr .cache

From your home directory.

[critin]

Try restarting and when you get to login, click on the cog in upper right corner (of login box) and choose another option. xfce4 session is broken. Don't choose xfce4. xubuntu should be there.

Add: It may not be a round 'cog'. But there may be an arrow or something below the user name that is clickable--explore.

[OrangeCrate]

<Nevermind - I had two instances of the forums open, and I accidently posted a response to another thread here.>

[critin]

I also deleted Thunderbird and some other mail and chat stuff.

Be careful uninstalling stuff. Libraries often serve more than one app. If you want to just remove something from the panel, right click and 'remove' usually works.

[Ulvdatter]

Thanx for good suggestions, but I am sorry to say they did not solve my problem. The cog wheel method did not work as there was no such to be found. In the systems present state, and with my very microscopic skills I am not able to enter "system" or anything else. I am not quite sure what a console session is, but I tried typing: rm -fr .cache in what ever it is that appears when you press ctrl+alt+F2, but nothing happened...

[Ulvdatter]

Oh, and by the way. Can anyone tell me how to connect to a wireless network by command line?

[rai4shu2]

Fun stuff, but why not: http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Wireless-HOWTO-5.html

[Ulvdatter]

Ha-ha! I kind of drowned in information from that link : ) Thanks anyway.

[black veils]

Now all that meets after the log in screen, is a gray emptiness and and error message

so you do have a normal graphical login screen which you use to sign-in? i cant remember exactly, but i think at the bottom of the screen there will be the word session or xubuntu, click it to choose another session option to see if you can get a functional environment, then enter login details as usual.