[SOLVED] Please help - my Ubuntu has gone crazy!

[FoxTheCave]

Alright, here's what happened.

I was installing updates for my Ubuntu, about 100 megs of updates, just like it told me to. Then, halfway through installing the downloaded updates - my laptop just froze. It crashed. I had no choice but to turn it off and then on.

Now, my Ubuntu has gone crazy. For some reason, the toolbars at the bottom that allow me to access 'Places' and 'System' and 'Applications' have just gone. Theres just black space there. Additionally, all my files now have however much space they take up written below their icon.

Additionally, I can not download any updates, or I asssume install anything. It says something about a corruption.

Has anyone else experienced this? Can someone please help me?

Many thanks in advance!

[tom66]

Well, make sure you definitely can't install something, try reinstalling gnome-desktop or ubuntu-desktop.

I have seen file sizes below icons, but not in this situation. I think it can be disabled in Nautilus, but that will have to be done after we sort out the desktop.

[FoxTheCave]

Yep, when I try and install anything, it just doesn't work.

[tom66]

Any specific error message? Like,"E: Broken packages"?

[FoxTheCave]

Tried it vada, all I got was the same thing I always get when I try and install something:

E: dpkg was interrupted, you must manually run 'dpkg --configure -a' to correct the problem.

[tom66]

Have you done what it suggests?

[FoxTheCave]

I'm going to sound like a real idiot, but I don't understand what its suggesting.

[Vadi]

Oi. Try doing 'sudo apt-get install -f' in the terminal. What does that do?