Broken Packages (Nothing but background on desktop)

[c00lr0d]

i restarted the computer and logged in nothing but the background comes up it happed while i was removing packages off my computer i might have removed something i shouldn't have (Not meaning to) i think it was python-central i did try to reinstall it but it did not work. i am using Ubuntu hardy LTS

[cortman]

Oh boy. Don't mess with Python packages at all, they're pretty integral.

Have you tried opening a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+t) and running


sudo apt-get install -f

to fix the broken packages?

[c00lr0d]

shortcut key doesn't work it just displays my background with a arrow nothing else but i can get in the text based Ubuntu with CTRL+ALT+F1 and i tried that nothing special

[c00lr0d]

shortcut key doesn't work it just displays my background with a arrow nothing else but i can get in the text based Ubuntu with CTRL+ALT+F1 and i tried that nothing special i can get into the internet ok because i got a key on my keyboard that brings up the internet but i cant bring any other apps because my desktop shortcuts and top bar wont come up

[cortman]

If you can get to a command line with Ctrl+Alt+F1, run the command given above in it, and post the results.

[c00lr0d]

Here it is

monna@ubuntu:~$ sudo apt-get install -f
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
sg3-utils lirc menu-xdg python-gtk2-doc menu libarts1c2a libmtp7 libarchive1
gnome-games-extra-data hal-cups-utils libgcj8-1 xfonts-scalable
libgail-gnome-module debhelper libsensors3 tracker libgcj-bc intltool-debian
kdenlive-data libsnmp15 untex guidance-backends
openoffice.org-filter-binfilter libgda3-common python-gnomecanvas libbtctl4
openoffice.org-java-common gnome-bluetooth tracker-utils
parallels-modules-2.6.24-25-generic python-mysqldb cupsddk app-install-data
gnome-cards-data ggzcore-bin ttf-dustin bsh-gcj kdelibs-data
python-gtksourceview2 libjaxp1.3-java-gcj dvd+rw-tools python-gtkglext1 m4
update-notifier-common po-debconf openoffice.org-writer2latex libggzmod4
ncurses-term liblualib50 libxml-twig-perl libgdl-gnome-1-0 libgcj8-jar
libsgutils1 python-pyorbit python-gconf wv nautilus-data libgpod3
libxerces2-java-gcj system-tools-backends libgweather1 python-configobj
libeel2-data xfonts-75dpi guile-1.6-libs gedit-common gnome-utils
python-openssl setserial gettext libxevie1 python-celementtree
libnet-dbus-perl bsh gnome-about libcdio-cdda0 gcj-4.2-base python-soappy
capplets-data libavahi-qt3-1 libgcj-common libwv-1.2-3 expect python-brlapi
python-xdg deborphan libjaxp1.3-java libggz2 icedax libgweather-common
at-spi python-pyopenssl libgcj8-1-awt libjline-java mousetweaks
gnome-system-monitor system-config-printer-common libxerces2-java pax
libqthreads-12 gnome-games-data libdbus-qt-1-1c2 recordmydesktop
libwps-0.1-1 dpkg-dev libxalan2-java libgpod-common xfonts-100dpi cdrdao
libgnomevfs2-bin libgnome-speech7 tcl8.4 cupsddk-drivers libtie-ixhash-perl
libxml-xpath-perl libcdio-paranoia0 synaptic libeel2-2 python-cups
tracker-search-tool python-fpconst gnome-netstatus-applet parallels-modules
gnome-terminal-data liboobs-1-4 libgda3-3 libsnmp-base html2text libggzcore9
imagemagick gnome-system-tools libgnomebt0 gvfs gvfs-backends liblua50
libmlt-data gnome-applets-data alien libtracker-gtk0 libguile-ltdl-1
libgtkglext1 vnc4-common libscrollkeeper0 python-twisted-bin libgdl-1-0
libxalan2-java-gcj gnome-panel-data o3read hplip-data libgdl-1-common
Use 'apt-get autoremove' to remove them.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

[cortman]

Ok, run


sudo apt-get install gnome-shell

and see if you get your DE back.

[c00lr0d]

this is what came up
monna@ubuntu:~$ sudo apt-get install gnome-shell
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Couldn't find package gnome-shell

[snowpine]

It was called ubuntu-desktop back in 8.04, however you may not be able to install it easily since 8.04 Desktop is "end of life."

[c00lr0d]

I have tried to install ubuntu-desktop it says
monna@ubuntu:~$ sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.

Since you only requested a single operation it is extremely likely that
the package is simply not installable and a bug report against
that package should be filed.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
ubuntu-desktop: Depends: gimp-python but it is not going to be installed
E: Broken packages
monna@ubuntu:~$

[snowpine]

Making progress, now:


sudo apt-get install -f

Although you might run into the problem that 8.04 is end of support.

[cortman]

At this point (having realized the OP is running Hardy) I would say the best bet would be to reinstall, and install 10.04 or later. You can copy your data off using a live CD, and reinstall.

[c00lr0d]

ok i will i got a usb stick so i can install from usb so thanks for your help