Lubuntu desktop to cinnemon desktop to dead desktop (without asking)

[shabidoo]

Twice I have installed lubuntu on my low-spec laptop (love it by the way). After a few uses, it loads automatically into cinnamon. On cinnamon it significantly slows down, I don't particularly care for it and worst and I cannot play any videos anymore. The first time I tried to remove cinnamon and when it booted up again, it gave me a dead desktop. After reinstalling lubuntu, after half a week, it loaded into cinnamon again. This time I logged off and it gave me a couple strange options: cinnamon, cinnamon safe or lxqt. Since lxqt was the only non-cinnamon environment so I logged into it. This also led me to a dead desk-top. By dead desktop I mean:I can only click on the icons, they open up programs but I can only open up programs with an icon. There is no doc or menu bar. The first time I logged in there was wall paper with a bird. I restarted the computer and then had a black background with the icons missing (only the labels) with tiny trace outlines, otherwise black. Since I cannot open the terminal I cannot try any fixes. Shortcuts don't work. I tried logging into the various versions of lubuntu (three versions and their safe modes). I have two linuxes on other partitions (LXLE and MXLinux) and they load totally fine. But I want lubuntu because its much faster and offers exactly what I need. I've never had anything like this happen on this laptop (windows or linux). Disclaimer: I'm not super linux literate. Is there anything I can do to get my old screen back? If not, and I reinstall lubuntu...is there something I can do to avoid this happening again?

[RobGoss]

If you've installed another desktop on top of Lubuntu, it might be worth doing a fresh installation of Lubuntu because there will be unwanted software on the system

[shabidoo]

If you've installed another desktop on top of Lubuntu, it might be worth doing a fresh installation of Lubuntu because there will be unwanted software on the system

Hi Rob. Thanks for replying. I installed LXLE and MXLinux on different partitions and created a new partition for Lubuntu. Is it possible that conflicts can happen between different distributions on different partitions? I'd prefer to not wipe the whole harddrive and only install lubuntu but would if you think it's a probable solution.

[DuckHook]

If you loaded Lubuntu onto an existing partition that used to hold Cinnamon without forcing the reformatting of that partition as part of your install process, then it may be possible to inherit the old Cinnamon files. I've never tried this, so it's just a rather wild guess.

Otherwise, I can't see how Cinnamon would have been installed into your Lubuntu partition, unless you installed Cinnamon at some point by mistake. Lubuntu simply does not come with Cinnamon by default. It has to be either added, or inherited.

It is like pulling teeth to get rid of a DE once it has been installed. There are too many packages that make up a DE and purging the metapackage does not, in fact, get rid of the real packages that collectively make up the DE.

You don't need to wipe your whole HDD. The other two distros can remain. Installing a fresh instance of Lubuntu should be enough provided it is truly isolated to its own partition. This last point is worth checking: you may have inadvertently installed Lubuntu onto a partition that you weren't counting on. Have a look through your partitions with the partition viewer of your choice (like gparted). If you think it would help, you can post back the output of the following:

sudo parted -l

sudo fdisk -l

The point of the above would just be to double check your actual partition layout. If posting, please add explanations for which partitions are being used for what purposes. And please post your output between [CODE] and [/CODE] tags for clarity. Or highlight the output and use the button in the *Adv Reply* toolbar.

[shabidoo]

Hi Duck Hook. I created a new partition just for Ubuntu. I ran the two commands you gave me. Gparted wouldn't open...perhaps because one of the partitions is mounted? I cannot get the text to have hard breaks so I'm uploading a screencapture of the two commands you gave me.I looked up about the warning about cylindars. Im not sure i entirely understand it but it seems like that might explain the problem?

[deadflowr]

Is it possible that conflicts can happen between different distributions on different partitions?

No. Not unless you set a home partition that they all share. ( Or if you tried to get funky and let them all share a system directory or two like the /lib directory, which would be total non-sense if you tried to do that)

Two general questions:

How'd you install cinnamon?

And what version of Ubuntu? (version being 14.04 or 16.04 or 17.10)

It may be as simple as reinstalling the lubuntu-desktop package.

[DuckHook]

Gparted wouldn't open...perhaps because one of the partitions is mounted?

My bad. Command should be:

sudo parted -l

I've also corrected my original post so as not to confuse lurkers.

[DuckHook]

I looked up cylindar boundaries. Im not sure i entirely understand it but it seems like that might explain the problem?

Cylinder boundaries are not a big deal any more (see this). This would not account for your symptoms.

No. Not unless you set a home partition that they all share. ( Or if you tried to get funky and let them all share a system directory or two like the /lib directory, which would be total non-sense if you tried to do that)

Two general questions:

How'd you install cinnamon?

And what version of Ubuntu? (version being 14.04 or 16.04 or 17.10)

It may be as simple as reinstalling the lubuntu-desktop package.

↑↑↑+

@shabidoo: Please answer deadflowr's queries.

[shabidoo]

My bad. Command should be:

sudo parted -l

I've also corrected my original post so as not to confuse lurkers.

Here are the results of the two commands, I uploaded a pic cause I don't know how to make a hard break with these text boxes. I never installed cinnemon...would prefer it not be installed ever. I have the most recent lubuntu 17.10 . I didn't share partitions (don't even know how to do that) nor would want to.Partition 1 is LXLE. 3 is MXLinux and 4 is Lubuntu 17.10

[vasa1]

Here are the results of the two commands, I uploaded a pic cause I don't know how to make a hard break with these text boxes. I never installed cinnemon ...

There's no need for a hard break. Just copy the entire output and paste it here between code tags.

Please post the output of ls /usr/share/xsessions.