My desktop environment has become a little chaotic, and, long story short, I would like to uninstall KDE and Gnome, and then reinstall Gnome. (I want to remove KDE for the time being because I just don't think I want it taking up space on my hard drive).
The thing is, I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. For instance, I want to make sure I don't lose settings in X, like my xorg.conf file. I just want to reset my Gnome interface back to how it was when I first installed it.
I'm thinking the steps I need to take are roughtly these, but it would be great if someone could verify that these will be a non-destructive way of getting Gnome back to it's original state:
1. Stop X (By running telinit 3 at a command prompt?)
2. Use YUM to remove Gnome and KDE (#yum remove gnome kde?)
3. Use YUM to install Gnome (#yum install gnome?)
4. restart X (#telinit 5?)
Could someone clarify if I have the commands right, and if this process is safe to undertake?
Dave
On Wed, 2005-08-17 at 11:28 +0900, Dave Gutteridge wrote:
I just want to reset my Gnome interface back to how it was when I first installed it.
mkdir ~/gnome-backup-$(date +%F) && mv ~/.gconf/apps/nautilus ~/.gconf/apps/metacity ~/.gnome* ~/gnome-backup-$(date +%F)
mkdir ~/gnome-backup-$(date +%F) && mv ~/.gconf/apps/nautilus ~/.gconf/apps/metacity ~/.gnome* ~/gnome-backup-$(date +%F)
Okay, so if I understand these commands correctly, this will back up my current Gnome settings in case anything goes horribly wrong.
But I still need to know if the steps I intend to take are correct:
1. Stop X (By running telinit 3 at a command prompt?) 2. Use YUM to remove Gnome and KDE (#yum remove gnome kde?) 3. Use YUM to install Gnome (#yum install gnome?) 4. restart X (#telinit 5?)
I'm a newbie, and if I get to the command line and something goes wrong, I won't be able to easily get back to a GUI interface, and then I won't be able to access email or the web to seek help. So I need a little guidance before I get in there and do these things so that I know I'll come out the other side.
Dave
On Wed, 2005-08-17 at 11:46 +0900, Dave Gutteridge wrote:
mkdir ~/gnome-backup-$(date +%F) && mv ~/.gconf/apps/nautilus ~/.gconf/apps/metacity ~/.gnome* ~/gnome-backup-$(date +%F)
Okay, so if I understand these commands correctly, this will back up my current Gnome settings in case anything goes horribly wrong.
But I still need to know if the steps I intend to take are correct:
1) Log out of GNOME. 2) Switch to a console (Ctrl-Alt-F1 should work). 3) Log in as yourself. 4) Run the commands. 5) Log out. 6) Switch back to X (Ctrl-Alt-F7). 7) Log into GNOME.
No package removal or installation necessary. Isn't Unix fun?!
On Wed, 2005-08-17 at 11:46 +0900, Dave Gutteridge wrote:
mkdir ~/gnome-backup-$(date +%F) && mv ~/.gconf/apps/nautilus ~/.gconf/apps/metacity ~/.gnome* ~/gnome-backup-$(date +%F)
Okay, so if I understand these commands correctly, this will back up my current Gnome settings in case anything goes horribly wrong.
But I still need to know if the steps I intend to take are correct:
- Stop X (By running telinit 3 at a command prompt?)
- Use YUM to remove Gnome and KDE (#yum remove gnome kde?)
- Use YUM to install Gnome (#yum install gnome?)
- restart X (#telinit 5?)
I'm a newbie, and if I get to the command line and something goes wrong, I won't be able to easily get back to a GUI interface, and then I won't be able to access email or the web to seek help. So I need a little guidance before I get in there and do these things so that I know I'll come out the other side.
---- Only do this if you are more interested in the learning experience than the system and the data files.
Both GNOME and KDE store user data in the users home directory. If it's default settings you are looking for...
cd ~ mv .gnome .gnome.bak mv .gnome2 .gnome2.bak mv .kde .kde.bak mv .kde2 .kde2.bak
log in again and you will have default settings again...the backup in case you have mail in evolution etc...
you need the libraries installed for both GNOME and KDE to run many of the programs and a yum remove GNOME/KDE type action would be a monstrous undertaking - taking out a massive amount of programs because of dependencies.
Craig
Something is not right here.
I've tried *all* the suggestions in this thread, and yet still my Gnome environment has not gone back to the default. My theme is all screwy, and there are items missing from my panel, and other weirdness.
What does it take to reset Gnome to it's original default settings?
Dave
On Wed, 2005-08-17 at 23:51 +0900, Dave Gutteridge wrote:
Something is not right here.
I've tried *all* the suggestions in this thread, and yet still my Gnome environment has not gone back to the default. My theme is all screwy, and there are items missing from my panel, and other weirdness.
Try running 'rpm -Va' to find out what on your system has changed from the default somehow.
On Thu, Aug 18, 2005 at 12:40:22AM +0900, Dave Gutteridge enlightened us:
Try running 'rpm -Va' to find out what on your system has changed from the default somehow.
This produced a zillion results which scrolled of the screen and I couldn't scroll back to see them all. What do I do with the results of this command?
rpm -Va > output.txt
That should redirect all that output to the output.txt file which you can then open up and examine. The output of that command should tell you every file who's contents changed from the initial installation. That might give you a clue where to look for your Gnome settings.
Matt
} } >Try running 'rpm -Va' to find out what on your system has changed from } >the default somehow. } > } This produced a zillion results which scrolled of the screen and I } couldn't scroll back to see them all. What do I do with the results of } this command? } } Dave
pipe it to more
rpm -Va | more
-- Robert Hanson Abba Communications http://www.abbacomm.net
On Thu, 2005-08-18 at 00:40 +0900, Dave Gutteridge wrote:
Try running 'rpm -Va' to find out what on your system has changed from the default somehow.
This produced a zillion results which scrolled of the screen and I couldn't scroll back to see them all. What do I do with the results of this command?
rpm -Va > ~/rpm.lst
Then put it up on a web or FTP server somewhere. Or Nopaste if you feel so inclined.
On Thu, 2005-08-18 at 00:40 +0900, Dave Gutteridge wrote:
Try running 'rpm -Va' to find out what on your system has changed from the default somehow.
This produced a zillion results which scrolled of the screen and I couldn't scroll back to see them all. What do I do with the results of this command?
---- you can direct output to a file or pipe them to less...
rpm -Va | less # sometimes useful
rpm -VA > /tmp/rpm_verify.txt 2>&1 # probably more useful
You can deduce the context of the changes
You can 'limit' the output of some things...
rpm -Va | grep gnome > /tmp/rpm_verify_filtered.txt 2>&1
but some things are never clear. It appears that you are looking to set your 'user' files back to default...
probably the best way to make certain that it is done...
log out of all sessions
<Control><Alt><F2> # get a text virtual console login as root cd /home/USER_NAME_OF_USER_YOU_WANT_TO_RESET mv .gnome .gnome.bak mv .gnome2 .gnome2.bak (much the same for kde) rm -fr /tmp/* # remove any existing session data stored in /tmp <Alt><F7> # return to gdm/kdm login
# note, many programs (i.e. openoffice) will have their own preferences/settings directories (i.e. /home/craig/.openoffice) and you can 'remove' them in a similar fashion). I always suggest that you move them to a .bak rather than nuke them just in case there was something in there that you want.
The commands to rpm -Va will show you which files have changed but rpm doesn't install or track user preferences...only the files installed by the rpm install itself.
Craig
I did all of the following:
<Control><Alt><F2> # get a text virtual console login as root cd /home/USER_NAME_OF_USER_YOU_WANT_TO_RESET mv .gnome .gnome.bak mv .gnome2 .gnome2.bak (much the same for kde) rm -fr /tmp/* # remove any existing session data stored in /tmp <Alt><F7> # return to gdm/kdm login
... and still nothing has changed on my desktop. My Gnome environment is still not reset to it's default, or initial, settings. Actually, one thing and one thing only has changed. At the top left of the screen, where there used to be a Red Hat red fedora icon, there is now a blue foot icon for Gnome. And just to the right of the "Applications" and "Actions" menus, there used to be two icons, one for Firefox and one for Thunderbird. Those two icons are now gone. And that's it. That's all tha changes by wiping out my .gnome and .gnome2 settings.
This is weird. How can it be so difficult to reset Gnome back to default theme, icons, and menu items?
Dave
On Thu, 2005-08-18 at 01:31 +0900, Dave Gutteridge wrote:
I did all of the following:
<Control><Alt><F2> # get a text virtual console login as root cd /home/USER_NAME_OF_USER_YOU_WANT_TO_RESET mv .gnome .gnome.bak mv .gnome2 .gnome2.bak (much the same for kde) rm -fr /tmp/* # remove any existing session data stored in /tmp <Alt><F7> # return to gdm/kdm login
... and still nothing has changed on my desktop. My Gnome environment is still not reset to it's default, or initial, settings. Actually, one thing and one thing only has changed. At the top left of the screen, where there used to be a Red Hat red fedora icon, there is now a blue foot icon for Gnome. And just to the right of the "Applications" and "Actions" menus, there used to be two icons, one for Firefox and one for Thunderbird. Those two icons are now gone. And that's it. That's all tha changes by wiping out my .gnome and .gnome2 settings.
This is weird. How can it be so difficult to reset Gnome back to default theme, icons, and menu items?
----- Why do you believe you are not back to default?
Test it in an entirely new fashion...
Add a new user and log in as that user.
That clearly will be default settings - I would bet that there is no difference.
Craig
Dave Gutteridge wrote:
This is weird. How can it be so difficult to reset Gnome back to default theme, icons, and menu items?
Its not difficult, its just that you have non CentOS components installed there. Do you have an external non-CentOS repo enabled ? like kde-redhat ? Some of them will make major changes to the whole gnome look+feel to suit their own requrements.
Also, check what external components you have installed with something like this :
rpm --qf "%{NAME}.%{ARCH} : %{VENDOR}\n" -qa | grep -v "CentOS"
See anything interesting ?
Perhaps I am not using the terms correctly then. By "return to default", what I mean is that the menu options that were available when I first installed CentOS be returned to the menu, the desktop theme be reset to the original, and the icons as well.
I'm not sure I understand how my current desktop can be considered to have successfully returned to it's "original" settings if it looks like the mess it's in after I've spent the last few weeks experimenting in installing themes.
Further, I discovered that a new problem has emerged. Every time I log out, before the log in screen comes up I get an error saying that the "current program can not be loaded. I will attempt to load another. I hit "Okay" (the only option), and it might do that a couple of times. And then eventually I get a log in screen. I tried using "switchdesk" to set the default login to Gnome, but that does not make this error message go away.
Dave
Dave Gutteridge wrote:
... and still nothing has changed on my desktop. My Gnome environment is still not reset to it's default, or initial, settings. Actually, one thing and one thing only has changed. At the top left of the screen, where there used to be a Red Hat red fedora icon, there is now a blue foot icon for Gnome.
Ah ha. Try
rpm -q redhat-artwork redhat-menus rpm -V redhat-artwork redhat-menus
[dave@localhost ~]$ rpm -q redhat-artwork redhat-menus redhat-artwork-0.120-1.1E.centos4.1 redhat-artwork-0.124-1.0.el4.kde redhat-menus-3.8-0.1.3.kde
"rpm -V redhat-artwork redhat-menus" produced about a million lines to scroll across my screen. I now know I could pipe those results into a text file, but I don't have any idea what they mean or what I should look for.
Dave
On Thu, 2005-08-18 at 10:58 +0900, Dave Gutteridge wrote:
[dave@localhost ~]$ rpm -q redhat-artwork redhat-menus redhat-artwork-0.120-1.1E.centos4.1 redhat-artwork-0.124-1.0.el4.kde redhat-menus-3.8-0.1.3.kde
"rpm -V redhat-artwork redhat-menus" produced about a million lines to scroll across my screen.
rpm -e redhat-artwork redhat-menus --nodeps --allmatches yum install redhat-artwork redhat-menus
rpm -e redhat-artwork redhat-menus --nodeps --allmatches yum install redhat-artwork redhat-menus
Yes! That's finally done it. I've got all the original menu items back.
Thanks for assisting me in setting this straight.
I think I might still have a problem with the log in screen, but I'm going to see if I can fix that myself.
Dave
Dave Gutteridge wrote:
rpm -e redhat-artwork redhat-menus --nodeps --allmatches yum install redhat-artwork redhat-menus
Yes! That's finally done it. I've got all the original menu items back.
Thanks for assisting me in setting this straight.
I think I might still have a problem with the log in screen, but I'm going to see if I can fix that myself.
Famous last words! :-)
Mike
I think I might still have a problem with the log in screen, but I'm going to see if I can fix that myself.
Famous last words! :-)
Yes, especially in my case that usually leads to more problems, not less. But, I'm in luck! The repair of redhat-menus and redhat-artwork seems to have automagically taken care of the login screen problems as well.
Thanks to everyone for their helpful advice!
Dave
Dave Gutteridge wrote:
[dave@localhost ~]$ rpm -q redhat-artwork redhat-menus redhat-artwork-0.120-1.1E.centos4.1 redhat-artwork-0.124-1.0.el4.kde redhat-menus-3.8-0.1.3.kde
"rpm -V redhat-artwork redhat-menus" produced about a million lines to scroll across my screen. I now know I could pipe those results into a text file, but I don't have any idea what they mean or what I should look for.
OK.
rpm -e --nodeps redhat-menus redhat-artwork-0.124-1.0.el4.kde yum install redhat-menus
should downgrade you to stock menus. You may have to re-install the old(er) redhat-artwork too.
-- Rex
On Wed, Aug 17, 2005 at 11:28:01AM +0900, Dave Gutteridge enlightened us:
My desktop environment has become a little chaotic, and, long story short, I would like to uninstall KDE and Gnome, and then reinstall Gnome. (I want to remove KDE for the time being because I just don't think I want it taking up space on my hard drive).
The thing is, I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. For instance, I want to make sure I don't lose settings in X, like my xorg.conf file. I just want to reset my Gnome interface back to how it was when I first installed it.
I'm thinking the steps I need to take are roughtly these, but it would be great if someone could verify that these will be a non-destructive way of getting Gnome back to it's original state:
- Stop X (By running telinit 3 at a command prompt?)
Probably not necessary, but can't hurt.
- Use YUM to remove Gnome and KDE (#yum remove gnome kde?)
yum groupremove "KDE (K Desktop Environment" "Gnome Desktop Environment"
- Use YUM to install Gnome (#yum install gnome?)
yum groupinstall "Gnome Desktop Environment"
- restart X (#telinit 5?)
Correct.
Could someone clarify if I have the commands right, and if this process is safe to undertake?
Yes, it should be fine, but as mentioned in the other reply, you'll need to (re)move the config files in your home directory as well.
Matt
-
Craig White -
Dave Gutteridge -
Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams -
Karanbir Singh -
Matt Hyclak -
Mike McCarty -
Rex Dieter -
Robert Hanson