[Linux] Repairing an Ubuntu Installation

[NV]

Hi,

If its a disk problem, it would be unusual for the damage to be 
restricted to configuration files. Various executables may also have 
been damaged, which means your entire installation could be unstable.

(a) If its a disk problem, get your personal data off the disk ASAP. Its 
not worth keeping it on the disk.

(b) Gnome config settings are user specific. One way to check if its 
just a gnome config problem is to create another user account and log 
into it. You should get a clean default desktop and everything should 
work fine. If this is the case, you can do a "rm ~/.gnome* ~/.gconf* 
~/.metacity" in your own account and see if it helps.

Some settings like the X config are global, so if they are damaged, the 
above won't help. You will have to restore them manually.

(c) Another approach is to reinstall Ubuntu using the installation CD, 
but as an upgrade not a clean install. Your home directory will not be 
deleted in this case. At the same time, its prudent to make a backup first.

(d) Yet another approach would be to fall back into single user mode and 
then do a "sudo apt-get update" followed by a "sudo apt-get 
dist-upgrade" or even more specifically a "sudo apt-get gnome-desktop". 
If you are sure about the sanity of your disk, this may be one way to 
get back packages that you think were damaged.

Regards.




Steven Benmosh wrote:
> For some reason, either another drive on his way to greener pasture, 
> or just bad luck (and massive amounts of writing and reading to the 
> HD), I had some file system damage to the hard drive. I noticed that 
> the usual way - write errors (permission errors upon save) and 
> application malfunctions (ftp server), rebooted, ran a manual fsck and 
> rebooted again. I am now back in X, but there is a problem - some of 
> the lost files contained configuration information, and now my gnome 
> desktop is not working properly.
>
> So here is the question:
>
> Is there a way to 'repair' a damaged desktop environment, either 
> through some repair functionality of Ubuntu 8.04, or by reinstalling, 
> without losing personal data, or with a minimal loss?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Z.
>
> -- 
> Check out my web site - www.words2u.net <http://www.words2u.net>