Desktop is black

If you used gnome you may try:
sudo apt-get purge gnome-themes
sudo apt-get install gnome-themes

You may rename gnome related configuration folders in your home directory (.gnome, .gnome2, .gconf, .gconf2, .metacity.; they are hidden), e. g. to see them:
ls -a
and to rename:
mv .gnome .gnomea
And then gnome should start with default settings.

Or maybe try setting up different desktop manager?
sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop
sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop

I'm afraid that :
sudo apt-get purge gnome-themes
sudo apt-get install gnome-themes

Will refresh the theme packages as opposed to the configuration of the desktop itself but I am in the learning mode so what I think counts for little.

Since I have to get to the CLI from the recovery boot option I don't have to use sudo but I'll try the -a after ls just be certain I am seeing everything.

Thanks for the tips - I'll let you know how things turn out.

When you say black do you mean your monitor is out of sync?? Can you see a cursor or anything?

You are right apt-get purge/install will refresh packages and system wide configuration. This shouldn't hurt however. The second part should reset gnome. This could be even some driver related issue, so some more info would be nice.

Great fun - I've been down a few more rabbit holes. The -a helped me look a few more places.

I tried renaming the .gnome dir and that didn't change anything - interestingly it wasn't recreated.

I tried the reinstall of the themes - no effect.

I looked in a few dirs that seemed interesting.

/home/art/.gconf/desktop/gnome/screen/default/0 was empty (same as every dir in that path).

/home/art/.themes was also empty so I copied the gtkrc file from /usr/share/themes/Human to it - no effect.

My theory is there is a missing/corrupt gtkrc file or the path to it is bad.

The driver idea was referred to in a post last May so I had tried changing from nv to versa (sp?) before I posted this (I used dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg). It didn't help so changed it back while I was doing the stuff I just mentioned. I remembered to do that because I noticed I was still using versa when I checked the xorg.0.log file. There are no errors in that file and there is no mention of a theme. I'm not surprised - that's beyond the xserver configuration.

I think xserver is working fine I just think it is being fed bad info. I do get a cursor - the mouse works. The keyboard works - I get the dialog box for taking a screen capture. I get splash screens and login screens. I just don't get a desktop.

I'm afraid there is not a command for configuring themes but it was worth asking. I really hate to think I have to reinstall just because I can't get a GUI.

Try renaming all the dirs i've named (especially .gconf).

I have nothing in my .themes.

.gtkrc-1.2-gnome2 contains just some: "include "/home/a/.gtkrc.mine", which does not exist. (I'm on gutsy so the gnome infrastructure might have change somewhat.)

However in .gconf there are a lot of "%gconf.xml" files in different subdirectories, some setting defined in them. In this particular one: .gconf/desktop/gnome/screen/default/0/%gconf.xml screen resolution and refresh rate is defined.

It's "vesa" (i guess Video Electronics Standards Association), but from what you tell the driver seems to be working.

Another thing is gnome-settings-demon running? (ps -A)

I'd have checked the spelling but I have to bounce between boots. The last video standard I remember was SVGA so now you know how old I am :)

Thanks for checking you dirs - I was curious.

I will look at the processes. If I remember my commands correctly I can run ps -ef |grep gnome. If not I will resort to -A.

I'm getting close to the end of my day so let me sleep on the issue. The most humorous thing is, for once I want a command instead of a GUI and I can't find one :) And this in the land of *nix where CLI snobbery rules -grinning some more-.

Well, here's the latest:

I can't check the processes because I can't get a terminal window open. I have to boot into recovery mode to do anything.

I did rename the dirs related to gnome (.gconf, .gtk[something - there were two dirs] and a couple of files.

That did produce one change - I now get a different screen.

I now realize the reason I was getting a black screen because that is what I selected for my background (wallpaper - whatever the correct tern is). After renaming the aforementioned items I now get some color that looks like a default value.

So, it is trying to display my desktop but it doesn't get the icons.

I am running Gutsy but since no one else seemed to have this problem I presumed it wasn't a release issue and I could fix it if I could find the command. I keep apt-get'ing the updates in hopes one of them fixes the problem (last night's updates looked particularly promising).

If you are out of ideas I understand - just mark this with an 'answered'. If you have any further suggestions I certainly welcome them.

I've missed one folder you can also try .nautilus.

I would ask if gnome-panel was running, but you can't probably check, unless you maybe can ssh from a different machine?

I would try dpkg-reconfiguring or purging/installing different packages from gnome. There's a lot of configuration in /etc/, so maybe something is wrong.

Maybe you can deduce something from /var/log/gdm/xxx.

One more simple thing maybe you can do Alt-F2, on this black desktop?

Well, Wr, you;ve been a great help to me but it is a good thing you don't have execute privileges because I surely should be executed.

I fear my troubleshooting ability is slipping with lack if use.

I finally got off my dead butt and learned how to create a user from the CLI. The new user account has the same symptom as the original (background but no icons) so no need to beat the home dir to death.

Then I finally, FINALLY - shooting self in head-, go to the /var/log/gdm dir as you recommended. There it plainly says in the :0.log file:
NV(0): EDID Version 1.51 not yet supported.
AIGLX: Screen 0 is not DRI capable.

This makes sense because this started after an update. I found a person with (what seemed like at the time) a similar problem at the Development forum and added my observation. That got me a little rebuff about being a novice and using alpha software. True enuf.

At the same time I was experiencing the segmentation fault problem but there was a thread about that so I was (eventually) able to get apt-get to work again.

Now I believe there is little I can do until the update comes out that supports EDID 1.51. That said, I'm not certain why changing xorg from nv to vesa didn't make it work. Perhaps internally it still has to do with the nvidia driver.

Thanks again for all the help. This really is a great crew.

I just found this thread.

I installed Gutsy a week or so back. At first I could not get my VGA-out to work. But when I tried to reconfigure the xserver with everything (external screens, mice etc.) hooked up and entered resolutions fit for the external screen. That seemed to fix the external monitor problem

However, now I seem to be having the same problem "art" here has/had. When I log in the wallpaper and all of the icons are gone. I can get the wallpaper back by switching themes or background, but the icons are hopelessly missing :/
Luckily I have autologin enabled so if I reboot the computer everything works as it should, backgrounds and icons and all.
But if I log out and back in again, everything is a mess until I reboot.

I'm running Gutsy on a Japanese sony Vaio VGN-FS series laptop...

"art", did you solve this problem somehow?

System:
MTB: ASUS M2N32-SLI Premium
GC: NVIDIA EN8600GT
CPU: AMD64 DualCore 6000+

UBUNTU 8.04

I am complete newbie but I had the same problem after fiddling with /etc/X11/xorg.conf to change the defaults for the mouse buttons and installing graphic drives for the Nvidia card on my system.
When I took a look at /etc/X11/xorg.conf found that the file had change and was heading with:

# xorg.conf (X.Org X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by failsafeDexconf, using
# values from the debconf database and some overrides to use vesa mode.
#
# You should use dexconf or another such tool for creating a "real" xorg.conf

So I guess that something in the proprietary drives from the manufacturer had cause the system to fail and the the xorg.conf to be rewritten.
I do not know any better, though.
When I restored a back-up copy and lost the proprietary drives the were gone, substituted by more generic ones, resulting in a lower resolution that I had originally but everything else was normal.
just to let it known.

I had the same problem it righted itself after 2 reboots..ive found this problem in a few places but no real answers

sudo killall nautilus
in a terminal worked for me.

just encountered this problem myself.

sudo killall nautilus did the trick immediately.

Thanks!