no desktop in karmic koala

Please try:

sudo dpkg --configure -a

the system ask you a password give your user password, you will not see nothing when you type it, then press enter

sudo apt-get -f install
sudo apt-get --fix-missing install
sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get autoremove
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop

and to reboot your pc, type:

sudo reboot

Hope this helps

Better:

Please try:

sudo dpkg --configure -a

the system ask you a password give your user password, you will not see nothing when you type it, then press enter

sudo apt-get -f install
sudo apt-get --fix-missing install
sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop

sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get autoremove

and to reboot your pc, type:

sudo reboot

Hope this helps

This hasn't solved my problem. I cant capture text so I've had to paraphrase the output.

sudo dpkg --configure -a

the system ask you a password give your user password, you will not see
nothing when you type it, then press enter

sudo apt-get -f install

following packages auto installed no longer reqd
 freetds-common libct4 libid3-3.8.3c2a
0 upgraded, 0 installed, 0 to remove, 1 not upgraded

sudo apt-get --fix-missing install
following packages auto installed no longer reqd
 freetds-common libct4 libid3-3.8.3c2a
0 upgraded, 0 installed, 0 to remove, 1 not upgraded

sudo apt-get clean

sudo apt-get update
various failures to fetch - unable to resolve archive.ubuntu.com
 //archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/karmic-updates/multiverse/i18n/Translation-en_US.bz2
 //archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/karmic-backports/Release.gpg
 //archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/karmic-backports/restricted/i18n/Translation-en_US.bz2
some index files failed to download, ,ignored, or use old ones

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
  bluez-gnome to be removed
  obexd-client to be installed
  gnome-bluetooth to be upgraded

   all failed not able to resolve archive.ubuntu.com

then tried
  sudo apt-get --fix-missing update
    same failures as before
  sudo -apt-get --fix-missing dist-upgrade
    done a lot more including removing bluez-gnome and concluding with
      Processing triggers for shared-mime-info
         various unknown media types
      Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils
      Processing triggers for man-db
      Processing triggers for hicolor-icon-theme

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop
 ubuntu-desktop already the newest version
 following packages auto installed no longer reqd
 freetds-common libct4 libid3-3.8.3c2a
 0 upgraded, 0 installed, 0 to remove, 1 not upgraded

sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get autoremove
 following packages removed
 freetds-common libct4 libid3-3.8.3c2a
 0 upgraded, 0 installed, 3 to remove, 1 not upgraded
 Processing triggers for libc-bin
 ldconfig deferred processing now taking place

and to reboot your pc, type:

sudo reboot

I chose
Ubuntu 9.10, kernel 2.6.31-15-generic (recovery mode) as I suspected the above hadn't worked. Then chose resume normal boot and eventually get the unix login. ie. Still have the problem no desktop.

Do you have all your files and such backed up, you could use the live
cd to back them up and then do a fresh install. This solution is a bit
painful but you won't have to do too much if you already have all your
data backed up

Regards,
Vikram

On Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 6:48 PM, Ian Macdonald
<email address hidden> wrote:
> Question #91639 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/91639
>
>    Status: Answered => Open
>
> Ian Macdonald is still having a problem:
> This hasn't solved my problem. I cant capture text so I've had to
> paraphrase the output.
>
> sudo dpkg --configure -a
>
> the system ask you a password give your user password, you will not see
> nothing when you type it, then press enter
>
>
> sudo apt-get -f install
>
> following packages auto installed no longer reqd
>  freetds-common libct4 libid3-3.8.3c2a
> 0 upgraded, 0 installed, 0 to remove, 1 not upgraded
>
> sudo apt-get --fix-missing install
> following packages auto installed no longer reqd
>  freetds-common libct4 libid3-3.8.3c2a
> 0 upgraded, 0 installed, 0 to remove, 1 not upgraded
>
> sudo apt-get clean
>
> sudo apt-get update
> various failures to fetch - unable to resolve archive.ubuntu.com
>  //archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/karmic-updates/multiverse/i18n/Translation-en_US.bz2
>  //archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/karmic-backports/Release.gpg
>  //archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/karmic-backports/restricted/i18n/Translation-en_US.bz2
> some index files failed to download, ,ignored, or use old ones
>
> sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
>  bluez-gnome to be removed
>  obexd-client to be installed
>  gnome-bluetooth to be upgraded
>
>   all failed not able to resolve archive.ubuntu.com
>
> then tried
>  sudo apt-get --fix-missing update
>    same failures as before
>  sudo -apt-get --fix-missing dist-upgrade
>    done a lot more including removing bluez-gnome and concluding with
>      Processing triggers for shared-mime-info
>         various unknown media types
>      Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils
>      Processing triggers for man-db
>      Processing triggers for hicolor-icon-theme
>
> sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop
>  ubuntu-desktop already the newest version
>  following packages auto installed no longer reqd
>  freetds-common libct4 libid3-3.8.3c2a
>  0 upgraded, 0 installed, 0 to remove, 1 not upgraded
>
> sudo apt-get clean
> sudo apt-get autoremove
>  following packages removed
>  freetds-common libct4 libid3-3.8.3c2a
>  0 upgraded, 0 installed, 3 to remove, 1 not upgraded
>  Processing triggers for libc-bin
>  ldconfig deferred processing now taking place
>
>
> and to reboot your pc, type:
>
> sudo reboot
>
> I chose
> Ubuntu 9.10, kernel 2.6.31-15-generic (recovery mode) as I suspected the above hadn't worked. Then chose resume normal boot and eventually get the unix login.  ie. Still have the problem no desktop.
>
> --
> You received this question notification because you are an answer
> contact for Ubuntu.
>

I don't have all files backed up. I think I'll be able to do this by mv ing them to an external drive. which I will do. However I don't have a live cd. If I can make one from this computer?? I'll give it a whirl.

Using the live cd to reinstall has solved the problem.