window disappears when i press minimize button

Can you give the output of lsb_release -a from the terminal
and mention which desktop you are using now.

Also, is this happening only with Firefox, or is this happening with all applications? (This question is currently marked as being about Firefox.)

I am using Ubuntu version 2. 6. 31 and this problem is happening with all windows. When I click on the minimize button the entire window disappears into the upper right corner of my screen. There are no buttons or icons anywhere on screen to allow me to restore my window to its original state (i.e.- there is no way to open the window cause it isn't there!. it just disappears!)

I'm not sure if there is a setting that was turned on or off that caused this to happen, or if this is a glitch in the operating software. I have tried to look in systems administration and preferences to see if there was some way to restore my windows to function like they used to, but I could find nothing that helped. I am inclined to think that a setting is not turned on/off which is causing this but i don't know where to look nor am I 100% positive this is the issue?? I'm not real familiar with Linux operating systems, I have used MS windows most of my life. I like the Linux op. and never had any problems with using it until now, which is about two years running.

Thanks for any help in getting this resolved!

Frank

2.6.31 sounds like a kernel (i.e. Linux) version, rather than an Ubuntu version. (The earliest Ubuntu version ever was numbered 4.10, as the release numbers identify the year and month to which the release was targeted in development.)

Please open a Terminal window (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run this command:

lsb_release -a; ps ax | grep -v grep | egrep 'unity|panel|compiz|metacity'

That command should be all on one line when you copy it to the clipboard, for pasting into the Terminal. If it is not, you should copy it from https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/firefox/+question/172026 rather than from your email. To run that command, paste it into the Terminal and press enter.

Then select all the text in the Terminal (Edit > Select All), copy it to the clipboard (Edit > Copy), and paste it here.

Please also provide at least one screenshot illustrating what your desktop looks like (you can use the Print Screen key to take a screenshot). Please note that Launchpad Answers does not support attachments, so you'll have to put the screenshot somewhere on the web (you could use a site like http://postimage.org) and post a link to it here.

Here it is.

Ubuntu
Release 9.10 (karmic)
Kernel Linux 2.6.31-23
Gnome 2.28.1

----- Original Message -----
From: "Eliah Kagan" <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2011 9:35:36 AM
Subject: Re: [Question #172026]: window disappears when i press minimize button

Your question #172026 on firefox in Ubuntu changed:
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/firefox/+question/172026

Status: Open => Needs information

Eliah Kagan requested more information:
2.6.31 sounds like a kernel (i.e. Linux) version, rather than an Ubuntu
version. (The earliest Ubuntu version ever was numbered 4.10, as the
release numbers identify the year and month to which the release was
targeted in development.)

Please open a Terminal window (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run this command:

lsb_release -a; ps ax | grep -v grep | egrep
'unity|panel|compiz|metacity'

That command should be all on one line when you copy it to the
clipboard, for pasting into the Terminal. If it is not, you should copy
it from
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/firefox/+question/172026
rather than from your email. To run that command, paste it into the
Terminal and press enter.

Then select all the text in the Terminal (Edit > Select All), copy it to
the clipboard (Edit > Copy), and paste it here.

Please also provide at least one screenshot illustrating what your
desktop looks like (you can use the Print Screen key to take a
screenshot). Please note that Launchpad Answers does not support
attachments, so you'll have to put the screenshot somewhere on the web
(you could use a site like http://postimage.org) and post a link to it
here.

--
To answer this request for more information, you can either reply to
this email or enter your reply at the following page:
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/firefox/+question/172026

You received this question notification because you asked the question.

Ubuntu 9.10 has not been supported in quite some time. In addition to being unsupported here on this forum, Ubuntu 9.10 is also not supported with security updates as new vulnerabilities are discovered, so you should definitely upgrade to at least Ubuntu 10.04 LTS. If the problem persists with that or another supported version, please let us know.

If you need help upgrading, please let us know as well. (The best and easiest way for you to upgrade from Ubuntu 9.10 to Ubuntu 10.04 LTS is in the Update Manager.)

In the mean time, before you upgrade (or while you are upgrading), you should be able to switch between open windows, even if they are not shown in the bottom panel, with Alt+Tab.

Your problem might be due to a missing Window List in the bottom panel--you could right-click in the bottom panel and select the option to add something to the panel, then add the Window List. Or perhaps it was called the Task Bar or Task List back then. I don't know, and I don't have an Ubuntu 9.10 system to check, since it is unsupported.

If that fixes your problem, then you should still make sure to upgrade to at least Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (or to migrate to a currently supported release of some other operating system), for the reason explained above.