Ubuntu
unity package

No Launcher when upgrading from 11.10 to 12.04

Asked by EDEMPCO

After upgrading from 11.10 to 12.04 the launcher (menu) is missing. I can use the super key and get the dashboard and get to all of the programs necessary to operate, without unity. I've tried resetting unity, purging unity, and reinstalling unity with no success. During the attempt to fix the problem I've noticed the following:
- During the reset process there were a lot of compiz, Gtk, and BAMF errors. Many of them indicated that "this should not happen ... submit a bug report."
- I attempted to create a bootable memory stick and received a "invalid version" error." I was able to download the ISO for 12.04 and create a live CD and a bootable memory stick.
- 12.04 operates well and with Unity from the CD.

I've exhausted the suggestions that I know or have found. Are there other ways to fix this problem?

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Ubuntu unity Edit question
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EDEMPCO
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actionparsnip (andrew-woodhead666) said : 		#1

What video chip do you use?

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EDEMPCO (edempco) said : 		#2

The chip is part of the Toshiba M400 tablet notebook. It's an Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950 with 8MB-128M dynamically
allocated shared graphics memory

Revision history for this message
EDEMPCO (edempco) said : 		#3

Well, there is a long story to fixing the menu situation. Instead of a long dialogue, here are the bullet points:

    I have always used my Toshiba laptop as a desktop, with an extra monitor and keyboard attached; VGA for the screen and USB for the keyboard & mouse.
    In the past, there has been no problem upgrading with that configuration.
    The update from 11.10 to 12.04 did not recognise "mirrored" displays and the resolution I had selected.
    Removing the extra VGA screen and using the laptop screen allowed me to see and use the unity menu ... ironically, I was using the laptop with a digital projector that didn't seem to have the same resolution as the VGA monitor; don't ask me why.
    Reconnecting the VGA monitor and changing the resolution (several times) gave me the ability to use the VGA monitor with the laptop again.
    I still need to find resolutions that work, because I'm not happy with how it is set up, but I can get work done and that's the important part!

There were no magic bullets for me; no terminal scripts; no synaptic packages that would help. My finding was to reduce the display resolution until the menu returned and work from there.