Synaptic "dist-upgrade" Problems...

[Cuddles]

Someone, again, tell me how I get back into KDE???

I did a Synaptic "upgrade" within it, and had to "force-feed", multiple times, remove / install "frozen-bubble" - but finally got all "upgrade-able packages to get upgraded...

When I rebooted, I am stuck in the "textual login" screen, and cant seem to get my GUI, KDE, to come up...

As a side note, before rebooting and getting stuck in "textual" land, I did notice that the "dist-upgrade" within Synaptic, left my menus a little less than what they used to be... In particual, I have a good many Games, like Pingus, which does NOT show up in the menu anymore, but can be accessed through CLI, so the menu entry has dissappeared mysteriously now, plus a lot of other installed programs ( from the menu, that is )...

So, summary of needs:
( 1 ) Get back into KDE, and get the GUI Login back on boot-up...
( 2 ) Get my original programs that are installed already, back into the menus, where they used to be...

Any and all help, is greatly appreciated, in this concern,
Ms. Cuddles

[HomerCube]

I quite hope it's not your case, but the only time I dared dist-upgrade my Knoppix HD-installation, I messed it up by far too much to be able to fix it other than by a total reinstall. That's because, I suppose, Knoppix comes as a mix of stable, testing and unstable, plus a bunch of self-made packages (e.g. knx-alsa); so, having it fully rebuilt from different sources is quite likely to be as much destructive as it can.
Useless to say, but I haven't "dist-upgraded" my Knoppix since that any more...

[Markus]

( 1 ) Could be that KDE is broken (again). Also you have to upgrade KDM when upgrading KDE to 3.3.

( 2 ) Try running update-menus as user.

[Cuddles]

Y I K E S :!:

I hope, in both cases, this isnt what has happened...

I used the synaptic "smart upgrader" option, but, how can I get into KDE... ( even if it isnt broke ) ???

I am sitting at the "boot" screen, with all the boot messages on it, last things it says are: "Starting K Desktop Manager: kdm" and then the "Login:" prompt...

I've tried to login as root and my user account, both get logged in, but never go any further than the textaul screen...

God I hope I didn't just hose the heck out of this system, its been going so well, for just a short time :(

[Markus]

Just go to VT (Ctrl-Alt-F2) and do: apt-get install kdm -s and see what happens.

[Cuddles]

( ctrl-alt-F2 )
Root login...
apt-get install kdm -s
( reports back the following )

"kdm is already the newest version"

Where do I go from this now ???

( ps - thanks for the help :) )

[Markus]

Where do I go from this now ??? Short answer: kanotix

Serious answer: I suppose you did apt-get update first?
Try doing startx or /etc/init.d kdm start and see if it throws back any errors.
Or you could do apt-get install gdm

[Cuddles]

startx

tried to start up, and then burped out some text, and returned to text screen...

Notable messages:

(EE) NVIDIA(0): Unable to set IgnoreDisplayDevives
(EE) NVIDIA(0): Failed to initialize the NVIDIA graphics device!
(EE) NVIDIA(0): *** Aborting ***
(EE) Screen(s) found, but none have a usable configuration.

fatal server error:
no screens found

root prompt:#

Hmmmmm, let me guess, my NVidia is hosed??? ( considering I compiled the NVidia source into the kernel, a way back, this isnt good... )

Whats next??? Play in the XF86Config-4 file ????

Please dont say Kanotix ( I dont have it ), and please dont say re-install ( thats even worse )...

[Cuddles]

kdm start -=- went to black screen, like it was trying, then just came back to text screen, with prompt, no messages were given

[Markus]

Can't help much with NVidia since I don't have it. How about: mv XF86Config-4 XF86Config-4_OLD , boot the CD and copy over the file to hd. Don't know if it'll work, NV might have complained because it couldn't find X at all.

[Superstoned]

Where do I go from this now ??? Short answer: kanotix

Serious answer: I suppose you did apt-get update first?
Try doing startx or /etc/init.d kdm start and see if it throws back any errors.
Or you could do apt-get install gdm

it looks like X is broken (X is your graphical system, KDE is just the desktop environment. you want to get back in X).

so. login and type "startx". look at the error... and solve it...

and don't force things on the next dist-upgrade, but leave them as they are.

and: knoppix isnt really meant to be hd-installed. you should use kanotix, or better - the new debian sarge installer. not that difficult, and you can use knoppix after the installation to find some settings (eg you cant configure your scanner in debian's installation? start with knoppix, and copy its auto-generated scanner config files to your h-disk and try to use them to fix it...)

[scottknl]

Download the newest NVIDIA graphics drivers from www.nvidia.com for linux,
sudo su - root
export CC=/usr/bin/gcc-2.95
chmod +x <driverfile>.run
./<driverfile>.run

That will install the newest NVIDIA driver module. Edit the /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 to use nvidia instead of nv as the video driver.

rerun this again whenever you change kernels.

Hope this helps,
KS


startx

tried to start up, and then burped out some text, and returned to text screen...

Notable messages:

(EE) NVIDIA(0): Unable to set IgnoreDisplayDevives
(EE) NVIDIA(0): Failed to initialize the NVIDIA graphics device!
(EE) NVIDIA(0): *** Aborting ***
(EE) Screen(s) found, but none have a usable configuration.

fatal server error:
no screens found

root prompt:#

Hmmmmm, let me guess, my NVidia is hosed??? ( considering I compiled the NVidia source into the kernel, a way back, this isnt good... )

Whats next??? Play in the XF86Config-4 file ????

Please dont say Kanotix ( I dont have it ), and please dont say re-install ( thats even worse )...

[Cuddles]

Ok, lets say Im going to download these drivers... How does one do that in a text login / boot ???

I am sitting at a TEXT SCREEN, no GUI, I need to connect to the internet / ISP, and get files to be "inserted" - from a text login... I am using a win98 backup computer just to get here, and get answers for the other system...

ECO2GEEK if you are listening to this, I think I am going to take you up on your original offer - How bout that Kanotix BH9 Cd ???? -=- and if you can, send me the "HOWTO" on your install again...

I'm going to start looking at all the programs, and hopefully, get a "ripped off" copy of my important files, from my dead system, and ( I hope ) be able to get back on-line and running again, sometime this year... Sheesh

[Markus]

You can download with something like: wget -c url_to_file

[shah]

Go for GDM as Markus said, it's cool. I had similar experience after upgrading KDE. The problem is, you shouldn't run KDE upgrade while KDM is running. Meaning you should upgrade KDE only from text mode.

Anyway you could try this command and see if it working:
su
/usr/bin/genkdmconf --no-old

:D :D :D

[nishtya]

I must agree and disagree :D
I agree kanotix is far superior for someone looking for closetopure debian (sid) and a harddrive install.

As for kanotix support now, no, it is not good. It is nothing like this forum (in english) but I believe very much like our forum here, in German seciton. Kano is a scripting genius. NO doubt about it. I would happily pay him for scripts for other live CD distros. And he did use to respond in the english forums quite promptly. Now he doesn't but we have mzikazi (sp?) here helping us :D you're are terrific, mzi.

I disagree about updating KDE. I live on the bleeding, hemorraghing edge of KDE. It can be updated and with kpackage to boot, while in KDE. I have been pleasantly surprised. There are always a few bugs, but nothing insurmountable. I jump on the KDE pkgs as soon as they hit the mirrors. This last time, and I think cuddles may have been bit a little by it -- I lost the ability for root to get into KDE the normal way. Root no longer shows as a login option on the KDE login screen. And in a text login "kdm start" from root does nothing. No error. No nothing. If you startx from there it will bring KDE as the default window mgr. Weird.

Now Cuddles, the "no screens" error is CLASSIC nvidia/xf86 stuff. If you edit the xf86config-4 file and change "nvidia" to the "nv" driver for now you will be fine. You did a "dist upgrade" not just KDE. Obviously something tapped into yonder kernel tree and nvidia always responds with that error message. There is only one distro I know of that has a workaround...SUSE. IF you use Yast there is an option to avoid the reinstalling of nvidia if the kernel is patched. That is the only exception I am personally familiar with.

Anyhow, you do need to reinstall nvidia to get this going again. In knoppix I cannot tell you how to do it without kernel source on there. That is why I am running kanotix. For his fantastic script(s). It is the script to install the kernel source that is the biggie. You can use nvidia's installer after that, or kano's script. Same difference. But without the kernel source it is going to fail.

I don't want to turn this into a "switch to kanotix" post. But I loved knoppix like oodles, it got me back into linux. But I couldn't properly compile without the exact same sources for a lot of things, most notable...tada...drum roll lm sensors
:roll:

[Cuddles]

Nishtya,

You can suggest the "best" options :)

Made the change to the /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 - and went back to "nv" video drivers - I am getting into KDE now, but, as I found once before with using those drivers, my display is "seriously" not pretty - It looks like my screen has a "ghost" image to the right of the monitor, and "sync" lines through it -=- but I am in, and can work "temporarily" to get it working properly...

I guess my next step is to go through the "NVidia Driver install / Compile" from source now, right ???

My assumption:
( 1 ) re-download the Source Kernel Code...
( 2 ) re-download the NVidia Source Code...
( 3 ) re-compile a Kernel with NVidia into the Kernel...

Considering I did all of this before, couldn't I just "re-use" what I already have ??? ( my guess is, no, I need to re-get them, because this is what has gotten me where I am now - I have the wrong source for the drivers I have, and re-sync them again, right ??? )

So, now that I am in, but not at my best, where do I go from here???

Thanks in advance,
Ms. Cuddles

[champagnemojo]

You don't have to recompile the kernel. You just need to build the nvidia driver against the kernel source. I think all you'll need to do is make sure you have the kernel source, make sure the linux symlink points to them, and then run the nvidia installer script. It will do the actual compiling for you. Then you just change XF86Config-4 and you're good...or at least, in theory. :D

BTW, if you did this before and haven't deleted the sources, you should be good to go with running the install script again. Just make sure to get out of X and go to init 3 before installing. Then go back to init 5 and edit the config file and hopefully kdm will come right up when you call it.

And by nvidia installer script I mean the one from the nvidia site...not Kano's script.

[Cuddles]

Ok, I am lost, but, to not want to just post a reply saying "I'm Lost!!", I did a little digging...

Examining the Synaptic Search Filters - "Search History" - I find that a "dist-upgrade" was something I SHOULD HAVE NEVER DONE - ( bad Cuddles ) - Appears the source got hit the most, it upgraded the 2.4 and the 2.6 kernel trees, and the NVidia...

Reading through the output of Synaptic:
nvidia-glx is @ v 1.06111-1
nvidia-kernel-2.6.6 is @ 1.05336-6
nvidia-kernel-common is @ 1.0611+1
nvidia-kernel-source is @ 1.0611-1

Considering the last time I went through all of this, I had a "simple", "easy to follow", HOWTO to cheat off of, ( and I cant find that article here anymore ) - what do I do, simple, easy, step-by-step... ( I take it, if I am going to compile anythjing, I need to "point" the C compiler to 2.95, right? And, after, I repoint it back to 3.x??? something, right??? ) -=- Considering I am a programmer ( by trait ), this is seriously, [censoured], to say the least... This is about as hard as I've ever dealt with being a programmer, and yes, I understand why, because the "distributer" is using a more "stable" version of the compiler, you need to "drop back" to that version of the compiler, even if "technology" has advanced past that version ( right? )...

So, what should I do now... ( I am not even sure if my source is good now ) Do I go after a complete Source download / compile, from scratch? Or do I trust some of the source is still intact??? Direct me, CLI steps, links to follow the step-by-step??? ( if I need to go after new source, completely, should I just blow away the Linux2.x directories below the /usr/src directory??? Sorry to say, I blew away the "tarballs" for the Kernel Source a way back, but I do have the tarballs for the NVidia still )

[champagnemojo]

I have a good set of instructions I made back on my home desktop. But I'm not home...so I'll just try to remember. If you're using the kernel that came with knoppix you're right about needing to use gcc-2.95. Just change the gcc symlink to point to gcc-2.95 (or whatever it's called)...I haven't done it in a while but I think that's enough. Then make sure that the linux symlink in /usr/src points to the right place. I kinda thought that knoppix came with the kernel headers already there...but maybe not.

Then go here (http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux_display_archive.html) and get the installer for whichever version of the driver you want. I still use 4496 because it seems to work best with my old video card. You know the drill with it...you'll just chmod +x on the script. Then kill X and type "init 3". Then run the nvidia installer script...it'll first look for drivers online, but will then most likely have to build them for you. After it's done, go into XFree86Config-4 and change nv back to nvidia again. Then type "init 5" and try to start X back up. Hopefully it will work.

If there are errors within the nvidia installer script it will log them to a file (I forget what the file's called, but it will tell you if it errors)...so if you have problems go look at it and post the last portion of it here. That's all I can think of right now. :)

[Cuddles]

Cool, going to go try this all out, BTW, found the posted topic on where I got my information on the kernel compiling and including the NVidia into it...

Topic Here (http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11619&highlight=)

The commands, it shows, for changing the symlink for the compiler is:

cd .usr/bin
ln -s gcc-2.95 gcc

... do your work ...

cd usr/bin
rm -f gcc
ln -s gcc-3.3 gcc

My guess is, that you should check your symlink ( currently ) on what gcc points to first,

like
ls -la /usr/bin/gcc

and be sure to change it back to that, after you finish - the documentation assumed, at the time of its writting, that v3.3 of gcc was installed and current, and that isn't a good assumption, considering the post was back around July 2004 -=- things change a lot, in a very short time, here in "unstable" "cutting edge" Land :)

Off to install NVidia Drivers... ( wish me luck :D )

[champagnemojo]

Good luck. I haven't tried it on 2.6 yet (I should've mentioned that ;) )...hope it's just as easy as on 2.4. :D

As far as the symlinks...it'd just error out if you used the wrong version...so at least it's nothing that'd wreck your install or anything. :lol:

[Cuddles]

SCARY PART :!:

Downloaded the 6111 package, figured its the newest and I had seen that in the "Synaptic" output - but, did the symlink, did the download of the .run file, did the chmod, did a [ctrl] + [alt] + F1, logged in as root, did a init 3, did a cd to the downloaded .run file, started it...

and then...

it flashed up a large red screen that reported something along the lines that:

"no kernel module to match..."
( had a choice of YES or NO )

Choose NO - then it flashed another red screen with:

"Do you want to use nvidia kernel..." - which I took it as meaning, it wants to download the kernel source from the nvidia site that it thinks matches my kernel, not the drivers source, but my kernel... I did a [ctrl] + C and dropped the install script, did a init 3, and got back here...

It also reported that it detected that I have rivafb installed, and that NVidia has problems when this is installed in with the NVidia - no clue - dont think I have it - but it says I do - and appears it hates that it is, and may not work...

Whats next ???

[champagnemojo]

A red screen? :? Does it look at all like the BSOD? :D

Yeah, it will first see if it has the drivers for your kernel...then it will try to find them online...then it will build them for you. So you have to go through two things before you get to the compile option (which is the third and last).

I dunno about rivafb. But the README.txt does mention that:

Q: My system hangs when vt-switching if I have rivafb enabled.

A: Using both rivafb and the NVIDIA kernel module at the same time is
currently broken. In general, using two independent software drivers
to drive the same piece of hardware is a bad idea.

So it sounds like it there's no harm in installing. I'm sure rivafb can be disabled if it causes trouble. I spose it's also possible that one of the older driver sets might not have this issue.

[mzilikazi]

There was a recent upgrade to xfree86 so you'll need to reinstall your nvidia drivers before X will work again. Use Kano's script to install nvidia drivers. It's alot easier.

[nishtya]

mzi, Cuddles is running knoppix. And unless something has changed, although the nvidia install script would work (providing she had managed to install kernel source) it would error out without kernel source on there that nvidia could match. And Kano's install kernel source script will not work except on kanotix.

Cuddles, been awhile since I Knoppixed but I have tried one live CD debian-based after another and have not found a work around on this one. If anyone can help you, it's the great folks here!! But like I said, this is why I am running kanotix.

If I had my druthers...would be Mepis. That baby was like everything I wanted/needed right off the CD. EXCEPT, no kernel source script and just try to recompile the kernel and get all the patches right, I did try, it didn't, so I am in Kanotix.

And I apologize, I should have said if you switch to "nv" in xf86 you would be able to get X again and your default window manager. Not that you would be alright. But it beats messing with this in text. I think so anyway. :)

If you have some time, I have BIG alsa problems after a blessed honeymoon period with it :D

[shah]

If previously you install nvidia driver by compiling your kernel and use the nvidia installer, I would suggest you try run:
nvidia-installer --update

No need to compile again because the header is there, in /usr/src.
:D :D :D :D

[Cuddles]

Shah, considering your response, I rethought the whole thing, seeing that I "force-fed" the new NVidia drivers into my system, through the stupid use of Synaptic Dist-Upgrade, I realized the reason why my GLX was not current, see previous post on the output of Synaptic - I forced the 1.05 drivers through the process that I have the link set to, previously, and they got "updated" to the new drivers, 1.0611, but not the GLX, it stayed back...

Your suggestion to "update" these drivers through the kernel source I already have, which ( appears ) to be untouched... ( and not knowing what "nvidia-installer" you are talking about ), I looked at my original "step-by-step" that I used to get NVidia working before...

Here is what I did, some of which may have been unnecessary, or repeated, but...


cd /usr/bin
ln -sf gcc2.95 gcc
cd /usr/src
apt-get update
apt-get install nvidia-kernel-common nvidia-kernel-source
tar zxvf nvidia-kernel-source.tar.gz
cd modules/nvidia-kernel
debian/rules KSRC=/usr/src/linux-2.6.6 KVERS=2.6.6 kdist_image
cd ..
dpkg -i nvidia-kernel-2.6.6_1.0.5336-6_i386.deb
apt-get install nvidia-glx
cd /usr/bin
ln -sf gcc-3.3 gcc

Since the new drivers of 1.06111 were already downloaded, and didnt work going through the NVidia installer ( sorry Champagne, it didnt work, and had to re-edit XF86Config-4 to point back to "nv" ), I changed the above dpkg command to point to the newer .deb package of drivers... After completion of the above steps, changed XF86 again, to point to "nvidia", and rebooted -=- PERFECTLY !!!!

So, the NVidia is fixed now, but, my Menus are messed up... I tried the "update menus" command, but it didnt change anything, I even tried the KMenu program "Menu Updating Tool" from within the v3.4 menus, it found a few "rougue" programs, but not all of them... I guess I am going to have to manually put them back in now... :?:

I also appear to have gotten services running that I never had before, all from this "mistake" of running the Dist-Upgrade... First of all, I have a "lone" computer, no net card, and no "server" responsibilities, but I have gotten HylaFax running now, a "good" side effect from this situation... But, looking at the boot-up, I am now starting "named", "NIS services", "ypbind", "apmd", and this is a serious boo-boo, "nvtvd"...

Here is now, what my system is looking at, or listening to, as far as ports, even though I think my firewall is "blocking" them:

[code]netstat -natu
Active Internet connections (servers and established)
Proto Recv-Q Send-Q Local Address Foreign Address State
tcp 0 0 0.0.0.0:4559 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN
tcp 0 0 0.0.0.0:815 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN
tcp 0 0 0.0.0.0:111 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN
tcp 0 0 127.0.0.1:53 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN
tcp 0 0 0.0.0.0:631 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN
tcp 0 0 0.0.0.0:25 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN
tcp 0 0 127.0.0.1:953 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN
tcp6 0 0 :::22 :::* LISTEN
tcp6 0 0 ::1:953 :::* LISTEN
udp 0 0 0.0.0.0:1024 0.0.0.0:*
udp 9120 0 0.0.0.0:812 0.0.0.0:*
udp 0 0 127.0.0.1:53 0.0.0.0:*
udp 0 0 0.0.0.0:111 0.0.0.0:*
udp 0 0 0.0.0.0:631 0.0.0.0:*
udp6 0 0 :::1025 :::*
rpcinfo -p
program vers proto port
100000 2 tcp 111 portmapper
100000 2 udp 111 portmapper
100007 2 udp 812 ypbind
100007 1 udp 812 ypbind
100007 2 tcp 815 ypbind
100007 1 tcp 815 ypbind[/cpde]
Comparing some of the ports from both outputs, I can tell that "ypbind" is doing the majority of them, and considering the serious amount of "updating" on my system that was done, this "portmapper" must be something new, but, not sure if it is appropriate for my system...

I think I need some help figuring out what I "need", and what I dont, here... When this Dist-Upgrade went through my system, I think it decided I need net card support, or is this from the HylaFax now??? ( did I become a "Fax Server", and this is what all this is for now??? )

If my outputs above are right, for using HylaFax, now, then, I can get used to seeing this, but, if this is for network cards, I dont got them, and cant see using "processor" time slices for not-needed processes....

On a good note: GLXGears is coming out with 284 FPS with the NVidia now :D ( cool )
Ms. Cuddles

[champagnemojo]

Just glad you got it going Cuddles. And if I ever decide to switch to 2.6 I'll know how to get nvidia going. :wink:

[Cuddles]

Just glad you got it going Cuddles. And if I ever decide to switch to 2.6 I'll know how to get nvidia going. :wink:
Thanks, I'm going to see if we can get this into a DOC, or something, considering that "NVidia" is a good card, and appears to be a "fav" for Linux users, ( I cant be the only one who "accidently" stomped all over there install drivers :?: )

My Pain, can be someone else's Gain :D
Ms. Cuddles

[mzilikazi]

mzi, Cuddles is running knoppix. And unless something has changed, although the nvidia install script would work (providing she had managed to install kernel source) it would error out without kernel source on there that nvidia could match. And Kano's install kernel source script will not work except on kanotix.

Not true. That script works anywhere (well ok maybe not on Knoppix :roll:) but it does work on a bootstrapped Debian.

[nishtya]

when I get home, will dig up the email from Kano - telling me his script (the install kernel source one) is only for his kernels 8) Actually scared me, I thought I committed some violation :shock:

I know it didn't work back in knoppix 3.3 days. I tried, oh, how I tried and the offer stands, would pay for one that works on some of the other live CDs I hdinstall. T'is a handy thing :D

[nishtya]

Oh, Cuddles if the menu items you are missing are mostly from the debian menu, try checking for an update to menu-xdg.

[shah]

Cuddles
What I meant with nvidia installer is the official nvidia driver from of course NVIDIA: http://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/1.0-6111/NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-6111-pkg1.run

Once you compile your kernel with nvidia, you don't need to a recompile if you want to reinstall or update your driver. What Nvidia wants is for your kernel header to be available when trying to install.

Nvidia official driver comes with its own glx. Apt get for glx often leave you with option of old version of glx and lack of utility that comes with Nvidia,
ex: nvidia-installer --update, nvidia-settings

Eventhough you have suceed in reinstalling, but I would suggest you try reinstall using the official nvidia installer.

All the above already discussed by me in this post:
http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11619&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=10

:D :D :D :D

[Cuddles]

Oh, Cuddles if the menu items you are missing are mostly from the debian menu, try checking for an update to menu-xdg.

Huh??? Look for an "apt-get" on it, or see if that has a "--update" option for the command line ???

What would be a "debian" menu? I run KDE, so, from what I know, thats a KMenu, where is a DebianMenu???

I'm clueless here...

[CrashedAgain]

So, the NVidia is fixed now, but, my Menus are messed up... I tried the "update menus" command, but it didnt change anything, I even tried the KMenu program "Menu Updating Tool" from within the v3.4 menus, it found a few "rougue" programs, but not all of them... I guess I am going to have to manually put them back in now... :?:

I also appear to have gotten services running that I never had before, all from this "mistake" of running the Dist-Upgrade... First of all, I have a "lone" computer, no net card, and no "server" responsibilities, but I have gotten HylaFax running now, a "good" side effect from this situation... But, looking at the boot-up, I am now starting "named", "NIS services", "ypbind", "apmd", and this is a serious boo-boo, "nvtvd"...

Ms. Cuddles

Menus: I think you may have to update manually here. 'Debian menus' is (I think) a standard debian menu setup for KDE, would show up as a 'Debian' item on your start menu.
Services: Just went through a similar but not so severe 'upgrade' mess & also got a lot of added services. Posted for help here: http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13345
Basic answer is, you don't really need any of them, stock Knoppix HDinstall has only cupsys & one other (I forget what) so just use 'sys V-init Editor' & remove whatever you want to.

[nishtya]

Inside of your KDE menu, resides a folder "debian" more applications in there than you can imagine. It uses a different menu system from KDE and some KDE upgrades break it. You would want to check either that it is installed (menu-xdg) to begin with, if so, is there an update? KDE has a long notarious history of menu problems but for the "almost all my apps are gone" after a KDE update on a debian system, menu-xdg will often fix.

[Cuddles]

Nishtya,

I checked my menu and menu-xdg packages, both are current versions, nothing wrong... So, I did a "re-install" on both of them, I also did a "re-install" of all the "games" that dont have menu entries anymore ( thinking that during the re-install, they would get "refreshed" in the menus ), no dice, nada... I guess I will just manually put them in, its slow, and I dont have a clue on a lot of them, so, as I remember a menu entry, I'll add it...

Nishtya is correct, Kano does not support Knoppix, if his script doesnt work, and you are running Knoppix, you need to install Kanotix for support ( which is fair ), Its kind of hard to support "everything"... ( I dont think Debian supports RedHat, etc... )

Case in point, when I was running Knoppix v3.4, kernel 2.6.6, I wanted to install the NVidia drivers, thought I could use Kano's script - it worked good back in v3.3... His script refused to work in v3.4, so I hit up his web site, and forum, his response to my request on information, and HOWTO, with his script, was, to quote: "I do not support Knoppix, you need to install Kanotix, and then run the NVidia script and the Vanilla Source scripts" -=- end of story... Kano is a geneious, but only from a Kanotix point of view. If his scripts dont work on Knoppix, dont go to him, or ask him for any assistance -=- I figure, if it "might" not work in the first place, dont even try it, hopefully come here, get an answer that works in "Knoppix", and do it right the "First Time"...

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS POST ( originally )
I did some searching, and found that "ypbind" is a NIS Server particle, am I wrong here, but isnt NIS a part of network card support? Or a form of "Server", I am not a "server", I do not run a Web Server, I do not run a File Server, I do not run a Windows "File / Print / Share" Server, I dont run Samba... I would like to rip out these things, but, only if they arent "fragments" of things that I do run. The programs I mentioned earlier, ypbind, named, NIS Server, etc... Are actively running on my system, if they are not part of things that I "really" run, then they shouldnt be running, right??? If I do run something that uses these programs, or services, ripping them out is going to "break" things, by my own doing, and I dont want that either...

This is about the biggest problem I see with Linux, no information. If you install something, and something else comes with it, thats fine, you know that "this" belongs with "that", but, in the case I am at now, I have these "services", all-of-a-sudden, starting up, no clue where they come from, for what they are used for, why are they started, and who is starting them? I cant imagine these "services" are attached to a "Fax Server", when I dont have a net card, and I use Dial-up anyway... My guess is, that, my Dist-Upgrade, since I told it to "upgrade" anything, and everything it felt should be, that services were not only "upgraded", but were "defaulted" to starting up, but, how do I know if I can rip them out, or if they should stay running? My system is in a bit of "torment" as it is now, I dont wish to see if I can "break it anymore", but, not used, not needed, and will never use, programs that run, or are running, on a system, is not funny, is not safe, and not, in any way shape or form, secure.

I want to just rip them out, or set them not to run anymore, but not at the cost of "breaking" something that I do use or run. I found out a while back, getting something to run again, after you disable it, is not that easy, especially when you dont know who it is attached to... I can stop ypbind from starting, but who started it, or needs it started? If I use that program, it will break, and who knows what else, as well...

What do I do, go around looking at the descriptions and install information, or man pages on anything, find out what it needs, or has to install, and start ripping it all out?

Sometimes I wonder if the whole motto of Linux should be changed, from its current: "Resistance is fuitile", to a more appropriate one: "Assistance is fuitile"... Its a wonder why we get so many "noob" questions, answers are "almost" no where, and if they are like me, they arent going to go ripping things out of there system for the sake of ripping things out... ( I dont like the name of that "program", so I deleted it... ) -=- Reminds me of a lady I had helped in Win95 Support... She had a "wizz-bang-state-of-the-art" video card driver installed in her OS, and she only had a "ATI VGA Plus" installed as a "real" card, she said she didnt like the driver name, and kept changing it to this other card, cause it sounded better... Of course she had called support at least three times previously, on the exact same situation, her Windows wouldnt boot, and it was becuase she didnt like the name the Video Driver was called...

I wouldnt do this, nor would I think anyone else who runs Linux, would do this either, we are more apt to realize that doing so, is only going to make our OS more fragile than it already is... And this is why I have these "services" running, currently... I'm not going to rip something out, unless I know it doesnt belong there in the first place. It would help to know "why" it is running, and "why" it thinks it should be running, and even, "who" thought it should be running? But, until I "know" these things, it is going to "stay" running. ( read: Playing Russian Roulette with your OS )

[champagnemojo]

Cuddles, I recently upgraded my Kanotix install on my laptop and had the same disappearing debian menu issue. Running update-menus fixed it for me though. Just to be clear...you did run "update-menus" with a hyphen in between and not "update menus" with a space...right?

[Cuddles]

Yes, update-menus with the hyphen, both as root, and as my user account, funny thing is that I get the following message when I run it:

In file "/etc/menu-methods/translate_menus", at (or in the definition that ends at) line 39:
subtranslate section->section
^
Expected: "s"


Any clues?

[champagnemojo]

Yes, update-menus with the hyphen, both as root, and as my user account, funny thing is that I get the following message when I run it:

In file "/etc/menu-methods/translate_menus", at (or in the definition that ends at) line 39:
subtranslate section->section
^
Expected: "s"


Any clues?

I dunno Cuddles...I looked in all of my installs (2 debian and 1 knoppix) and none of them even have a line 39 in that particular file.

[Cuddles]

Took a look at the file, and this is the only thing, around the 39 th line, and the only part of the file that isnt commented out... i.e. line #1 to around line 38 are all comments...



subtranslate section->section
Anwendungen/Editoren/ Editors/ # move all Debian submenus to root
Apps/Net/ Internet/
X-Debian-Apps-Net Internet/
# X-Debian-Games Games # move all Debian/Games submenus to root
endtranslate


If I count out the lines, the "german" line, is the 39th line... Is it me, or do I actually have "german" folder / directory names, never saw one -=- If I was going to guess on my own solution, I would say a "comment" should be made on that "german" line, and, not sure about this, but, shouldn't the "games" line be un-commented ?????

[champagnemojo]

I can only tell you what is in all of my translate-menus files Cuddles. But mine end with a blank line at line 38. Also, for all of them, everything is commented out. And I have no line about games. My guess is that you could remove all of the above and it would work. Or you could just comment it out I suppose.

[Cuddles]

ChampagneMojo,

Tried the suggestion of just commenting out the whole-lot, it worked perfectly, everything came back, and even the newer stuff I forgot I even downloaded - thanks MILLIONS :!:

ALSO, I guess I am going to start taking things out of my start up, I found out that "named" is a NIS Server, that uses "bind 9", which I take it, "ypbind" is a part of, so the lot is going bye-bye... Heck, I don't think I had this stuff before, and was able to get to the "outside world" just fine, so, I should be able to do it again :D

Thanks to everyone, for making my mistake, a little less "catrostrphic" [major spelling]

Ms. Cuddles

[nishtya]

Oh, Cuddles I am so glad you are all put back together! :D I really admire your patience and don't give in to a reinstall. Me, if I spend a week on it I lose it :twisted: and reinstall after I lick wounds

Champagne, I am saving your stuff in my "information" folder (someday I hope to create a personal linux wiki for myself-- too much to do scribbley post-its).