OK - I tried running KPackage from a "root shell" and got the same results
exec failed: No such file or directory
The package I was trying to load was
kdebase
in an attempt to make sure I could install the
kscreensaver
without loosing everything I had done up to now. I'v gotten burned five times and don't realy want to reload everything again!

Any ideas on where to go from here? Do I have to upgrade my install first?