How to hit "reset button" for the SUSEGreeter and Startmenu, 13.1, KDE

English Applications
1

Until a few weeks ago, I was strictly a Windows user, now I’m dipping the toes of one foot in Linux, but with one set of toes deeply buried into Windows still. My greatest irritation with Linux (I have used Zorin a bit, Linux Mint very briefly, but am hoping that openSUSE will rope me in, long term) is that “undo”, unlike in Windows, is not easy to find, meaning that figuring out how to undo a given action doesn’t seem to be immediately intuitive - at least not for someone habituated to Windows.

With that intro, I can herewith name my problem, simply: having watched a review video on Youtube, where it was said that one could manipulate/ resize the elements on the desktop (but without demonstrating how), I jumped right in, trusting in my instincts, which, alas, didn’t get me far, for I simply could not figure out how to revert to the default values for the desktop milieu, specifically, as regards the Greeter and Start menus.

Here is what “Greeter” looked like before I screwed it up: http://en.opensuse.org/File:Susegreeter_KDE_13.1.png.

And here is what “Startmenu” looked like before I switched it to the classic look, but could not find my way back to the original look: http://en.opensuse.org/File:Start_menu_KDE_13.1.png.

I hope that these default values can be restored without having to do a reinstall!

I have another potential issue with linking Samba up to my main (Win 7) PC, but I’ll bring that up in anther thread if I can’t get to the bottom of it (I may already have figured it out… in other but related matters, I have reserved 40 GB on my Win 7 PC for installing also “Suse” (dual boot) and I have another desktop with only “Suse” (same 13.1 version) on it, set up with two HDD in RAID-1).

Thx!
isusogdus

ps: About my username… I used to live in Denmark (I’m American), and there’s this kind of old-fashioned Danish expression, i sus og dus, that means “in style” - as in “living in style” or “living in luxury” - so when I had to find myself a username for my openSUSe account, well, “SUS” triggered Danish memories… oh, I hope I’ll be forgiven for having some fun with the Tags below! : -)

2

That is normal for SUSEgreeter to disappear after the first log-in. Try creating another user then it will appear during the first log-in of that new user. Now if you really want to see SUSEgreeter every time you log-in you can do the following.

Press the keys Alt and then while holding down Alt you can press F2 as well. It should show you a search box in the upper middle part of your Desktop.

Key in autostart inside the search box.

Click on the gear icon that says Autostart.

Click on the Desktop File.

Click on the Add program.

Key in SUSEgreeter in the search box.

Press the ok button below. It should pop-up the the gear with SUSEgreeter.

Click the ok button. Then it should show SUSEgreeter under Desktop File and the Startup button is checked

Click the ok button once more and you should be good. :wink:

Now log-out and log-in again, you can add your script in that place as well just select Script.

Good luck.

3

For the menu right click desktop select unlock widgets

Right click the menu icon and select switch to application launcher style

Right click desk top again and lock widgets

4

Dear jetchisel, gogalthorp,

Thanks for your excellent instructions! In order to stiffen my confidence a bit in preparation for what looked to be the more complicated task, I followed the ‘revive Startmenu’ procedure offered by gogalthorp first, and when that turned out to be ezy-breezy, I proceeded to tackle jetchisel’s procedure for how to revive the SUSEgreeter - which also turned out to be a lot easier than it looked (I’m glad I have it back because it reminds me that I want to sign up to Tumbleweed)!

I have since run into other, graver problems involving my graphics card, which caused some scary moments (frozen screen, dead mouse, no keyboard), and, trying to fix that myself, rather than google expert advice, I believe that I loaded a lot of junk someplace (maybe Repositories, but it seemed to be small files that I was asked to approve, not anything anywhere as large as a repository) which may be the reason why I can’t even access the France TV5 org page any longer without the screen freezing up, hopelessly!

Later, I read here (https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/496246-OLD-XP-machine-with-Nvidia-GeForce-7300-LE-has-unusable-graphics?highlight=nvidia+7300) that the problem was indeed my graphics card (I’ll thank the folk there, later), so I tried to undo some of the damage by removing things that I knew I had installed (but one at a time, with reboots, so as to keep each step isolated from the others), but still the problem of accessing TV5 org remains (later still, I found out that I should have installed Repositories right off the bat: http://opensuse-guide.org/repositories.php, but when I subsequently added the Packman Repository, that is when my PC began to freeze up the moment a TV5 org link tried to open… before, this only happened when I tried to start the player itself, not access the page… I have since deleted the Packman Repository, with no perceivable result on the TV5 org problem), so now, since Linux doesn’t seem to have a “System Restore” function, I believe that I will simply erase SUSE and reinstall it, this time, proceeding cautiously, BEGINNING WITH boning up on the Unofficial Guide to openSUSE 13.1!

Plus, since I have a third (an IDE) HDD available (installed, just not plugged in), I might, for fun, install Zorin 6.4 Core there after erasing SUSE from the two 80Gb SATA HDD, then reinstall SUSE on the latter two HDD, the end result being a twin-boot system.

Now that I have made a string of errors (aka, learning by doing… all the wrong things!), and have learned my lesson about using forums, I feel that I can easily erase everything and start anew, armed with much better knowledge, now, about Linux’s tations and limi-tations. : -)

Thanks again!
isusogdus

5

Repositories are simple place that software packages are stored so users can down load them. Adding a repo in itself will not change anything other then the active repo list.

I think you need the NVIDIA propritary drivers to fix your problems

In Yast add the NVIDA repo to your repo list Then in Yast -Software Management search for NVIDIA . Add the driver I believe that the GO2 drive is what you want. Assuming you Did not fool around with your kernel you should have the desktop modal The est will come in auto-magically

Or go here and do the one click install

https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:NVIDIA_drivers

6

I reckon I might have some graphics card problems - the nVidia Geforce 7300 LE applies to my (this) Dimension 9200/ XPS 410 machine, NOT to my Optiplex 320 machine!!! I remember now that the graphics (video) card there is an ATI Radeon, and further inspection revealed it to be ATI Radeon Xpress X1100 (how my Optiplex runs at all is a mystery!). This is all the more reason to erase everything and start all over, starting thereafter with baby steps, and using the Unofficial openSUSE 13.1 User Guide/ these forums as a crutch!

Thanks for all the good advice - I’m still shocked that I could mix this up so badly! : -( - definitely time to hit the “reset”/ erase button!
isusogdus

7

… on the bright side, the more times you install it and the more things you play/experiment with, the more tech insight and knowledge you wind up with. :wink:

8

On 2014-04-13 00:46, isusogdus wrote:

> Until a few weeks ago, I was strictly a Windows user, now I’m dipping
> the toes of one foot in Linux, but with one set of toes deeply buried
> into Windows still. My greatest irritation with Linux (I have used Zorin
> a bit, Linux Mint very briefly, but am hoping that openSUSE will rope me
> in, long term) is that “undo”, unlike in Windows, is not easy to find,
> meaning that figuring out how to undo a given action doesn’t seem to be
> immediately intuitive - at least not for someone habituated to Windows.

Well… as some one I knew said, Linux is not Windows :slight_smile:

Linux is Not Windows

It may explain some of the things you notice. There are similarities,
and differences. For example: Linux is free, and gratis, but you pay
with your time. It does not come with so much “hand holding” as Windows.
It is very powerful, but sometimes you have to get your hands dirty. So
to speak :slight_smile:

Then it doesn’t break as easily. Once something is done, it should stay
working for years.

Linux has older roots than Windows, so some things are very old
fashioned. Then, some are very new…

For example, we do many things on the command line, and we have text
config files - instead of configuration dialogs. It does not appeal to
some… but it is terribly solid and reliable. Easier to maintain,
believe me.

We also have cute configuration dialogs, too - but sometimes you will
find things that are not inside.

About undo, not everything you do can be undone. For instance, if you
delete a file, it is lost for ever, so be careful. But… There is a
“Trash” folder. Things you delete with the desktop file browser might
survive there. Things you delete some other way should not be there.
Then, you could use the “btrfs” filesystem, where even if you delete or
change you might recover versions from that file from an hour or a week
ago. With some caveats…

Another big Linux difference: there are many choices. There is not only
one desktop, there are several. You are using KDE, but there is also
Gnome, and there are others. Some have been lost on the way, like
Compiz, which was spectacular.

The number of “packages” is bewildering. The “distribution” contains not
only the operating system, but just about anything you might want to
install. And everything updates centrally, you don’t have to chase
updates all over internet.

It is so bewildering, that you may be tempted to test everything, to add
many repos. Don’t, please. Don’t hack your car with pieces from the
supermarket, yet. Wait :slight_smile:

Hardware is sometimes a problem. When you buy new gadgets, watch what
you buy. Google or ask around first, to find out how well it works with
Linux. On the other hand… a printer that works with Linux on year
2000, will still work on 2010 or 2020. The drivers will be updated. Not
as in Windows, that your XP printer might not get drivers for W7. At
least most of the time.

On 2014-04-14 18:16, isusogdus wrote:

> it back because it reminds me that I want to sign up to Tumbleweed)!

Don’t!

IMNSHO, Tumbleweed is for seasoned users. Wait till you are one :slight_smile:

On 2014-04-15 08:06, Fraser Bell wrote:
>
> isusogdus;2637015 Wrote:
>>
>> This is all the more reason to erase everything and start all over,
>> starting thereafter with baby steps, and using the Unofficial openSUSE
>> 13.1 User Guide/ these forums as a crutch!
>>
>> Thanks for all the good advice - I’m still shocked that I could mix this
>> up so badly! : -( - definitely time to hit the “reset”/ erase button!
>> isusogdus
>
> … on the bright side, the more times you install it and the more
> things you play/experiment with, the more tech insight and knowledge you
> wind up with. :wink:

I agree! :slight_smile:

I did the same, years ago.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” at Telcontar)

9

Years ago???

Why did you quit?

I did it today (not openSUSE)…

Will do it again tomorrow…

Have been doing that for at least 34 years straight (with computers, that is, but not just with the Linux operating system).

Longer, if I take everything into account. For example, when I was 14 (5 decades ago), I completely stripped down a 1955 Chrysler Hemi engine to the very last pin, cleaned & rebuilt it, put it all back together, drove it (legally;)) a couple years later when I got my licence.

A couple days ago, I pulled the torque struts and the motor mounts on my couple-year-old (past warranty) car, lifted the engine, removed the power steering pump & replaced its pulley, removed the engine mounting plate and replaced the pulley on the tensioner, removed the timing belt and changed the water pump under it, then replaced the timing belt and the serpentine belt with new ones, and put it all back together.

There are also plenty of other (non-computer and non-automotive) examples.

But, back to computers. This field, especially, is one where you can never possibly know it all, so in spite of all the teardowns and rebuilds, you will always have more to learn than you already know!