Stacking windows/pages

[Matthew Paul]

I've read many topics/pages here and cannot seem to find one about this problem I'm experiencing. Hopefully this Newbie (to Linux) will be a Guru soon and be able to help others. As I ran a BBS (Bulletin Board System) before the Internet was launched.

My HD with Windows crashed and is damaged. I setup Linux on my secondary drive a year or so ago. Using it now as my only alternative. The trouble I am having is the windows/pages are stacking up on top of each other in the left hand corner. None of the pages have the usual up in the right hand corner, the _ box & X (to close) the window.

So opening page 2, stacks on top of page 1 with no way to close it. If I open something else, page 3 is now on top. With no way to close it. The only way to clear all the pages is restart.

The only acception I have found is the Chrome browser I am using now. In the upper right hand corner there is the usual _ to minimize, box to enlarge the window and X(to close). However, clicking on any of the 3 results in no action.

Any ideas or suggestions would be most appreciated. Thank you for your time and attention.

[Mute Ant]

It sounds like an incompatible desktop theme or a damaged desktop environment...with no [0] technical details you will only get guesses.
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=83444 [5] Details! Especially Mint Version and Desktop...Rebecca 64-bit KDE for example, or Mint13 32-bit XFCE. ''a year or so ago'' If it's not Mint13Maya, Mint17Qiana, Mint17.1Rebecca or LMDE, give up at once and plan a new installation...you won't get the components to repair an obsolete Mint.
Making another user and using that account to log in to the GUI separates user-profile-problems [easy-to-fix] and system-problems [less-easy].

[Matthew Paul]

Thank you for replying, Mute Ant. I should remember from the old days of helping people on a forum... "Specifics.. I need specifics." *hitting myself in the forehead*

Let's see... "Release Notes for Linux Mint 13 Xfce." "This is Linux Mint 13 Xfce, code name Maya." I do have a simple question from the reading I've been doing. Switching to Linux... is it recommended that I learn the DOS commands I used in the old days, all over again? That will be a challenge in itself but there's nothing this old boy cannot accomplish.

I use a wired, Ethernet connection. With a fiber cable from my ISO and I average 56mb down and 36mb up on my connection.

The only other question I have at the moment is... where's the folder? My Primary Drive is trashed, damaged and empty for a 160gb. My Secondary Drive is about 80gb and has this program on it. I just can't find a folder for "Linux". *snickering*

I will go back and continue looking. Again, thanks for taking the time to reply to my question, Mute Ant.

Have a great day!

[Mute Ant]

Mint13 is still mendable, it's based on a Long Term Support version of Ubuntu. Try a new user and see it the problem clears up for them.

GNU-Linux is what MSDOS could have been. Commands and scripts are a valuable extra skill if you need to do something unusual...'Find all the JPG files with more than 50% green' for example, or 'Prefix every MP3 music file name with the playing time.' Not essential to know...but handy...I can't make a spark plug but I know how to clean one.

[Matthew Paul]

Hee...! I like the remark about the spark plug. Big 10-4, Buddy.

A little more info... this Dell desktop I have is over 10 years old. Has 2 gigs of RAM and a... 2.53 GHz CPU. I think. I have a DVD writer/drive as well. I remember the days, ...speaking of MP3s, where they had CD+R or CD+RW but then I'd be giving my age away.

Thanks again for the tip. I'll go do some more reading and see if I can figure out how to change the name on this account. It shouldn't be too hard. It's just that clicking on the "Menu" button in the bottom, left hand corner.... I recognize NONE of the names or what they represent. It's time to go back to school.

Appreciate your insight (and humor)

[Matthew Paul]

After many attempts I cannot find a way to change the name on the Administrator as one suggested may solve everything. Perhaps it was just a bad installation of this version of Linux Mint 13 to begin with.

Any opinions on a later version of Linux? That may be your favorite and why? If nothing else and perhaps more simple, a link anyone knows of that discusses this topic on the forum?

Thanks

(I will be getting a new HDD in a couple of days to load Window on but am determined to make the transfer to Linux, full time)

[Ginsu543]

I'm in no way suggesting that you should give up trying to find a solution to your current issues, but one of the lessons I've learned since getting into Linux with Ubuntu in 2008 is that there is no shame in just reinstalling the OS when something doesn't work and I can't find a ready solution. And unless it's a compatibility issue with a particular hardware I have in my system, I've found that a reinstall fixes just about everything. You might consider reinstalling your OS with a more current version, such as Linux Mint 17.1 Xfce. I've got my system set up such that a reinstall takes about 30 minutes (I have a separate /home partition so I don't lose most of my configurations), which may be more time-efficient than spending the time necessary to find a solution.

I recognize that this is a more pragmatic approach. I've also learned a ton when I have invested the time to solve a technical problem.

[Matthew Paul]

Thank you for your insight and feedback, Ginsu543. I'm thinking of doing exactly that. While taking it a step further as Pierre suggested in another thread. Questioning whether his slow computer was due to windows 8.1 or Linux.

I have a new HDD on the way. I plan on installing Windows XP... *I know.. old and not supported anymore as of April 2014* ..since it's the only OS I have on CDs. After finishing that, I will find the latest or, 'best working' version of Linux and install that as well. I see many talking about Linux Mint 17.1 Xfce. Is that the latest version with most of the bugs taken out?

I also see the word unbuntu in a lot of my reading here. Is this a complete and different setup of hardware for a PC? As I looked through the finding of several search engines, most were for Sales of unbuntu. Which offered their own towers, laptops, etc. I know many would consider this Dell Dimension B110 tower I have for a desktop as ancient and over 10 years old.

...Keep up the good work everybody. You add to the pleasure of learning a new approach to this technology that has become a permanent part of life in today's world.

[wayne128]

I am not sure if this is similar.
Years ago I had xfce DE behaving similar to what you described, application windows only open on top left corner...


and the cure then was to replace xfwm with this code

Code: Select all

xfwm --replace

no harm trying..

[wayne128]

I have a new HDD on the way. I plan on installing Windows XP... *I know.. old and not supported anymore as of April 2014* ..since it's the only OS I have on CDs.

hmm,
No issue from me
I still support people running XP, mostly off line running with decade old software.
and XP was running very fast for those 10-12 year old computers.

After finishing that, I will find the latest or, 'best working' version of Linux and install that as well. I see many talking about Linux Mint 17.1 Xfce. Is that the latest version with most of the bugs taken out?

The thing I found about 'best' is, the best for me is not the best for another one.
I think I cannot make a judgement call on whether what you are looking for is the 'best' for you and your piece of hardware... sorry.. I had many old rigs still running, one given to an 65 year old lady, running Debain Squeeze, and still running happily, she use it for simple youtube and facebook, in fact she picked up facebook LOL, I have never learned how to use facebook

[Matthew Paul]

Thanks, wayne 128! It appears I have a lot of reading to do ahead of me. Moving closer to the top of that list is the suggestion you made and I've read on many posts on this forum: CODE: SELECT ALL ...with some characters below that, ...to add ...somewhere.

Am I correct in thinking that I'll have to go back and learn the old DOS language I used on a daily basis? Before this marvelous man came out with this program called Windows. rotfl "In my opinion... about as healthy for the PC world as pharmaceuticals are for your physical health" a BIG joke

I'll continue reading for this Linux Mint 13 Maya version I'm using presently and see if I can find out where this "CODE" is to be inserted.

Thanks again

[Ginsu543]

Thank you for your insight and feedback, Ginsu543. I'm thinking of doing exactly that. While taking it a step further as Pierre suggested in another thread. Questioning whether his slow computer was due to windows 8.1 or Linux.

If you'll take a look at my signature (info about my computer systems at the bottom of my posts), you'll note that I am currently running Mint 17.1 Cinnamon on my Toshiba R200 laptop, which comes with a 1.2GHz Pentium M(!) and on-board Intel GMS 915 Express graphics. If this laptop can run Mint 17.1 Cinnamon, which is much more resource-hungry, I would venture to guess that your computer can run Mint 17.1 Xfce.

I have a new HDD on the way. I plan on installing Windows XP... *I know.. old and not supported anymore as of April 2014* ..since it's the only OS I have on CDs. After finishing that, I will find the latest or, 'best working' version of Linux and install that as well. I see many talking about Linux Mint 17.1 Xfce. Is that the latest version with most of the bugs taken out?

No shame in running Windows XP. After all, that is arguably the best OS Microsoft has ever produced. I still run XP as a virtual machine in VirtualBox on my main rig. Mint 17.1 Xfce should be a good bet for you.

I also see the word unbuntu in a lot of my reading here. Is this a complete and different setup of hardware for a PC? As I looked through the finding of several search engines, most were for Sales of unbuntu. Which offered their own towers, laptops, etc. I know many would consider this Dell Dimension B110 tower I have for a desktop as ancient and over 10 years old.

Ubuntu does not refer to hardware. Instead, it is another Linux distribution (operating system) on which Linux Mint is based. Ubuntu was the first Linux distro to go "mainstream." As such, some computer companies offer computers and laptops pre-loaded with Ubuntu as their operating system. For example, in 2009 I bought a Dell Inspiron 910 netbook pre-installed with Ubuntu 8.04 (though today that netbook runs Mint 17.1 Cinnamon).