Update breaks Compiz / window manager and mate-panel [SOLVED]

[linx255]

That just screws up everything; all my desktop settings go away and it looks almost the same as right after a fresh install down to the icons, background, and panel. No Compiz, no shortcut keys. I hope I don't have to set up my desktop from scratch.

I'm almost prepared to capture .iso images of the OS before and after the update and somehow compare all the files in each image side by side to find out what changed; like comparing netlists to see what matches and what doesn't. I just need to find a good tool for the job.

[trytip]

well unfortunately that's what the .config/dconf/user file is it stores all your gtk settings so yeah deleting it would bring everything back to default then you should have compiz working if you switch it from the control center

Timeshift is great for restoring things after an update breaks things. you should look into making a snapshot but of course you need a good system backup first

[linx255]

Thankfully I have a good backup system in place. However, deleting the ~/.config/dconf/user file doesn't fix it and I'm not able to access 'Desktop Settings' at that point. I click it and nothing happens.

[trytip]

when something doesn't open for me i go into menu editor and find out the true command line for that app and run it in terminal which will spit out errors also permissions with find $HOME ! -user $USER -type f should return NO output unless i saved something as ROOT or copied by other OS

[linx255]

Yeah I also ran it from the menu and nothing happened, and copying the 'mintdesktop' command and executing in the termainl also does nothing. The mintdesktop package is confirmed installed. After restoring backup, 'mintdesktop' command works fine from the terminal.

[linx255]

Comparing the directory structures before and after the update reveals the following files changed:

Code: Select all

< │   │   ├── x86_64-linux-gnu_egl_conf -> /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/mesa-egl/ld.so.conf
< │   │   ├── x86_64-linux-gnu_gl_conf -> /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/mesa/ld.so.conf
< │   │   ├── x86_64-linux-gnu_xorg_extra_modules -> /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/xorg/x11-extra-modules
---
> │   │   ├── x86_64-linux-gnu_egl_conf -> /usr/lib/virtualbox/additions/00vboxvideo.conf
> │   │   ├── x86_64-linux-gnu_gl_conf -> /usr/lib/virtualbox/additions/00vboxvideo.conf
3771c3770,3771
< │   │   │   │   └── ufw.service -> /lib/systemd/system/ufw.service
---
> │   │   │   │   ├── ufw.service -> /lib/systemd/system/ufw.service
> │   │   │   │   └── virtualbox-guest-utils.service -> /lib/systemd/system/virtualbox-guest-utils.service
11436a11437
> │   │   │   ├── virtualbox-guest-utils.service
12502,12505c12503,12504
< │   │   └── qwvbz9xk
< │   ├── orbit-user
< │   ├── pulse-PKdhtXMmr18n
< │   └── thunderbird_user
---
> │   │   └── eh_7a5zm
> │   └── pulse-PKdhtXMmr18n
31628,31633d31626
< │   │   │   │   ├── vboxapi
< │   │   │   │   │   ├── __init__.py
< │   │   │   │   │   ├── __init__.pyc
< │   │   │   │   │   ├── VirtualBox_constants.py
< │   │   │   │   │   └── VirtualBox_constants.pyc
< │   │   │   │   ├── vboxapi-1.0.egg-info
36642a36636,36642
> │   │   │       ├── vboxapi
> │   │   │       │   ├── __init__.py
> │   │   │       │   ├── __pycache__
> │   │   │       │   │   ├── __init__.cpython-35.pyc
> │   │   │       │   │   └── VirtualBox_constants.cpython-35.pyc
> │   │   │       │   └── VirtualBox_constants.py
> │   │   │       ├── vboxapi-1.0.egg-info
39846a39847,39852
> │   │   │   ├── additions
> │   │   │   │   ├── 00vboxvideo.conf
> │   │   │   │   ├── libEGL.so -> ../../VBoxEGL.so
> │   │   │   │   ├── libEGL.so.1 -> ../../VBoxEGL.so
> │   │   │   │   ├── libGL.so -> ../../VBoxOGL.so
> │   │   │   │   └── libGL.so.1 -> ../../VBoxOGL.so
39941a39948,39949
> │   │   │   ├── __pycache__
> │   │   │   │   └── vboxshell.cpython-35.pyc
39951c39959,39960
< │   │   │   │                   │   └── __init__.pyc
---
> │   │   │   │                   │   └── __pycache__
> │   │   │   │                   │       └── __init__.cpython-35.pyc
39953d39961
< │   │   │   │                   ├── components.pyc
39955d39962
< │   │   │   │                   ├── file.pyc
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< │   │   │   │                   ├── __init__.pyc
39959d39964
< │   │   │   │                   ├── nsError.pyc
39961c39966,39974
< │   │   │   │                   ├── primitives.pyc
---
> │   │   │   │                   ├── __pycache__
> │   │   │   │                   │   ├── components.cpython-35.pyc
> │   │   │   │                   │   ├── file.cpython-35.pyc
> │   │   │   │                   │   ├── __init__.cpython-35.pyc
> │   │   │   │                   │   ├── nsError.cpython-35.pyc
> │   │   │   │                   │   ├── primitives.cpython-35.pyc
> │   │   │   │                   │   ├── vboxxpcom.cpython-35.pyc
> │   │   │   │                   │   ├── xpcom_consts.cpython-35.pyc
> │   │   │   │                   │   └── xpt.cpython-35.pyc
39964d39976
< │   │   │   │                   │   ├── enumerator.pyc
39966d39977
< │   │   │   │                   │   ├── factory.pyc
39968d39978
< │   │   │   │                   │   ├── __init__.pyc
39970d39979
< │   │   │   │                   │   ├── loader.pyc
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< │   │   │   │                   │   ├── module.pyc
39974c39982,39988
< │   │   │   │                   │   └── policy.pyc
---
> │   │   │   │                   │   └── __pycache__
> │   │   │   │                   │       ├── enumerator.cpython-35.pyc
> │   │   │   │                   │       ├── factory.cpython-35.pyc
> │   │   │   │                   │       ├── __init__.cpython-35.pyc
> │   │   │   │                   │       ├── loader.cpython-35.pyc
> │   │   │   │                   │       ├── module.cpython-35.pyc
> │   │   │   │                   │       └── policy.cpython-35.pyc
39976d39989
< │   │   │   │                   ├── vboxxpcom.pyc
39978,39980c39991
< │   │   │   │                   ├── xpcom_consts.pyc
< │   │   │   │                   ├── xpt.py
< │   │   │   │                   └── xpt.pyc
---
> │   │   │   │                   └── xpt.py
39985a39997
> │   │   │   ├── VBoxCpuReport
39994a40007
> │   │   │   ├── VBoxDTrace
40005a40019
> │   │   │   ├── VBoxManageHelp
40008a40023
> │   │   │   ├── VBoxNetNAT
40013c40028
< │   │   │   ├── VBoxPython2_7.so
---
> │   │   │   ├── VBoxPython3_5m.so
40023d40037
< │   │   │   ├── vboxshell.pyc
40024a40039
> │   │   │   ├── VBoxSysInfo.sh
40025a40041,40042
> │   │   │   ├── VBoxTunctl
> │   │   │   ├── VBoxVMMPreload
40027a40045
> │   │   │   ├── VBoxVolInfo
47819d47836
< │   │   │   │   ├── extra-modules -> /etc/alternatives/x86_64-linux-gnu_xorg_extra_modules
47855d47871
< │   │   │   │   │   ├── vboxvideo_drv.so
202987,202988c203003
< │   │   │       ├── public_modules.rtremove
< │   │   │       └── virtualbox.rtupdate
---
> │   │   │       └── public_modules.rtremove
203023c203038,203039
< │   │   │       └── ubuntu-drivers-common.rtupdate
---
> │   │   │       ├── ubuntu-drivers-common.rtupdate
> │   │   │       └── virtualbox.rtupdate
210081a210098
> │   │   │   │   ├── qt_th.qm
210117a210135
> │   │   │   │   ├── VirtualBox_th.qm
241750c241768
< │       ├── virtualbox-5.0.40
---
> │       ├── virtualbox-5.1.34
241826a241845
> │       │   │   │   ├── mem.h
241875a241895
> │       │   │   │   ├── uint64.h
241895a241916
> │       │   │   │       ├── cpumctx.h
241908a241930
> │       │   │       ├── udivmoddi4.c
241950d241971
< │       │   │   ├── do_Module.symvers
241973d241993
< │       │   │   ├── do_Module.symvers
241989d242008
< │       │   │   ├── do_Module.symvers
242010d242028
< │       │       ├── do_Module.symvers
242029c242047
< │       └── virtualbox-guest-5.0.40
---
> │       └── virtualbox-guest-5.1.34
242037a242056
> │           │   │   ├── mem.h
242083a242103
> │           │   │   ├── uint64.h
242170a242191
> │           │   │   │       ├── udivmoddi4.c
242201d242221
< │           │   ├── do_Module.symvers
242241d242260
< │           │   ├── do_Module.symvers
242260a242280
> │           │   ├── udivmoddi4.c
242273d242292
< │               ├── do_Module.symvers
242292a242312
> │               ├── vbox_prime.c
242354c242374
< │   │   │   └── index.1
---
> │   │   │   └── index.2
242812c242832
< │   │   │   │   ├── 5.0.40
---
> │   │   │   │   ├── 5.1.34
242949a242970
> │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   ├── mem.h
242998a243020
> │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   ├── uint64.h
243018a243041
> │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │       ├── cpumctx.h
243031a243055
> │   │   │   │   │   │   │       ├── udivmoddi4.c
243103d243126
< │   │   │   │   │   │   │   ├── do_Module.symvers
243138d243160
< │   │   │   │   │   │   │   ├── do_Module.symvers
243162d243183
< │   │   │   │   │   │   │   ├── do_Module.symvers
243194d243214
< │   │   │   │   │   │       ├── do_Module.symvers
243223,243224c243243,243244
< │   │   │   │   │   └── source -> /usr/src/virtualbox-5.0.40
< │   │   │   │   └── kernel-4.4.0-21-generic-x86_64 -> 5.0.40/4.4.0-21-generic/x86_64
---
> │   │   │   │   │   └── source -> /usr/src/virtualbox-5.1.34
> │   │   │   │   └── kernel-4.4.0-21-generic-x86_64 -> 5.1.34/4.4.0-21-generic/x86_64
243226c243246
< │   │   │       ├── 5.0.40
---
> │   │   │       ├── 5.1.34
243243a243264
> │   │   │       │   │   │   │   ├── mem.h
243289a243311
> │   │   │       │   │   │   │   ├── uint64.h
243413a243436
> │   │   │       │   │   │   │   │       ├── udivmoddi4.c
243463d243485
< │   │   │       │   │   │   ├── do_Module.symvers
243531d243552
< │   │   │       │   │   │   ├── do_Module.symvers
243558a243580
> │   │   │       │   │   │   ├── udivmoddi4.c
243581d243602
< │   │   │       │   │       ├── do_Module.symvers
243611a243633,243634
> │   │   │       │   │       ├── vbox_prime.c
> │   │   │       │   │       ├── vbox_prime.o
243621,243622c243644,243645
< │   │   │       │   └── source -> /usr/src/virtualbox-guest-5.0.40
< │   │   │       ├── kernel-4.4.0-21-generic-x86_64 -> 5.0.40/4.4.0-21-generic/x86_64
---
> │   │   │       │   └── source -> /usr/src/virtualbox-guest-5.1.34
> │   │   │       ├── kernel-4.4.0-21-generic-x86_64 -> 5.1.34/4.4.0-21-generic/x86_64
255563c255586,255587
< │   │   │   │   │   └── ufw.service
---
> │   │   │   │   │   ├── ufw.service
> │   │   │   │   │   └── virtualbox-guest-utils.service
255602c255626,255627
< │   │   │   │   └── vboxweb.service.dsh-also
---
> │   │   │   │   ├── vboxweb.service.dsh-also
> │   │   │   │   └── virtualbox-guest-utils.service.dsh-also
255783a255809

It appears one of these files is responsible for breaking my system!

I really need a solution because I don't want to be running an outdated Virtualbox, I'm not ready to give up my Compiz yet ( it doesn't let me even reset Compiz to default settings, nor even choose window managers ), and gosh, this is taking a lot of time. Is there any hope? Thanks again.

[linx255]

Is there a way to explain why I lose the ability to run 'mintdesktop' after installing the update? Or a way to repair whatever is blocking my access to it, with the update still in tact? I'd like to continue your proposed experiment or switching between Compiz / Marco / Metacity, etc., please.

[linx255]

And by the way, when I say

gosh, this is taking a lot of time.

I didn't mean to complain at you but just let you know how much of a problem this is, because this one update is holding me back from other important work. I don't know what else to do at this point. No one else has this issue? Is this the point where I ditch Virtualbox and try Docker or something else?

[linx255]

apt-get purge virtualbox-guest* worked. Not sure if it was because of the order in which I executed it versus installing the update, or if it likes purge but not remove.