(solved) Big white login on black screen

[johnmart]

I have a Dell vostro1500. KDE4.5.x fully updated. Ram 2gb, nvidia. Running fine until.....
My daughters installed lives (video editor) which pulled in pulse audio.
All still ok...
It didn't fit her needs so she uninstalled it along with pulse audio.
Now the problem....
On the next reboot, the install routine is as usual, until after the nvidia logo flashes.
I am then left at a black screen with a big white login.
Can login ok, but get a black screen with 2 small terminals windows.
I ran pcc & played with graphic drivers, but no change.
I tried some forum search but no success---didn't know what to call it!  
Appreciate any thoughts---thanks.
John
btw. had just done a regular update, only bleachbit updated

edit: I thought to check out the synaptic history & found that they uninstalled libpulseaudio which uninstalled everything KDE4! 
Heh-heh....I am glad I did a remaster last month.....but maybe better to d/l latest iso..

[kilobit]

This just happened to me too...How nice! And how can something like that break the whole system?

[Texstar]

Because libpulse is a dependent library for many applications. Hopefully next time you use Synaptic you will try to read the summary page before committing the transaction?

[uncleV]

Because libpulse is a dependent library for many applications. Hopefully next time you use Synaptic you will try to read the summary page before committing the transaction?

For noobs like me may be some "importance" flag is needed for important packages?

[kilobit]

Well, I installed pulse audio then I didnt need it so I uninstalled "pulse-audio" opps, yes im a newb.  Maybe Im just not ready for linux at all.

[Aradalf]

Well, I installed pulse audio then I didnt need it so I uninstalled "pulse-audio" opps, yes im a newb.  Maybe Im just not ready for linux at all.

Well, if you want, you can do the same thing in Windoze. Just delete the Windows folder.

[kilobit]

Well, I installed pulse audio then I didnt need it so I uninstalled "pulse-audio" opps, yes im a newb.  Maybe Im just not ready for linux at all.

Well, if you want, you can do the same thing in Windoze. Just delete the Windows folder.

I dont see that in the "add remove" programs section...hmmm

[johnmart]

Uninstalling programs is a breeze. What my daughters did that sank the ship was to click "uninstall completely". They also breezily ignored the synaptic warning that the whole system was being uninstalled. 
Stick to the simple uniinstall option & pay attention to dialog boxes! 
Linux ain't windows! 

[Taco.22]

Here may not quite be the place for this, but it is something that has bothered me every now and then.  Remove a piece of software and "boom".  For example, you can't remove the Gimp without removing all of the printing software.  Yet the Gimp is not installed with the printing software if you don't have it.  You can install the printing software without the Gimp.  You can remove the Gimp and all the printing software and then install either the Gimp or the printing software on their own.  I have fallen foul of this on the odd occasion - not so much now because I am aware.  But it can be a right pain to get rid of some software - chuck it and a pile of other stuff, and then reinstall the other stuff!  Just wondering as to when Linux might start to clear up those dependency issues - especially those that don't seem logically linked.

[johnmart]

Yeh, maybe that is a topic that can be addressed in the future move from Synaptic to YumEx.
There may be more flexibilty & control over dependencies.

[kilobit]

I was easily able to re-installed keeping my home directory, but I would like for the little things like this to be resolved before I can go off and recommending this is a full replacement os from windows. I also want to clear up that I am not blaming anyone for this and I know this has plagued linux for a long time. I wish there was a way to fix this issue permanently. Seems like there should be a database installed with what programs use what dependencies and not uninstall them if they are still required by others (without and confirmation of some sort). I am too newbish to make suggestions, I suppose....

[menotu]

Seems like there should be a database installed with what programs use what dependencies and not uninstall them if they are still required by others (without and confirmation of some sort). I am too newbish to make suggestions, I suppose....

Then people would be saying "Why not just offer a message of what's happening when installing/removing an app in Synaptic, why do we have to dig through a database to find out...."

Regardless of which "new" OS you switch to - whether it be Linux to Windows; Linux to Mac; Windows to Linux; Windows to Mac; Mac to Linux; Mac to Windows (along with all the other OS's available)  mistakes are made and lessons learned along the way.

(And I know no ones going to be going the Linux > Windows route       )

[Aradalf]

I was easily able to re-installed keeping my home directory, but I would like for the little things like this to be resolved before I can go off and recommending this is a full replacement os from windows. I also want to clear up that I am not blaming anyone for this and I know this has plagued linux for a long time. I wish there was a way to fix this issue permanently. Seems like there should be a database installed with what programs use what dependencies and not uninstall them if they are still required by others (without and confirmation of some sort). I am too newbish to make suggestions, I suppose....

In addition, a message in Synaptic always pops up and shows what packages must be uninstalled which depend on the package you are uninstalling. What you are suggesting is that a message pop up explaining that KDE is going to be uninstalled if you uninstall one of its dependencies. But that message already comes up. If nobody reads that, what indication is there that another message will be read? If most people just click OK on each message to get through, this will probably not help

[johnmart]

In addition, a message in Synaptic always pops up and shows what packages must be uninstalled which depend on the package you are uninstalling. What you are suggesting is that a message pop up explaining that KDE is going to be uninstalled if you uninstall one of its dependencies. But that message already comes up. If nobody reads that, what indication is there that another message will be read? If most people just click OK on each message to get through, this will probably not help

   

[Taco.22]

In addition, a message in Synaptic always pops up and shows what packages must be uninstalled which depend on the package you are uninstalling.

Surely the point is that the message of itself is not much help if you can't modify the result.  For example, if I want to remove the Gimp, or Imagemagick, then most of the printer software goes missing.  Sure, it can be reinstalled; but that is not the point.
 

Seems like there should be a database installed with what programs use what dependencies and not uninstall them if they are still required by others

The point is that if dependencies are shared, then they shouldn't be removed until the last cross dependency goes.  If printing is needed by the system, it shouldn't be removed unless it is actually removed; and so on.  We're talking a database invisible to the user; just the system deciding what is cross-referenced.
 

If most people just click OK on each message to get through, this will probably not help

And tell me, no-one at any time has glazed over a bit, punched buttons and then thought "Oops!!"?

I am too newbish to make suggestions, I suppose....

Bollocks