(SOLVED ENOUGH) Menus gone in re-install

[besonian]

I've seen problems like this on the forum, but nothing exactly the same. I've just done completely clean re-install of LXDE (2012.06) on my partner's computer and updated it immediately. At some point - I really can't say when though i suspect it was after that update - I lost the program menus. Clicking on the main menu launcher bottom left of the screen gives me only two options - 'Run' or 'Logout'. The few icons that remain from the previous install on the panel work OK. I can't however, add others. I can increase the size of the panel etc.but I can add no program to it, although I can add panel applets. I added an application launch bar, but when I click on that, the right side of the box that comes up contains no programs.

Having said all that, I can launch programs either via a terminal (the icon for that is left over from the previous install) or entering the name of the program in the 'Run' box which comes up if I click on the main menu launcher. So all is not lost. But it aint right and my lady isn't the one to be fiddling - as she puts it - with such things as terminals If that's what it comes to however, she'll have to. But I suspect there's an answer somewhere.

Out of interest, there is no such problem in the 'root' account, nor in a test user account I created just to check it out.

The computer is old-ish but adequate. Abit mobo: AMD Athlon 2800+: 160gb WD IDE drive: 1.5gb DDR RAM

Any assistance gratefully received.

[menotu]

I've just done completely clean re-install of LXDE (2012.06)

The few icons that remain from the previous install on the panel work OK

(the icon for that is left over from the previous install)

I may be reading this wrong but those statements seem in conflict  ?

[besonian]

Menotu - no, you're not wrong. It's unclear. It was clean inasmuch as the /root partition was reformatted and a complete re-install of the OS done. The original /home partition remains untouched. Is that better?

[Neal ManBear]

I've just done completely clean re-install of LXDE (2012.06)

The few icons that remain from the previous install on the panel work OK

(the icon for that is left over from the previous install)

I may be reading this wrong but those statements seem in conflict  ?

Menotu - no, you're not wrong. It's unclear. It was clean inasmuch as the /root partition was reformatted and a complete re-install of the OS done. The original /home partition remains untouched. Is that better?

     
The new install does not touch the files in your /home. The panel and etc are newly installed. So, "the icon for that is left over from the previous install" is a statement of misunderstanding of what has occurred.     

Copy the .config and .cache directories from your test user to your /home.     

[besonian]

Thank you Neal - point taken. I'm not with that machine at the moment, but will do as you suggest when I next am, on Wednesday. Will post the result here.

[besonian]

Neal - OK,I'm at that machine now and have followed your advice. No joy, unfortunately. The situation on that account is precisely the same as before. And on the other test/user account, all menus still work as they should. Now where? Any thoughts?

[Neal ManBear]

Neal - OK,I'm at that machine now and have followed your advice. No joy, unfortunately. The situation on that account is precisely the same as before. And on the other test/user account, all menus still work as they should. Now where? Any thoughts?

     
2 choices:     
Reinstall lxpanel and menu-cache.     

Back up the files from the old account. > Remove the old account. > Rename the test/user account.     

[daniel]

Rename the folder lxpanel as lxpanel.old under /home/YOU/.config/
and start a new session. What's now happen?

[besonian]

Thank you, guys  - apologies for being so long in getting back but I've been up to my eyes. I was at that machine on Wednesday and tried both of Neal's suggestions. The first had no effect. The second - i.e. back up the files from the old account. > Remove the old account. > Rename the test/user account - worked to the extent that the menus were then accessible as they should be via the main menu button bottom left of the screen. And being clicked, they worked. So that was a big step forward. However, populating the panel with application icons was more or less impossible. I installed an application launcher on the panel OK. And when that was clicked, the box that came up had a list of applications on the right side as it should. But when I clicked those I wanted - which would normally make a copy icon appear in the left side of the box - only one would go - Sea Monkey. Clicking on any of the others froze the box and I could do nothing further with it apart from try and get rid of it - which I managed to do after clicking a few times on the top right 'x'. OK, s0 it's still not perfect, but it's functional.

I won't be at that machine again till Sunday, but then Lieche I'll try what you suggest and again get back here.

Thank you both.

[besonian]

Daniel - OK, an improvement. Thank you. It's still not perfect but it works as well as it needs to. Having followed your suggestion, all the menus accessed via the main menu button bottom left are there and work. Populating the panel with application icons is still not 100%. Getting an application launch bar onto it worked fine. When it came however to getting the other icons on, again there was inconsistency. Sea Monkey again was no problem nor, this time, was Skype, or UMPlayer. I can't get the Libre Office Writer icon onto the panel however, Every time I click on 'Office' in order to access the Writer icon, the box freezes. Then after about six seconds it disappears from the desktop. But like I said, that's no great problem - the main menu button works fine. So as long as there are no other subtly connected problems lurking beneath the surface - which only time will reveal or not - I'm happy. Thank you for your help.