windows applet says window manager "unknown"

[PaulT]

Error:
"Cannot start the preferences application for your window manager"
Window manager "unknown" has not registered a configuration tool

Facts:
The user session was started with "gnome" as the selection, gdm & child pid running.

Started another users login session, and gnome works as it should. Windows applet works as it should.

hardware database submission ID:
1697f679d991bc25aa6b033dda647e96

[Chris Burgan (cburgan)]

Thanks for your bug report and helping to make Ubuntu better, can you check to see if you have the process Metacity running on the "bad" login?

[PaulT (p-thorne)]

Chris Burgan wrote:
> Thanks for your bug report and helping to make Ubuntu better, can you
> check to see if you have the process Metacity running on the "bad"
> login?
>
> ** Changed in: Ubuntu
> Assignee: (unassigned) => Chris Burgan
> Status: Unconfirmed => Needs Info
>
>
metacity is not running on the "bad" login.

[Chris Burgan (cburgan)]

Ok, Metacity is the window manager for gnome so just to clarify. You are specifically setting the session to gnome before logging on as this user and once you log on, even though it is the standard gnome-session metacity is not being loaded, but only for one specific user? If so could you please check if there is a .xsession file in that users home directory that might be modifying the standard gnome session? If it exists then what happens if you back it up and then remove it? If such a file does exist then can you attach it to the bug report, not to be confused with .xsession-errors which is potentially a HUGE file.

[PaulT (p-thorne)]

Chris Burgan wrote:
> Ok, Metacity is the window manager for gnome so just to clarify. You are
> specifically setting the session to gnome before logging on as this user
> and once you log on, even though it is the standard gnome-session
> metacity is not being loaded, but only for one specific user? If so
> could you please check if there is a .xsession file in that users home
> directory that might be modifying the standard gnome session? If it
> exists then what happens if you back it up and then remove it? If such a
> file does exist then can you attach it to the bug report, not to be
> confused with .xsession-errors which is potentially a HUGE file.
>
>
The file .xsession does not exist.

I have been able to fix the problem for the user, recreate it, and fix
it again:
1. The fix involves running metacity manually and "control-c" out of
the command. When the metacity command runs, window control is displayed.
2. log off with the "sessions" preferences applet, session options tab,
"Automatically save changes to the session" check box checked. Then
close the applet.
3. log the user back on, and window control is there.
4. in desktop 4, open the System, Administration, System Monitor
application.
5. log off
6. log the user back on, and window control is gone.
7. repeat 1 & 2 to re-establish window control

If I save a session with only "terminal" open, the next login session
has window control. I have not tried any other applications.

I have attached a .xsession-errors file that may be of some help. This
file was created in the session that came up without window control.

----- Paul

/etc/gdm/PreSession/Default: Registering your session with wtmp and utmp
/etc/gdm/PreSession/Default: running: /usr/X11R6/bin/sessreg -a -w /var/log/wtmp -u /var/run/utmp -x "/var/lib/gdm/:0.Xservers" -h "" -l ":0" "paul"
/etc/gdm/Xsession: Beginning session setup...
SESSION_MANAGER=local/Paulsp400:/tmp/.ICE-unix/6301
Initializing gnome-mount extension

** (nautilus:6399): WARNING **: Didn't get any signs from mapping-daemon

(nautilus:6399): libgnomevfs-WARNING **: module '/usr/lib/gnome-vfs-2.0/modules/libmapping.so' returned a NULL handle
evolution-alarm-notify-Message: Setting timeout for 14448 1178002800 1177988352
evolution-alarm-notify-Message: Tue May 1 00:00:00 2007

evolution-alarm-notify-Message: Mon Apr 30 19:59:12 2007

** (nautilus:6399): WARNING **: Can not caclulate _NET_NUMBER_OF_DESKTOPS

** (nautilus:6399): WARNING **: Can not calculate _NET_NUMBER_OF_DESKTOPS

** (nautilus:6399): WARNING **: Can not get _NET_WORKAREA

** (nautilus:6399): WARNING **: Can not determine workarea, guessing at layout
alarm-notify.c:368 (alarm_notify_new) - Alarm Notify New
 alarm-notify.c:304 (alarm_channel_setup) - Channel Setup
 alarm-notify.c:243 (alarm_notify_init) - Initing Alarm Notify
alarm-queue.c:1875 (alarm_queue_init)
alarm-queue.c:218 (queue_midnight_refresh) - Refresh at Tue May 1 00:00:00 2007

alarm-notify.c:220 (load_calendars) - Loading Calendar file:///home/paul/.evolution/calendar/local/system
alarm-notify.c:456 (alarm_notify_add_calendar) file:///home/paul/.evolution/calendar/local/system - Calendar Open Async.....

[Pifpaf (pifpafe)]

Hi,
I have the same problem and "bad" login don't have ~/.xsession file
so which script launch metacity? and why is not loaded for a specific user?
The problem appears when I have try to load fglrx driver and came back to radeon
bye

[Pifpaf (pifpafe)]

Ok finally I have resolved the problem:
I opened a terminal and launch metacity, the window manager.
Then all windows are correct. Then I stopped metacity by Ctrl+C and it restarted automatically.
And Everything is fine.

[Pifpaf (pifpafe)]

In fact this resolved the problem for the next 3 or 4 sessions, then Metacity does not launch automaticaly ...

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

looks like you a storing a session without a window manager running which would not be a bug but an user error

[PaulT (p-thorne)]

That is incorrect. The result of the bug was the window manager not running. I did nothing explicit to cause the window manager to crash. Before my upgrade to the current version, I had a stable desktop and had no problems with the Metacity Window Manager. I have not had any more occurrences of this bug.

Sebastien Bacher <email address hidden> wrote: looks like you a storing a session without a window manager running
which would not be a bug but an user error

** Changed in: metacity (Ubuntu)
Importance: Undecided => Low
Assignee: (unassigned) => Ubuntu Desktop Bugs
Status: Confirmed => Incomplete

--
windows applet says window manager "unknown"
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/109835
You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
of the bug.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

is that similar to bug #106350 which has been fixed then?

[PaulT (p-thorne)]

Sebastien Bacher wrote:
> is that similar to bug #106350 which has been fixed then?
>
>
It sounds similar. I have not had any further problems - keeping
Ubuntu up to date with patches.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

marking it duplicate