xfce4 does not load on normal ubuntu-desktop

[Theo]

I have installed a fresh Ubuntu 8.04 desktop (the normal GNOME-based version). I then added xubuntu-desktop and all of its dependencies from Synaptic so I could log in under XFCE4 as a different user (also creating the user, of course). When I log out or switch user, then log in as this intended XFCE4 user (selecting XFCE for the session), I get a plain light blue screen (I guess light blue is the default background color for XFCE) and a movable cursor, but nothing else. No panels, no menus, no icons. I can move the cursor around, but no right-click or drag highlighting abilities.

I am on an AMD64 desktop system. As I said, I am starting from a base Ubuntu system, installing XFCE4 through xubuntu-desktop.

[Xan (dxpublica)]

Hi,

I have the problem of "blue screen" with the same user.
I installed Ubuntu 7.10 desktop (normal gnome based version). I installed xfdesktop4 and xubuntu-default-settings.
I updated from 7.10 to 8.04 and when I log into xfce4, then sometimes (1) it shows me only a blue screen as you said.

(1): at least every 2 times aprox.. When I get blue screen, I restart x window system (ctrl+alt+backspace) and login another time, and no blue screen appear (normal boot).

[Xan (dxpublica)]

Personally, I will change title: "(8.04) xfce shows only blue screen" and then switch to confirmed.

[primefalcon (primefalcon)]

I just ran into the same problem.

and its also changed my splash/login screen to xubuntu

and not sure how to get it back since I can't use xfce anyhow

[primefalcon (primefalcon)]

Just as an extra note I am also running 32 bit vesion on this problem is confined to the 64bit version

[primefalcon (primefalcon)]

sorry tired, bad grammar....

I am running the 32bit version of Ubuntu 8.04 hardy heron, This problem is not confined to the 64 bit version

[Geoff123 (gsking1)]

Confirmed. Running Hardy 32bit version. Mine is the orange ubuntu background not blue, but sounds like the same problem.

[yaztromo (tromo)]

+1 Confirmed.

This is a ubuntu machine with xubuntu-desktop installed from the repos. XFCE blank screens after login most times and now Gnome does it every so often too.

[uwe (maabdulhaq)]

i have the same problem on fresh install of ubuntu 8.04 on 32bit machine, got xfce4 by installing xubuntu-desktop via apt.

[uwe (maabdulhaq)]

also if i kill dbus-launch , xfce resumes loading and i get a message about HAL initialization

[uwe (maabdulhaq)]

i suggest to set the importance of this bug to important or something, since it effects the usability of the system "at all" for those who decide to switch from gnome to xfce4

[mooglinux (mooglinux)]

another one having the same troubles. fresh 64-bit 8.04 install, install xubuntu-desktop and when i try to start xfce it sticks at an orange screen.

[Pravin Paratey (pravinp)]

+1. Happens with me too. Didn't happen in 7.10.

I have to kill X (by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Bksp) and then try logging in a few more times. Usually the 2nd or the 3rd try is successful. Sometimes it takes as many as 4-5 tries.

[Hal Canary (halcanary)]

Happens to me too. What's going on?

[maybememe (bryan-berndt)]

same issue over here
64 bit hardy 8.04 install xubuntu-desktop to use lightning fast xfce and now its blue when i start an xfce session
the mouse moves but no panels or anything else
just a blank blue background with a mous pointer

[yaztromo (tromo)]

Not only that but when I do manage to get it to load every 3rd or 4th attempt, xfce will not mount any hot-plugged drives complaining about permissions. Maybe this is a hal problem?

[Gee T (g-tomkins)]

Have the same problems - it seems very erratic- xfce ran fine recently for about a week and assumed one of the upgrades had fixed it - now its "blank blue and the mouse " again - using 8.04. The hibernate function is now failing too.
Gnome runs fine but I don't want to default back to that. Killing X ? Don't need to - just re try a few times and it MAY work !

[jokoon (jorinovski)]

Same problem here, on a power pc machine, I even removed ubuntu-desktop, xfce worked then, but I put ubuntu-desktop again, and I had the same problem...
I love xfce :(

[Malte (malte-m)]

Little minutes of research give already some insight.

/usr/share/xsessions/xfce4.desktop contains a line saying

  Exec: startxfce4

A quick look at .xsession-errors reveals that this command tries to start an X server even though there is already an X server running gdm. Looks like startxfce4 is the wrong command to start a session.