Just testing I changed my desktop settings and NOT for the better. Now when I right click on the desktop a instead of Desktop settings, I get as small menu of applications pops up. It has only part of the programs in the applications menu on bottom left. When I select System from that menu, then I select Desktop settings, but when I click on it I get an error.
The top title is Openbox and in box it says:
Failed to execute child process “lxsession-default” (no such file or directory)
HELP
How do I get it back to the default desktop for Lununtu new install???
You haven’t provided basic information such as your release of Lubuntu which doesn’t help (the lxsession reference implies 18.04 to me, however it’s best if we’re told rather than educated/uneducated guesses).
I wonder if you’ve just logged into an “Openbox” session instead of the normal “Lubuntu” one, if so logout & then change the session (session changed near the top right on my Lubuntu 18.04 LTS setup).
It’ll depend where/what you mucked up your desktop settings as to what to fix, if it’s a package related a simple
sudo apt install --reinstall lubuntu-desktop
will cause your Lubuntu desktop package to be re-downloaded and re-installed. That however will not impact or reverse configuration settings made to files in your $HOME or user directory (neither generally will a re-install keeping user configurations through no-format of partition(s)), but as it’s quick & easy, it’s likely one of the first things I may try.
My approach may differ if I remembered what I did though (do you? can you give details? refresh your memory by viewing your history (it’ll display command history) or looking in /var/log/apt/history.log to view package changes regardless if done by command and/or GUI package tool.
THANKS
My problem was that I right clicked on Desktop and was trying different things to see the effect.
On Desktop Preference Advanced tab I changed “Show menus provided by windows managers when desktop is clicked” THAT was my mistake.
So then a right click on Desktop showed a small pop up menu of the various applications. Desktop preferences no longer are available (that selection does not work).
I have changed it back and all is well, but it took some time to find Desktop Preferences.
Several of the applications on that popup desktop applications menu do not work.
For example on popup Desktop application menu the option Desktop Settings option does not work, nor does the File Manager.
On the normal application menu on bottom left of screen has PCManFM-QT as an option and it works fine.
So the answer is Do Not change the normal desktop preferences.
I’ve done that too, in the past (I bet a lot of us have done it, some of us more than once)
FYI: I also suspect a re-install without erasing your config/setup would not have changed anything, your altered setup (saved in your user directory) being respected and thus survived the re-install.
