Just complete apt-get /update/upgrade and my system is bonked!

[Joseph Sinclair]

From the sound of it Nautilus is not starting or failing on startup.
Have you looked at .xsession-errors?  There may be something there about a dbus failure.
Try (from a command-line if you can get a terminal started) running nautilus directly, if that "fixes" the problem, then you know for certain what's failing (you might also get debug output that can help tell you why).
If you can't start Nautilus, try disabling compiz, sometimes that causes problems during upgrades.
I had a similar problem in a stable release, and I had some luck with (via command-line) disabling compiz and dropping back to a simpler graphics driver (kernel drivers first, VESA if those fail).  You might have some luck trying that.
If all else fails, you might need to blow away your gnome configuration files (back them up first!) as suggested by James.


Mark Phillips wrote:
> I am running Debian testing on my laptop. Just completed a routine apt-get
> update apt-get upgrade, and now all my desktop icons are gone and every time
> I access the menus (Applications, Places, System) the upper and lower menu
> bars disappear and then come back. I am writing this email in a browser
> window, so once an application is launched it seems to work OK.
> 
> I have no idea where to start debugging this problem. Any suggestions are
> welcome!
> 
> Mark
> 
> P.S. I am running gnome, not KDE. Also, I cannot right click on the desktop
> - nothing happens.
> 
> 
> 
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