The problem was in the .gconf/apps directory. I don't know what file, but
when I removed that directory I was able to login with my old account. I
still get that annoying error dialog whenever I log in, but at least all I
have to do is close it and I can use my system again.

Ahhhhh....the joys of running Debian testing!

Mark

On Mon, Aug 17, 2009 at 6:55 AM, Mark Phillips
<mark@phillipsmarketing.biz>wrote:

> I ran my usual apt-get update apt-get dist-upgrade last night on my Debian
> squeeze system. There were no errors, and when I rebooted, I was able to
> login, but gnome (1) generated an error message and (2) I only got as far as
> my wallpaper and items on the Desktop. No menu bar (just white band) and no
> panel at the bottom of the screen. I tried dpkg-reconfigure gnome, but gnome
> had been removed! So I reinstalled it, and still the same problem. Any
> suggestions where to look for the problem or how to fix it? Right now my
> main machine is no more than a paperweight!
>
> The gnome error message:
>
> There was an error starting the GNOME Settings Daemon.
>
> Some things, such as themes, sounds, or background settings may not work
> correctly.
>
> The last error message was:
>
> Did not receive a reply. Possible causes include: the remote application
> did not send a reply, the message bus security policy blocked the reply, the
> reply timeout expired, or the network connection was broken.
>
> GNOME will still try to restart the Settings Daemon next time you log in.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Mark
>
> P.S. Iupdated three other machines the same way. This same error message
> appears sometimes on those machines, but gnome manages to get everthing
> running in spite of it. This is the first failure to actually load the menu
> bar and panel.
>