How to gain control over the system?

From	Kaj Persson <70147persson@telia.com>
Newsgroups	linux.debian.user
Subject	How to gain control over the system?
Date	2017-07-09 00:10 +0200
Message-ID	<u165l-7NM-35@gated-at.bofh.it> (permalink)
Organization	linux.* mail to news gateway

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Hi all,

Anyone having an idea how to get back the command over my desktop, 
including the panels? Until two weeks ago I ran Debian 8 ("jessie"), but 
after a unsuccessful clean-up operation the whole system became totally 
corrupted, and I decided to to a complete new install of the new Debian 
9 ("stretch") and Mate (which I was using in jessie too). I was using 
the live DVD put on a memory stick. All went fine, and the system 
started without problems. I was happy to notice that I could now use the 
Nouveau driver for the screen. Until now I have had to use the nVidia 
driver certainly without problems, but it is good being able to use free 
software.

But now I discovered an issue, I cannot manage my desktop. I have always 
at the previous installations, and they are quite many now, been advised 
to, for security reason, leave the root password unset, which causes the 
root account go passive, and for all tasks where I need root authority I 
go via su/sudo. It has always worked fine, and this using su/sudo still 
does. But I cannot control the panels, I have two of them, one on top 
intended for icons of my most used programs, as a kind of favourite 
menu, and one at bottom where the active programmes appear as buttons. 
The bottom panel is working mostly as I want, but I cannot add new apps 
to it, e.g. the window switch, I used to have. And I cannot add the 
program icons to top panel. Via a right click on a program menu item I 
have the option "Put this to the panel" (well, possibly not the correct 
words, this is a home made translation from my Swedish version), but, 
when trying to select that, nothing happens.

However the related options to save icon to the desktop works fine, and 
I can also sort the icons to what I find useful, but it does not survive 
a cold start. All the icons come back in some kind of default order, 
which I have not been able found out. It is at least not alphabetic.

So can someone help me get the command back, or do I have to make a new 
reinstall, hoping for better luck. Possibly setting a password on the 
Admin, hence activating that account, which I would prefer not having to.

Thank you in advance
Kaj

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Thread

How to gain control over the system? Kaj Persson <70147persson@telia.com> - 2017-07-09 00:10 +0200
  Re: How to gain control over the system? Oflameo <oflameo2@gmail.com> - 2017-07-09 00:30 +0200
    Re: How to gain control over the system? Fungi4All <fungilife@protonmail.com> - 2017-07-09 01:00 +0200
      Re: How to gain control over the system? Anders Andersson <pipatron@gmail.com> - 2017-07-09 11:30 +0200
        Re: How to gain control over the system? Dejan Jocic <jodejka@gmail.com> - 2017-07-09 12:00 +0200
  Re: How to gain control over the system? davidson@freevolt.org - 2017-07-09 01:30 +0200
    Re: How to gain control over the system? Fungi4All <fungilife@protonmail.com> - 2017-07-09 12:10 +0200
      Re: How to gain control over the system? Richard Owlett <rowlett@cloud85.net> - 2017-07-09 13:50 +0200
  Re: How to gain control over the system? Kaj Persson <70147persson@telia.com> - 2017-07-09 15:10 +0200
    Re: How to gain control over the system? [a security-side-note] Eike Lantzsch <zp6cge@gmx.net> - 2017-07-09 16:00 +0200
      Re: How to gain control over the system? [a security-side-note] Dejan Jocic <jodejka@gmail.com> - 2017-07-09 16:20 +0200
    Re: How to gain control over the system? Fungi4All <fungilife@protonmail.com> - 2017-07-09 19:00 +0200
      Re: How to gain control over the system? Kaj Persson <70147persson@telia.com> - 2017-07-09 19:10 +0200
        Re: How to gain control over the system? Kaj Persson <70147persson@telia.com> - 2017-07-09 23:40 +0200
    Re: How to gain control over the system? Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2017-07-10 01:40 +0200
      Re: How to gain control over the system? Kaj Persson <70147persson@telia.com> - 2017-07-11 22:40 +0200
        Re: How to gain control over the system? David Wright <deblis@lionunicorn.co.uk> - 2017-07-11 23:00 +0200
          Re: How to gain control over the system? Greg Wooledge <wooledg@eeg.ccf.org> - 2017-07-11 23:10 +0200
        Re: How to gain control over the system? Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2017-07-12 03:50 +0200
          Re: How to gain control over the system? Greg Wooledge <wooledg@eeg.ccf.org> - 2017-07-12 14:30 +0200
          Re: How to gain control over the system? Kaj Persson <kape_fin@algonet.se> - 2017-07-13 12:30 +0200
            Re: How to gain control over the system? <tomas@tuxteam.de> - 2017-07-13 13:20 +0200
              Re: How to gain control over the system? Fungi4All <fungilife@protonmail.com> - 2017-07-13 14:20 +0200
                Re: How to gain control over the system? <tomas@tuxteam.de> - 2017-07-13 15:20 +0200
              Re: How to gain control over the system? tomas@tuxteam.de - 2017-07-13 15:20 +0200
                Re: How to gain control over the system? David Wright <deblis@lionunicorn.co.uk> - 2017-07-13 16:30 +0200
  Re: How to gain control over the system? Jimmy Johnson <field.engineer@gmail.com> - 2017-07-09 22:30 +0200
    Re: How to gain control over the system? Kaj Persson <kape_fin@algonet.se> - 2017-07-10 00:40 +0200
      Re: How to gain control over the system? Jimmy Johnson <field.engineer@gmail.com> - 2017-07-10 00:50 +0200
      Re: How to gain control over the system? Joel Rees <joel.rees@gmail.com> - 2017-07-10 03:10 +0200
      Re: How to gain control over the system? Dejan Jocic <jodejka@gmail.com> - 2017-07-10 10:00 +0200
      Re: How to gain control over the system? RavenLX <ravenlx@sitesplace.net> - 2017-07-12 14:40 +0200
        Re: How to gain control over the system? <tomas@tuxteam.de> - 2017-07-12 15:30 +0200
          Re: How to gain control over the system? RavenLX <ravenlx@sitesplace.net> - 2017-07-16 15:50 +0200
            Re: How to gain control over the system? <tomas@tuxteam.de> - 2017-07-16 16:50 +0200

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