HOWTO: correctly install/remove k/x/ed/ubuntu-desktop packages

[user1397]

This how-to is for correctly installing and/or removing the x/k/ed/ubuntu-desktop meta packages.

NOTE: No matter what distribution you have installed (ubuntu/kubuntu/xubuntu/edubuntu), you can have all four meta packages at the same time, and switch between them all the time.

NOTE: Meta packages are just packages that point to many other packages. So, if you remove the ubuntu-desktop package (with apt-get or synaptic) even though you have ubuntu installed, nothing will happen. All the packages will remain there, just the pointer ubuntu-desktop package will be gone, but essentially nothing will be removed. If installed with aptitude, like this guide, the meta package does get completely removed, along with all the packages it points to.

This is the best way to do it, because it is a lot easier to remove one of the desktop environments later using this method, if you don't want one of them anymore.

First of all, open a terminal:
gnome (ubuntu/edubuntu): Applications > Accessories > Terminal
kde (kubuntu): KMenu > System > Konsole
xfce (xubuntu): Applications > Terminal

The Guide

Ubuntu (Gnome):
To install:

sudo aptitude update&&sudo aptitude install ubuntu-desktop

To remove it:

sudo aptitude remove ubuntu-desktop

Kubuntu (Kde):
To install:

sudo aptitude update&&sudo aptitude install kubuntu-desktop

To remove it:

sudo aptitude remove kubuntu-desktop

Xubuntu (Xfce):
To install:

sudo aptitude update&&sudo aptitude install xubuntu-desktop

To remove it:

sudo aptitude remove xubuntu-desktop

Edubuntu (Gnome also):
To install:

sudo aptitude update&&sudo aptitude install edubuntu-desktop

To remove it:

sudo aptitude remove edubuntu-desktop

NOTE: Again to emphasize, since we used aptitude to install these packages, all packages will be removed, not just the meta package.

Also, if you installed the following using apt-get (which is what synaptic package manager uses) instead of aptitude, you might want to try these guides to get rid of all extra packages that came bundled with the desktop environment packages:
To have pure gnome go here
For pure kde go here
For pure xfce go here

Helpful Stuff:

To login using a different desktop environment, you would log out, choose options > session, and choose your desktop environment of choice. You can make it your default or not if you want to.

NOTE: If you install the k/x/ed/ubuntu-desktop package, there's a little bug where the splash screen (the boot-up and shut-down screen) gets taken over by any of the other desktop environments you have installed. If you want your old splash screen back, just paste this into a terminal:

sudo update-alternatives --config usplash-artwork.so

Choose usplash-default.so for the default brown ubuntu splash, or choose whichever one you like. Then paste this:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure linux-image-`uname -r`

and you're all set.

To change your default display manager (login window), paste this if you have x/ed/ubuntu:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure gdm

or this if you have kubuntu:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure kdm

and choose whichever one you would like.

[rav]

i tried to install kde and got this error please help me

RReading package lists... 0
%


Reading package lists... 10
0%

Reading package lists... Done


Building dependency tree... 0%

Building dependency tree... Done


Reading extended state information... 0
%
Reading extended state information... 95
%

Reading extended state information


Initializing package states... 0%



Initializing package states... Done

Couldn't find any package whose name or description matched "kubuntu-desktop"
The following packages have been kept back:
base-config binutils binutils-static bogofilter bogofilter-bdb
bogofilter-common cpio eog evms evms-ncurses fetchmail firefox
firefox-gnome-support gdm gimp gimp-data gimp-python gnupg gthumb
gtk2-engines-pixbuf info irssi-text libcairo2 libcurl3 libevms-2.5
libfreetype6 libgd2-noxpm libgda2-3 libgda2-common libgimp2.0 libgnutls11
libgtk2.0-0 libgtk2.0-bin libgtk2.0-common libkpathsea3 libmagick6
libmysqlclient12 libmysqlclient14 libnspr4 libnss3 libperl5.8
libpoppler0c2 libpoppler0c2-glib libpq4 librpm4 libsasl2 libsasl2-modules
libsmbclient libssl0.9.7 libtasn1-2 libtiff4 libtotem-plparser0 linux-386
linux-image-386 linux-restricted-modules-386
linux-restricted-modules-common login mysql-common openoffice.org2
openoffice.org2-base openoffice.org2-calc openoffice.org2-common
openoffice.org2-core openoffice.org2-draw openoffice.org2-evolution
openoffice.org2-gnome openoffice.org2-impress openoffice.org2-java-common
openoffice.org2-l10n-en-us openoffice.org2-math openoffice.org2-writer
openssh-client passwd perl perl-base perl-modules pmount ppp python-pgsql
python-uno python2.4-pgsql rhythmbox rpm samba-common serpentine
smbclient ssh-askpass-gnome sudo tar totem totem-gstreamer ttf-opensymbol
unzip wget x-window-system-core xbase-clients xchat xchat-common
xorg-common xserver-common xserver-xorg xserver-xorg-core
xserver-xorg-driver-apm xserver-xorg-driver-ark xserver-xorg-driver-ati
xserver-xorg-driver-chips xserver-xorg-driver-cirrus
xserver-xorg-driver-cyrix xserver-xorg-driver-dummy
xserver-xorg-driver-fbdev xserver-xorg-driver-glide
xserver-xorg-driver-glint xserver-xorg-driver-i128
xserver-xorg-driver-i740 xserver-xorg-driver-i810
xserver-xorg-driver-imstt xserver-xorg-driver-mga
xserver-xorg-driver-neomagic xserver-xorg-driver-newport
xserver-xorg-driver-nsc xserver-xorg-driver-nv
xserver-xorg-driver-rendition xserver-xorg-driver-s3
xserver-xorg-driver-s3virge xserver-xorg-driver-savage
xserver-xorg-driver-siliconmotion xserver-xorg-driver-sis
xserver-xorg-driver-tdfx xserver-xorg-driver-tga
xserver-xorg-driver-trident xserver-xorg-driver-tseng
xserver-xorg-driver-v4l xserver-xorg-driver-vesa xserver-xorg-driver-vga
xserver-xorg-driver-via xserver-xorg-driver-vmware
xserver-xorg-input-acecad xserver-xorg-input-aiptek
xserver-xorg-input-calcomp xserver-xorg-input-citron
xserver-xorg-input-digitaledge xserver-xorg-input-dmc
xserver-xorg-input-dynapro xserver-xorg-input-elographics
xserver-xorg-input-fpit xserver-xorg-input-hyperpen
xserver-xorg-input-kbd xserver-xorg-input-magellan
xserver-xorg-input-microtouch xserver-xorg-input-mouse
xserver-xorg-input-mutouch xserver-xorg-input-palmax
xserver-xorg-input-penmount xserver-xorg-input-spaceorb
xserver-xorg-input-summa xserver-xorg-input-tek4957
xserver-xorg-input-void xserver-xorg-input-wacom xutils
0 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 159 not upgraded.
Need to get 0B of archives. After unpacking 0B will be used.

Writing extended state information... 0%
Writing extended state information... Done

Reading package lists... 0%

Reading package lists... 100%

Reading package lists... Done

Building dependency tree... 0%

Building dependency tree... Done

Reading extended state information... 0%

Reading extended state information

Initializing package states... 0%

Initializing package states... Done

[user1397]

are you running breezy or dapper?

first follow this guide to get a good sources.list: http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/sources.php

Then maybe you want to try this if you get a GPG error:

# go to apt folder

 cd /etc/apt

# Back up current sources.list

sudo cp sources.list sources.list_backup

# make an empty sources.list

 > sources.list

# update with your empty repositories list

sudo aptitude update

# revert to saved list

sudo cp sources.list_backup sources.list

# update again and this time you should get no errors

sudo aptitude update

[Leigh]

I'm interested in trying Kubuntu and Xubuntu, however, just a question regarding this guide. You advise typing

sudo aptitude update

before doing anything. I am currently running Breezy, will this command upgrade me to Dapper? I'd rather stay with my current set up if possible.

[user1397]

I'm interested in trying Kubuntu and Xubuntu, however, just a question regarding this guide. You advise typing

sudo aptitude update

before doing anything. I am currently running Breezy, will this command upgrade me to Dapper? I'd rather stay with my current set up if possible.

No that command only updates the repository list, it is just like sudo apt-get update, but instead we're using aptitude and not apt. I found aptitude to be more suitable for installing programs in the terminal, because it takes care of dependencies a whole lot better than apt.

The command for upgrading to dapper would be sudo aptitude dist-upgrade, but it is not that simple. You would have to do some other stuff before performing that command to upgrade to dapper. A good guide on that is here: http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/dapper.php

[duaneb]

so how can I set xfce as the default?

[user1397]

so how can I set xfce as the default?

at the login screen, choose options > session > xfce, and then it asks you if you want it to be the default. Select yes and you're ready to go.

[bhoughton]

Went ahead and installed XFCE and KDE as posted above and set up the splash screen to be the Ubuntu default, all worked fine until this morning when I resumed from a hibernation and noticed that the startup is showing Xubuntu and their colors...

How do I change this back to the Ubuntu graphics?

[user1397]

Went ahead and installed XFCE and KDE as posted above and set up the splash screen to be the Ubuntu default, all worked fine until this morning when I resumed from a hibernation and noticed that the startup is showing Xubuntu and their colors...

How do I change this back to the Ubuntu graphics?

do you mean the splash screen (where that little bar progresses to the right and all the processes are starting up)? Or the login screen (where you would type your username and password)? Or both?

[bhoughton]

Sorry, I mean the splash screen "where the little bar progresses to the right and all the processes are starting up".

I was able to change the splash screen with the information provided above.

Thanks...