Mageia forum

This is after a fresh install of MGA2 on an old Dell Inspiron. I have done this a dozen times before while MGA2 was still Cauldron, but this is the first time I have used a fresh release DVD iso download.

After a minimal installation with LXDE as the desktop of choice and all of the big ones de-selected I booted to a completely clean desktop with no default icons and NOTHING in the Mageia menu. I tried running update-menus, but that did nothing other than complain about something to do with ICEWM. I didn't realise that had been included in the installation, so I removed it and tried again.

This time no complaint, of any kind, but no result either.

Can anyone save me some time in trying to figure out what is missing? I'll worry about why it is missing later, but I need this machine running well for an inexperienced user as soon as ever so possible.

Thanks

Richard

EDIT
Bug filed: Bug 6993
The workaround is move lxpanel away from the top of the screen. Anywhere but the top, the Mageia menu displays just fine.
EDIT UPDATE
winstontea... has a solution using Cauldron repo. See lower down.

Please show the output of

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rpm -qa | grep lxde

For comparison, here's a list of packages when trying to install task-lxde from a rather default KDE install:

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[doktor5000@Mageia2 ~]$ LC_ALL=C up task-lxde
To satisfy dependencies, the following packages are going to be installed:
  Package                        Version      Release       Arch   
(medium "Core Updates")
  lxde-common                    0.5.5        9.1.mga2      x86_64 
  xarchiver                      0.5.2        9.1.mga2      x86_64  (suggested)
(medium "Core 32bit Release")
  arj                            3.10.22      7.mga2        i586    (suggested)
  gpicview                       0.2.2        1.mga2        i586    (suggested)
  leafpad                        0.8.18.1     2.mga2        i586    (suggested)
  lha                            1.14i        22.mga2       i586    (suggested)
  libaudit1                      2.1.3        1.mga2        i586    (suggested)
  libbzip2_1                     1.0.6        1.mga2        i586   
  libconsolekit0                 0.4.5        4.mga2        i586    (suggested)
  libcrack2                      2.8.18       1.mga2        i586    (suggested)
  libdbnss4.8                    4.8.30       8.mga2        i586    (suggested)
  libfm                          0.1.17       1.mga2        i586   
  libfm1                         0.1.17       1.mga2        i586   
  libgif4                        4.1.6        9.mga2        i586   
  libglade2.0_0                  2.6.4        6.mga2        i586   
  libid3tag0                     0.15.1b      11.mga1       i586   
  libimlib2_1                    1.4.5        2.mga2        i586   
  libimlib2_1-filters            1.4.5        2.mga2        i586   
  libimlib2_1-loaders            1.4.5        2.mga2        i586   
  libmenu-cache1                 0.3.2        3.mga2        i586   
  libnotify                      0.7.5        1.mga2        i586   
  libnotify4                     0.7.5        1.mga2        i586   
  libobrender27                  3.5.0        7.mga2        i586   
  libobt0                        3.5.0        7.mga2        i586   
  libpam0                        1.1.5        1.mga2        i586    (suggested)
  libstartup-notification-1_0    0.12         3.mga2        i586   
  libxcb-util0                   0.3.8        3.mga2        i586   
  libxmu6                        1.1.1        1.mga2        i586    (suggested)
  libxt6                         1.1.2        2.mga2        i586    (suggested)
  libxxf86misc1                  1.0.3        2.mga2        i586    (suggested)
  lxappearance                   0.5.1        1.mga2        i586   
  lxde-icon-theme                0.0.1        2.mga1        noarch 
  lxdm                           0.4.1        11.mga2       i586    (suggested)
  lxdm-theme-mageia              2            1.mga2        noarch  (suggested)
  lxpanel                        0.5.8        7.mga2        i586   
  lxrandr                        0.1.2        3.mga2        i586    (suggested)
  lxsession                      0.4.6.1      3.mga2        i586   
  lxsession-edit                 0.2.0        2.mga2        i586    (suggested)
  lxtask                         0.1.4        1.mga2        i586    (suggested)
  lxterminal                     0.1.11       1.mga2        i586   
  mageia-lxde-config-Default     0.6.2        1.mga2        noarch 
  menu-cache                     0.3.2        3.mga2        i586   
  obconf                         2.0.3        9.mga2        i586   
  openbox                        3.5.0        7.mga2        i586   
  pcmanfm                        0.9.10       1.mga2        i586   
  task-lxde                      2            7.mga2        noarch 
  xscreensaver                   5.15         4.mga2        i586    (suggested)
(medium "Core 32bit Updates")
  libvte9                        0.28.2       4.1.mga2      i586   
20MB of additional disk space will be used.
9.9MB of packages will be retrieved.
Proceed with the installation of the 48 packages? (Y/n)

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[richard@HotDell ~]$ rpm -qa | grep lxde
task-lxde-2-7.mga2
lxde-common-0.5.5-9.1.mga2
lxde-icon-theme-0.0.1-2.mga1


Lean & mean. This was a quick (as in "I did it in a rush") install from DVD. Left out everything I could think of which would not be absolutely necessary to get to a desktop and pick applications at my leisure. It seems I may have left out rather too much (though Pulseaudio still managed to find a way on).

Nevertheless, it works with the applications I have installed, including Opera + Flash for using the BBC iPlayer.
The pcmanfm menu://applications/ "directory" shows all of the applications which should be in the Mageia menu.

Just for completeness here is a slightly deeper search

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[richard@HotDell ~]$ rpm -qa | grep ^lx
lxrandr-0.1.2-3.mga2
lxdm-theme-mageia-2-1.mga2
lxterminal-0.1.11-1.mga2
lxsession-0.4.6.1-3.mga2
lxdm-0.4.1-11.mga2
lxde-common-0.5.5-9.1.mga2
lxde-icon-theme-0.0.1-2.mga1
lxtask-0.1.4-1.mga2
lxappearance-0.5.1-1.mga2
lxpanel-0.5.8-7.mga2


R

With no great feeling of optimism I checked for the presence on the installed system of all of the LXDE requirements referenced in doktor5000's reply. All were present & correct.

Next I installed another desktop - IceWM - and found that its menu was full and intact.

Then I removed all of lxde (incl. lxdm) and risked a complete wipe of all auto-orphans (bye-bye pulseaudio!). I also deleted all lxde-related config files from my user home and removed openbox.

With no-suggests in urpmi.cfg I re-installed openbox and task-lxde, and the "suggests" which are useful on low-power hardware.

On logging on to the LXDE desktop I first put the panel back where it belongs and then checked the menu - still empty.

After some web searching I discovered the lxde wiki page where they had a recommendation on what to do if the menu is missing. I did it, but no improvement.

Then I saw a (ubuntu I think) discussion about the self-same problem back last November or thereabouts. It seems it is well-known by some that lxpanel 0.5.8 has a problem displaying the menu, but only when the panel is at the top of the screen.

That's where it lives on my systems, but all my x86_64 installations of Mageia2 and LXDE are perfect (ok, nearly perfect). So, I moved the panel on th i586 laptop to the bottom and to the sides of the screen and the menu displays perfectly!

So, I have a less-than-perfect workaround - just keep the panel off the top of the screen until this is fixed. It has been known since last year so maybe the wait won't be too long.

R

Activate the Cauldron repos

do as root

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urpmi lxpanel

deactivate the Cauldron repos.

Now you have lxpanel 0.5.9 and the menue also works on the top of the screen

cheers,
Bernd

Wow, thanks. That is sweet. Who needs Backports when we can use Cauldron?
(with just a hint of irony).

Still, I think it would be wrong to say that the solution is a FIX. I think you'd agree it is still a workaround (albeit an absolutely perfect workaround, barely discernible from a fix) UNTIL we get it into BACKPORTS whence the average newbie can safely install it.

R

Of course it's a workaround. It's also dangerous - update only lxpanel, nothing else ... working with Cauldron sometimes brings some interesting surprises ...
(Aahh! 2345 new updates? Great .... 2344 updates later: Oooh! An error! ... what the ... anyway, let's reboot..... During rebooting: AAAAAARGH!!! ..... )
So you are right - that's nothing for the average newbie.

cheers,

Bernd

I therefore suggest the topic title should be changed by removing the prefix.
The problem is not solved as such, and the workaround is quite risky as noticed.

Roger that

R