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I get a blank desktop after logging in on Lubuntu 14.04. Have tried following this wonderful guide (among others), but it doesn't work for me. I have installed Unity and enabled it, but maybe this doesn't do the trick because it's Lubuntu?

I also tried installing Xfce environment, but I don't get anything on the desktop then either.

I should add that I'm still not good at Linux and noticed that I have managed to remove several paths from my PATH variable when setting it (shortly before these problems appeared). Just though I'd mention if it could have anything to do with my problems.

Also, I can only get to the terminal by Ctrl + Alt + F1 and right clicking on desktop doesn't do anything.

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Ingrid
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  • There's no point adding Unity to Lubuntu. I think you may have a botched install or corrupt download. – TheWanderer Jul 04 '16 at 18:17
  • Did you try any of the other answers to the linked question? There are multiple possible causes and solutions. Anyway, are you sure you're using the Unity desktop? It doesn't come with Lubuntu by default because the latter uses LXDE as desktop environment. If you do have Unity, how did you install it? That may be part of the problem. – David Foerster Jul 04 '16 at 19:13
  • Thanks @DavidFoerster! I didn't have the unity desktop to start with, but was using Lubuntu as it is normally set up, i.e. with LXDE. I have now installed Unity but as I said it doesn't help me. Tried installing LXDE (lubuntu-desktop) and rebooting, but logging in to Lubuntu after this made no difference. – Ingrid Jul 05 '16 at 12:24
  • Thanks @Zacharee1! Good to know Unity won't help me. The installation has worked previously so I don't think it should be anything to do with that. Didn't update before my problems (at least no major update). – Ingrid Jul 05 '16 at 12:25
  • @DavidFoerster I have checked out the other answers to the linked question, but they all have to do with Unity and/or Compiz, which I've already tried and doesn't work on Lubuntu. – Ingrid Jul 05 '16 at 12:57
  • Apparently we misunderstood each other: I tried to express in my previous comment that the linked question focuses on issues with Unity and is unlikely to help with issues of other desktop environments. – David Foerster Jul 05 '16 at 12:58
  • Ah, ok! I haven't found any working solutions specifically for Lubuntu I'm afraid, but will try again. – Ingrid Jul 05 '16 at 13:01

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My speculations about the problem having to do with the PATH variable in fact turned out to be correct. I had added a new path in the file /etc/environment, but instead of adding it to the end of the already existing row with paths, I added it as a new line afterwards (as I wasn't sure how it should be done and just thought I'd give it a try).

Apparently this gave rise to the problem of not getting any icons or being able to do anything from my desktop (as well as a lot of other problems I'm sure, that I probably would have noticed had I actually been able to do something!).

Ingrid
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