puppy 5.2.5 loss of openbox configuration

[MrDurtal]

Twice now, I have lost access to openbox configuration while using Puppy Linux 5.2.5 after an unexepcted Xwindows crash. Once using a live-usb and once while running the .exe version on Windows. I was using artwiz theme. Any known bugs/fixes? Cannot get back into openbox...non-responsive from menu. The command line instructions failed when seeking to restart xwindows. In JWM at present. Love the distro.

[MrDurtal]

I have reloaded several times and nothing changes. I end up in JWM, but the reboot and shutdown buttons do not work. I have to kill processes to get fbpanel to shut down and allow access to system tray. The windowsmanager switcher does not work in either menu or terminal modes (woops, not supported is the message at terminal). Trying to launch openbox session returns "window manager" already running as can be seen in htop (jwm). To shutdown must kill jwm process. I've had a quick look at various *rc files, but cannot see anything glaringly obvious at this point. The search continues.

[MrDurtal]

I still do not know what put me in limbo between JWM and Openbox. However, I found a workaround to get back into Openbox fully functional. The hint came from here <http://www.diddywahdiddy.net/LupuNews/index4.html> regarding the wmswitcher. However, ctl+alt+del would not work. So, back to htop to shut down the jwm process and drop to root. Keyed in "xwin openbox" before the system shutdown and, voila, she came back up in openbox. Just had to reconfigure the pbpanel. Now, I just have the cpu display running all of the time. Oh, well. You can't always get what you want. Oh, wait a minute, I know what I have forgotten to do...must exit from the main tab to keep the cpu item false. That does it! Back to normal.

[bigpup]

Next time you get a crash like this, try this:

File system check at terminal
Drive to be checked must be unmounted.
Drive id to reflect what drive to check.

e2fsck /dev/sda1

Most of the time, when Puppy does a hard crash, the file system gets corrupted.
This check will find and correct the problem.

You can also do this:

If you use a boot loader to boot Puppy.
Adding pfix=fsck to boot entry

One thing you can do to prevent corruption.
In Rox filer (file manager)
Find the file menu.lst
open the file menu.lst in a text editor
Go to the entry for Puppy
add pfix=fsck to the end of the kernel line

That will do a file system check each time you boot up. If anything is found, it will correct.

Example:
may not look exactly like yours.

title Luci 256 (sda2)
find --set-root --ignore-floppies --ignore-cd /luci_256.sfs
kernel /vmlinuz pmedia=atahd pfix=fsck
initrd /initrd.gz

[Béèm]

Also always report the type of installation and the way you operate.
This is primordial information to get quality answers.

[MrDurtal]

Thanks much for getting back to me. Something to do and something to remember for next time.

This install was on an Acer Externa 2300 laptop (Rev 1) 32 bits with puppy installed on windows partition (NTFS this was actually wrong; the PUPPYSTATE file indicates VFAT) using .exe file;.bootloaded with grub. Acer bios 3A07.

Intel(R) Celeron(R) M processor 1500Mz clock at 400 Mhz.

Using 200 MB of memory out of 497 (512) Mb. 2x DIMM SRAM Sync 333 Mhz 64 bits.

SCSI Disk: ATA HTS424040M9AT00 Matshita UJ-831D
Linux 2.6.33.2 (i686)
C Library GNU C Lib. ver. 2.11.1 (stable)
C Compiler GNU C Compiler ver 4.4.3
Puppy LInux 0.52
ACPI Video Driver
Intel Corp 82852/855GM Integrated Graphics device (rev 02)

Was clicking on a book descriptor on Amazon.com with Foxfire 4.0.1 browser the second time. Cannot remember what happened the first time. The first time I was running on a Compaq desktop with USB on ext4.

[MrDurtal]

After experimenting with Puppy 5.2.5 and 2.16, it is clear that the message about how to restart xwin may not be appropriate for those of us who have been running Openbox.

In 5.2.5 the message is something like xwin [fvwm95] jwm where the items in [ ] indicates options. In 2.16 it is something like xwin [fvwm95 | jwm].

I think that this instruction puts you in limbo btwn JWM and Openbox, if you started with Openbox.

The way back for me was to drop out of xwindows and to key in wxim openbox. This allowed me to return to Openbox.

I know this seems bleedingly obvious, but it wasn't so obvious in the middle of the muddle.

If it helps someone, good.

Thanks again for the assist.