I have the exact same problem, i also tried to remove and install everything from the start, but gnome still is fucked up.
I don' t know what else to try :(

Any help would be much appricieated

please, watch the language fellas.

Found out what is the problem:
When I introduced the gnome postinstall framework, there was a bug in it. This got fixed in the example package, but when some improvements were made to ghex, the package I've been using for a while to get the framework from, the old bug slipped in again.

I will fix these issues while ugprading packages, in the meanwhile I will provide a script to fix the stuff.

Jan,

when you say the problem will be fixed while upgrading packages, do you mean that you will MAKE upgrades or you'll wait till the respective Gnome packages are upgraded by their developers?

Most packages have been fixed already by providing new versions, for the existing ones I have to look for which are still affected. Whenever I upgrade a package, I look for this bug, so if there are still problematic packages out there that go undetected, those will get fixed with their next upstream version upgrade.

Not sure whether this is related but with gnome-vfs-2.10.1 Nautilus doesn't show CD drives and harddisks anymore. Downgrading to gnome-vfs-2.10.0-2 helps.

Jan, I tried gnome-session again. I still have the problems:
a. I get an XKB Error or sth like it [strange!] only GNOME says about it
b. 'keyboard press event is not repetitive' see a.
c. what I see is not the default GNOME desktop it's like I'm in GNOME1 [no icons, only grey all over etc]

That's why I ask for a virgin GNOME and how to do that. pacman -Rs (even -Rc) doesn't provide me a virgin GNOME.. For the GNOME lovers that suffers from this, try Openbox & pypanel or XFCE4

If you want a virgin Gnome do not forget to delete ~/.gnome and ~/.gnome2. And try pacman -Rcn gnome gnome-extras

For every package that is still buggy, you have to run the attached script. So after installing a complete gnome desktop, running the attached script once is ok. If you install a package afterwards, you have to re-run it again.

I will hunt down the missing packages today, so expect this to be fixed somewhere tomorrow.

Luk I have tried these many times. It seems it's easier to have a virgin woman that a viring gnome these days ;)

Jan, I ran the script it still gives me:
Error activating XKB configuration.
It can happen under various circumstances:
- a bug in libxklavier library
- a bug in X server (xkbcomp, xmodmap utilities)
- X server with incompatible libxkbfile implementation

X server version data:
The X.Org Foundation
60802000

If you report this situation as a bug, please include:
- The result of <b>xprop -root | grep XKB</b>
- The result of <b>gconftool-2 -R /desktop/gnome/peripherals/keyboard/kbd</b>

on booting. GNOME looks really bad [like GNOME1]
keyboard is then f__ed up too. I try to run

€ gnome-keyboard-properties

(gnome-keyboard-properties:5332): capplet-common-WARNING **: NULL GConf value: /desktop/gnome/peripherals/keyboard/repeat: possibly incomplete setup

(gnome-keyboard-properties:5332): capplet-common-WARNING **: NULL GConf value: /desktop/gnome/interface/cursor_blink: possibly incomplete setup

(gnome-keyboard-properties:5332): capplet-common-WARNING **: NULL GConf value: /desktop/gnome/typing_break/enabled: possibly incomplete setup
[nk@Freud ~]€
(gnome-keyboard-properties:5335): capplet-common-WARNING **: NULL GConf value: /desktop/gnome/peripherals/keyboard/repeat: possibly incomplete setup

(gnome-keyboard-properties:5335): capplet-common-WARNING **: NULL GConf value: /desktop/gnome/interface/cursor_blink: possibly incomplete setup

(gnome-keyboard-properties:5335): capplet-common-WARNING **: NULL GConf value: /desktop/gnome/typing_break/enabled: possibly incomplete setup

and it exits there. so keyboard doesn't get repetitive and key shortcuts don't work. [kde works ok so do XFCE4, openbox etc]


gnomemeeting also says:

Gconf key error

GnomeMeeting got an invalid value for the GConf key "/apps/gnomemeeting/general/gconf_test_age".

It probably means that your GConf schemas have not been correctly installed or the that permissions are not correct.

Please check the FAQ (http://www.gnomemeeting.org/faq.php), the throubleshoot section of the GConf site (http://www.gnome.org/projects/gconf/) or the mailing list archives for more information (http://mail.gnome.org) about this problem.

yelp fires up giving
I/O warning : failed to load external entity "/home/nk/.gnome2/yelp-bookmarks.xbel"

(yelp:5496): GLib-CRITICAL **: g_strrstr_len: assertion `haystack != NULL' failed

(yelp:5496): GLib-CRITICAL **: g_strrstr_len: assertion `haystack != NULL' failed
I/O warning : failed to load external entity "Cannot%20write%20to%20log%20file%3A%20/var/log/scrollkeeper.log%20%3A%20Permission%20denied"


and having NONE contents

gnome-mouse-properties

(gnome-mouse-properties:5506): GConf-CRITICAL **: gconf_value_free: assertion `value != NULL' failed

(gnome-mouse-properties:5506): capplet-common-WARNING **: Unable to find a default value for key for /desktop/gnome/peripherals/mouse/double_click.
I'll assume it is an integer, but that may break things.
Please be sure that the associated schema is installed

(gnome-mouse-properties:5506): GConf-CRITICAL **: gconf_value_free: assertion `value != NULL' failed

(gnome-mouse-properties:5506): capplet-common-WARNING **: Unable to find a default value for key for /desktop/gnome/peripherals/mouse/double_click.
I'll assume it is an integer, but that may break things.
Please be sure that the associated schema is installed

(gnome-mouse-properties:5506): GConf-CRITICAL **: gconf_value_free: assertion `value != NULL' failed

(gnome-mouse-properties:5506): capplet-common-WARNING **: Unable to find a default value for key for /desktop/gnome/peripherals/mouse/double_click.
I'll assume it is an integer, but that may break things.
Please be sure that the associated schema is installed

(gnome-mouse-properties:5506): GConf-CRITICAL **: gconf_value_free: assertion `value != NULL' failed

(gnome-mouse-properties:5506): capplet-common-WARNING **: Unable to find a default value for key for /desktop/gnome/peripherals/mouse/double_click.
I'll assume it is an integer, but that may break things.
Please be sure that the associated schema is installed

(gnome-mouse-properties:5506): GConf-CRITICAL **: gconf_value_free: assertion `value != NULL' failed
etc etc

sorry man, at least this time the script runs ok

You need to kill gconfd-2 to notify gnome of the new schemas. Gconfd won't notice them otherwise until the next boot (too bad gconfd-2 isn't shot when you logout most of the times).

About the "virgin" gnome and the panel stuff: an additional bug that should be fixed for gnome-panel-2.10.1-2 wasn't fixed correctly, this is fixed in -3 now.

nope. I tried gconftool-2 --shutdown i tried killall -9 gconfd
I tried then the fix [and before killing it] but nothing works

I still have the same problems.

btw

xprop -root | grep XKB
_XKB_RULES_NAMES_BACKUP(STRING) = "xorg", "pc104", "us,el", ",extended", "grp:alt_shift_toggle"
_XKB_RULES_NAMES(STRING) = "xorg", "pc104", "us,el", ",extended", "grp:alt_shift_toggle"
[nk@Freud tmp]€ gconftool-2 -R /desktop/gnome/peripherals/keyboard/kbd
NOTHING!!

Seems your control-center is a bit broken then, try reinstalling control-center.

For panels that are already fucked up by using the -2 version or earlier for gnome-panel: the panel-default-setup.entries file is only processed on first login. If you want a clean panel like it should be by default, run this as the user that has the problem:

gconftool-2 --recursive-unset /apps/panel

Then wait a few seconds and watch your panel crash, after restart it will have all defaults.

I'm not sure why but I did
sudo rm /opt/gnome -rf
sudo pacman -Sf gnome gnome-extra

now everything is normal except FOO missing lib for every each app :)
but listen to this: I do:

pacman -Ql | grep missing_lib.so

and I see the package [hehe that's coz I didn't pacman -R gnome gnome-extra etc]
and I install manually

the gconftool-2 --recursive-unset /apps/panel
helped me get the panel to default [although it was to big after re-startx I changed that now

and NOW I HAVE a VIRGIN GNOME :)
so I cannot help you further more.
maybe Alex Podaras [I notified him] may help you.

last but not least I want to thank you [you have become a gconf guru :)] very much Jan and also not to forget to take back my comment about easier virgin women than GNOME :P

I did all that, coz afterall only me and Alex [to whom I gave some of my packages during that bad time] seem to have this problem.
I propose downgrading or even closing and Alex can request re-opening if he likes

Thanks for your time, I didn't like to see one of my bugs as Critical
rm helps :)

Archlinux rocks

ok sorry for the delirium but everything got fixed at last {xkb and mouse etc}

EVEN Gnomemeeting runs. And for those who know of gconf problems that means everything is solved ;)
Peace