NOTE: While working through my issue and documenting it I discovered the solution, but have decided to post this in case another person has the same/similar issue (see bottom)...
After uninstalling the PulseAudio Equalizer and rebooting, I have lost my desktop (GNOME).
Upon powering up the Ubuntu start-up screen displays... then a generic login screen appears, and after logging in, I only get a terminal window... see: http://www.locusplex.us/images/screenshots.jpg
I am running Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Lucid on a Dell Latitude 13.
I have tried:
~$ sudo startx
which returns:
Fatal server error:
Server is already active for display 0
If the server is no longer running, remove /tmp/.X0-lock and start again
removing the file:
~$ sudo rm /tmp/.X0-lock
and trying ('startx') again yields:
_XSERVTransSocketUNIXCreateListener: ...SocketCreateListener() failed
_XSERVTransMakeA11COTSServerListenerrs: server already running
Fatal server error:
Cannot establish any listening sockets - Make sure the X Server isn't already running
After stopping/starting the X Server:
~$ sudo stop gdm
~$ gdm stop/waiting
~$ sudo start gdm
I am taken back to the login screen like before (see image above).
Stopping the server again ('sudo stop gdm') then trying:
~$ sudo startx
again yields:
_XSERVTransSocketUNIXCreateListener: ...SocketCreateListener() failed
_XSERVTransMakeA11COTSServerListenerrs: server already running
Fatal server error:
Cannot establish any listening sockets - Make sure the X Server isn't already running
I have searched multiple forums, including Ask Ubuntu and found a few related threads:
GDM Killed at Startup I have attempted the suggestions there with:
sudo apt-get install -f -m --reinstall -u gdm
The log reports:
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 reinstalled, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded
Do you want to continue [Y/n] Y
A bit more logging and end with:
Setting up gdm (2.30.2 is.2.30.0-0ubuntu5.2 ...
Next per the suggestion:
~$ sudo dpkg-reconfigure gdm
~$ sudo reboot
Then I find myself back at the previously described login screen.