Ubuntu sidebar on desktop stopped showing

Question

I decided to give Ubuntu a try after all these years using only Windows as OS.

I downloaded that windows installer from their site and installed Ubuntu. Everything went well until I decided to update the drivers and apps. It seems to be a bad idea, because I can't see the sidebar anymore (the one with the "quick launch options") and some graphic elements from the OS are not present, like the top bar with the clock.

Another issue: I always see an error regarding Compiz after a couple of minutes, saying that it stopped responding.

Am I missing something?

I'm using the 12.10 64bit version.

EDIT

I googled about the problem and it seems that Compiz is bugged like hell in 12.10. I'm uninstalling it and giving 12.04 a try. That's too bad, because I like many features from this version, specially the use and feel. But I can't stand using it without the left bar and a graphic interface at all.

Answer 1

Have you tried to open system settings, select "appearance", then open the "behaviour" tab, and "Restore Default Behaviours"?
If it doesn't work try this:
Press Ctrl + Alt + t
Run unity --reset

If still doesn't work try this:

sudo apt-get install dconf-tools  
dconf reset -f /org/compiz/