I can't see my login screen after upgrade, only dots

Question

I cant seem to see my login screen after upgrade to 11.10. It just show the Ubuntu dots. How come?

Answer 1

It sounds like a missing background file. Edit /etc/lightdm/unity-greeter.conf and change the line beginning with background= to point to an image that exists and is readable by the lightdm user at login (so not in an encrypted folder, etc.). The default is:

background=/usr/share/backgrounds/warty-final-ubuntu.png

If this isn't working for you, either check that the file in question exists and has appropriate permissions, or change the image to another one. (Tip: You can get an exact image path by selecting it in Nautilus, the file manager and hitting copy. Then you can simply paste it into the file mentioned above.)