Downgrade KDE SC Version 4.12.2

[Kanjana]

On 23/02/14 14:38, Duncan wrote:
> Kanjana posted on Sun, 23 Feb 2014 13:14:48 +0700 as excerpted:
>
>> I am on Linux Mint 13 KDE 64-bit.
>>
>> The update manager is set to levels 1, 2, 3 and 4.
>>
>> Task-bar with application icons is/are completely missing after update.
>> My customized wallpaper has changed to the Linux Mint Maya default
>> wallpaper which appears to be somewhat oversized. Can only use Alt+F2 to
>> access applications etc..
>>
>> How can I safely remove 4.12.2 and reinstall an 'older' version?
>>
>> Please help me!
>
> For upgrading/downgrading your distro you really need to find an
> appropriate forum/list for your distro and ask them.  This is a kde list,
> not a mint list, and unless someone here happens to use mint and can
> respond, you're unlikely to get distro-specific help like that, here.
>
> However, we might be able to help with the kde problem.  In fact, you may
> be experiencing a problem I've had for some time, that altho I've not
> been able to really fix, I've been able to successfully work around.
> =:^)  If it's not the same problem, it appears to be a similar one.
>
> The first thing to figure out is whether plasma (the normal kde desktop)
> is running at all, possibly reset to some default, or if it's not even
> running.  You say alt-f2 works and you can run stuff from it, so that's
> what we'll use.
>
> First, try this:
>
> kquitapp plasma-desktop
>
> If your desktop disappears or changes, that means plasma was running, but
> just reset to some default, which is the bug I've been running into
> here.  If nothing changes, that means plasma wasn't running at all.
>
> Next, try this:
>
> plasma-desktop
>
> Hopefully that'll restart your desktop, regardless of whether it was
> running and you quit it with the above, or if it was not running.
>
> If you get a good kde desktop back, you're in business.  However, here it
> restarts with the default desktop again, not my customized desktop.  But,
> after a restart, my old desktop activities are available again -- I just
> have to switch to them.  (Before a plasma restart, all it has is the
> default desktop/activity, it doesn't show my customized activities so I
> can't switch to them until I restart plasma-desktop.)
>
> The other possibility is that it's so screwed up that it'll try to start,
> possibly flashing something, and crash again.  That's probably a config
> issue, which means troubleshooting your config.
>
> Meanwhile, presumably you're logging in as your normal user, with an
> existing config.  What happens if you create a new user, without an
> existing and possibly corrupted config, and login to kde as that user?
> Obviously that won't give you your customized config, but does it give
> you a default uncustomized kde/plasma config, or does that one crash
> too?  If a new "clean" user config works, then you know the problem is in
> your config.  (With the problem I've been having, a new user has the same
> problem, so it's not something in my normal user's config that's corrupt.)
>
>
> That should get you started.  Once you try that and reply with the
> results, we can go from there.
>
Thanks for your kind response. All this is beyond my capabilities and is 
out of my comfort zone. I followed your advice:

kanjana at Linux-Mint-13 ~ $ kquitapp plasma-desktop
kquitapp(3953): "Application plasma-desktop could not be found using 
service org.kde.plasma-desktop and path /MainApplication."

kanjana at Linux-Mint-13 ~ $ plasma-desktop
QDBusConnection: session D-Bus connection created before 
QCoreApplication. Application may misbehave.
QDBusConnection: session D-Bus connection created before 
QCoreApplication. Application may misbehave.
QDBusObjectPath: invalid path ""
plasma-desktop(3956)/libplasma Plasma::isPluginVersionCompatible: 
unversioned plugin detected, may result in instability
plasma-desktop(3956)/libplasma Plasma::isPluginVersionCompatible: 
unversioned plugin detected, may result in instability
plasma-desktop(3956)/libplasma Plasma::isPluginVersionCompatible: 
unversioned plugin detected, may result in instability
plasma-desktop(3956)/libplasma Plasma::isPluginVersionCompatible: 
unversioned plugin detected, may result in instability
plasma-desktop(3956)/libplasma Plasma::isPluginVersionCompatible: 
unversioned plugin detected, may result in instability
plasma-desktop(3956)/libplasma Plasma::PackagePrivate::isValid: Could 
not find required file mainscript
Connecting to deprecated signal 
QDBusConnectionInterface::serviceOwnerChanged(QString,QString,QString)
Object::connect: No such signal 
org::freedesktop::UPower::DeviceAdded(QDBusObjectPath)
Object::connect: No such signal 
org::freedesktop::UPower::DeviceRemoved(QDBusObjectPath)
QInotifyFileSystemWatcherEngine::addPaths: inotify_add_watch failed: No 
such file or directory
QFileSystemWatcher: failed to add paths: /home/kanjana/.config/ibus/bus
plasma-desktop: symbol lookup error: 
/usr/lib/kde4/plasma_applet_dig_clock.so: undefined symbol: 
_ZN12QFontMetricsC1ERK5QNont
plasma-desktop(3955): Communication problem with  "plasma-desktop" , it 
probably crashed.
Error message was:  "org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.NoReply" : " "Message 
did not receive a reply (timeout by message bus)" "

kanjana at Linux-Mint-13 ~ $

I did not realize that a change (removal) of a desktop environment is so 
complex. Heck, most other application can be removed/reinstalled using 
synaptic package manager... I am on Linux Mint since inception, never 
ever experiences such a mess. I foolishly got sucked in enabling level 4 
of the update manager - oh well. It looks like I need to reinstall the 
distro (this might be a quicker way doing things).
Thanks again!

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