Yesterday I installed some software updates and now today after rebooting I cannot login. I don't have passwords enabled but it still will not bring me to desktop when I click login. A black screen flashes up as well where it says / Dev/sda2: clean, xxxx files, xxxx blocks

Guest login doesn't work either.

Nothing's changed after numerous reboots as well.

Did you switch to the console yet? Try console one to...any other to see if the system gives some feedback...
Usually console one is the one to go for...the key stroke is
Good luck
Melissa

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+1 #2 But -I- can't clearly picture what 'state' your Ubu is 'stuck in'

(fyi detail: Looks like 'grub' loaded kernel, which then started 'init', ok.)
Somewhere in the 'zillion' startup steps, it looks like `fsck` said something,
but -I- am not sure whether it was just saying a 'normal ok' ('I'm done my step')
OR (probably NOT) reporting an error/problem/stopping_things.

Then you say "blank screen", which is sometimes mistaken from a shell command prompt.
Does anything you type 'appear'? (IF not, did #2 get you to a command prompt?)
(IF still nothing, one -obscure- idea to try is: Ctrl+Alt+SysRq+s)

IF you can get a # or $ shell prompt, try 'info' commands like: runlevel; df /; ps ax|grep -v ]
IF not, look into 'booting rescue/single-user' concept (catch grub, e, arrow-down-to the
linux line, change [backspace] ro quiet splash vt... -TO-: rw init=/bin/sh THEN F10=ctrl+X)

Posting 'sreenshot'/image/picture of where it is 'stuck' might help here! Best Wishes...

I have been able to log in using console but what is the command that will bring me to desktop?

Also here is a photo of where I am stalled attached.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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In the cmd-line it's:
Out of curiosity do you have a proprietary graphics driver installed?

A man in Debian Testing taught me this:
If a system won't boot to desktop it has to be xorg, the kernel or maybe a proprietary video driver most likely.
It could also be something in the init system (sysvinit, startup and systemd) but in testing it's xorg related.
Run a update, if that doesn't work try Recovery Mode and direct it to boot when it get's around to asking what you want.
Recovery Mode runs a few more corrective tools and may fix it on it's own.
If you can run the DE as root the problems is with your user not the system at large.

You're in X already. I guess the DE (XFCE, Gnome, or the like) fails somewhere...
Melissa

Yup-
Wouldn't be the first time I've seen an update break something.

When I was running pure Ubuntu everytime I would update my Ubuntu distro it would break the proprietary graphics driver or the fglrx driver and I had no gui.

Voyager which I'm running now that's based on Ubuntu and Xubuntu doesn't have that problem.

OP could always drop to a shell and create a password that might help.
OR install a new DE:-

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Recovery mode failed to complete when I ran it.

By shell do you mean console?

Please let me know what the commands are to create a password

I do not have a proprietary graphics driver installed

Startx command doesn't bring me to desktop, keeps me at command line

That's not good that Recovery Mode failed.
Yes, by shell I mean console or cmd-line terminal.

To create a password in console mode just type:
Enter the new password. The console will probably ask you to confirm it again.
If that doesn't work see the link I provided to add a new user.

Make sure you write the password down.

https://www.digitalocean.com/communi...n-ubuntu-16-04

What DE are you using?

I don't know what DE I am using, how do I find out?

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Run this in the terminal:

The terminal returns command not found

That would seem to indicate that there isn't a DE installed.
Perhaps the one you had got hosed.

Try these:

If you still get 'cmd not found' it's a sure bet your DE is gone.
You can always install another DE. <OR> perform a fresh installation.

Which one (Gnome, KDE, XFCE, LXDE or Mate) would you like?