Scroll up to your first post, click the Edit button, then click the Go Advanced button, above the body of the post you should see a field for the title, erase the current one and enter the new one. Then save the post again.

My main problems seems to be that the programs cover up the top panel.

Let me further add that the program leaves an inch or so space at the bottom. Please forgive my lack of clarity, I really do not know what is going on.

Your problem is that the window manager is either broken or not properly working. The window manager is a component that draws the border around the window and the title bar. Its function is -as you might have guessed- to manage windows. Without it, you can't move, minimize, mazimize or re-stack the windows. X itself has no notion of windows and layers until you load a window manager. That's why you can't reach your panel either.

Since no one seems to be answering, try to open a terminal window in some way if you can, and launch this command, it might work...

I did as you instructed, and nothing happens.
I am reluctantly thinking of re-installing Ubuntu. If I do, how can I re-install it over the present copy?

Thanks

I am not sure that will help at all. And if it does, there's a chance that you will hit the same problem sooner or later.

Can you try to run "metacity" alone? Without --replace nor anything else. This is a common problem. I have seen it from time to time here and in other places. It's a recurrent theme, so even if a newly installed system helps for now you are going to get this same problem sooner or later. It's seems to be a problem related to gnome/compiz. Neither of them inspire too much confidence to me, but I usually blame compiz since it always tended to unstability.

If you can't open a terminal, try to use alt+f2 and type it in the run dialog that should appear. However the terminal is preferred because that way you can see the output. If the command outputs anything after running it, please, let us know. All the info we can get can help to fix this.

If you truly decide to reinstall anyway, just boot from the cd as usual. It should provide options to delete or reutilize the partitions.

I cannot type anything in the terminal and Alt F2 does nothing.
Keep the suggestions coming. I think that I am running out of options. You make a good point. If I reinstall I may have the problem again.
I am all ears.

You should be able to write in the terminal as long as it's the only window on sight. Without window manager you can't control the focus, as you already discovered. If all else fails, restart and login again, try to open a terminal and nothing else, and run metacity on it.

If that doesn't work, you will need to operate from outside of the Gnome desktop. You can always install something like fluxbox, then in the login menu select it instead of gnome or default. Fluxbox is a simple wm that should work and at least give you an environment where you will be able to operate to fix things.

Thanks, but I am lost. I never heard of fluxbox. I am willing to learn if you would not mind elaborating. I really need all of this broken down into small steps. As you can see, my knowledge is extremely limited.
Thanks again for your assistance.

Well, I know very little about Ubuntu, which is what makes things difficult. I am blind about what you can or can't do.

But let's try. One step at a time. I assume that you login using a graphical greeting screen, that's called "gdm", it's the screen that appears when you turn on the system, and where you enter your name and password. In that window, do you see a button, icon, link or whatever to choose what type of Session do you want to start? If so, when you click it, what types of Session does it display to choose from?

After typing metacity into the teminal I pressed enter. Nothing happened. Just metacity was displayed.

Re-Install Ubuntu
 

The best that I could achieve was to re-install the panel on top. I still cannot re-size the windows. Other than re-installing Ubuntu, I am at a complete loss on how to fix this problem. Again, I appeal the the Linux community for help, before I either, re-install ubuntu, or just give up and go back to Vista.

Thanks

Edit your first post in Advanced mode.