Hello,

I'm back because of another big mistake I made. [I've been traveling a
while and returned home last Monday.]

Yesterday I was using Synaptic Package Manager (SPM) to update
packages and then to do upgrades. The SPM told me that with one or
more of the packages I wanted a number of packages would be removed.
One of these was kppp, my dialer to the Internet. [I figured that some
new package would install a new kppp so I continued, not worrying so
much.]
I can't recall which package it was when SPM gave me some options for
understanding it and what to do with it. I picked "compare old and new
versions". I saw a progression of comparisons which I didn't examine
closely. Then there was "END" at the bottom of these comparisons.
Nothing happened after that. Thinking SPM was again broken for me (as
in the past), I tried to close SPM but was advised <with words in the
upper right corner of the SPM box> that "SPM can't be closed since
it's running".

Then I made the mistake of re-starting my computer. When the desktop
finally appeared a number of things were gone: kppp was lost entirely,
a few of the vertically lined-up large icons on the left side of my
desktop were gone (I only have left: Documents (as a shortcut), Trash,
and MEPIS Websites), and probably other things missing which I've not
yet discovered missing. It seems also that I've been dropped down to
some other, probably lower level of KDE. [I wonder if the kernel I
pick at boot-up is lower even though I pick the higher one I've
always picked at bootup. Of the two offered I'm presently picking the
2.6.10. The lower one is 2.4.29. I suppose the 2.6.10 is the same as
the one I picked before this new problem-- I don't know.]

I figure that in order to restore the missing, important kppp - as
well as everything else that's missing (whatever they are) - I have to
use my SM 3.3 disc. How do I do this so that I don't make anything
worse for me? What do I have to be sure to do or pick when using the
SM 3.3 disc to restore missing packages/files?


Thanks,

Stan, using Linux and MEPIS only since this past April.

your going to have to reinstall, you upgraded kde (which isnt entirely all in the repos yet) and ignored the warning that it would remove kppp. linux doesnt lie to you, it tells you EXACTLY what its going to do. unlike in windows upgrading everything hapahazardly is going to cause many problems for you. however, mepis has anticipated your actions and in the installer you can chose to install on existing partitions, in there you can click preserve /home, this will keep your settings as you have set them up (for the most part) and you can get your system back.