Title bar missing from maximized windows

Not sure if this will help or not, but:

Try running:

  $ gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/general/button_layout" --type string ":maximize,minimize,close"

Alternatively you could open gconf-editor and browse to apps-metacity-general and see what the button_layout value is currently set to and report it back here.

Good luck,
George

Button_layout is set to :maximize,minimize,close

I cut and pasted the gconftool-2 command as you had it written above, but nothing has changed when I open a new application or window. I also tried it with sudo.

In case it helps, I've just discovered that double-clicking on the menu bar does not cause an application to switch between full-screen and windowed mode.

Come to think of hit, though, shouldn't there be a title bar, above the menu bar, which holds the max/min/close buttons and which responds to the double click to swap between full screen and windowed modes? If I recall correctly, and there IS supposed to be a title bar above the menu bar, that THAT's what's missing. I suspect if I get that back, I'll be back to normal.

I just did a search for "titlebar" in gconf-editor, but the entries seem to relate to the appearance items within the title bar and not to whether the titlebar actually gets displayed.

I've just discovered something else:

I tend to run with windows maximized, except command prompts, but even they come up maximized now. Of course, under Netbook-Remix, all windows come up maximized by default so that's probably just carried over.

When I select Unmaximize from the task bar, I get a windowed version of any given app with the close/max/min icon and the title bar.

Seems window decoration is missing.
Depends which window decorator you're using.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/CompositeManager/InstallingCompiz#Running%20Compiz

Did you try logout-in
or
restart X
Alt+sysrq+K

btw. UNR sections.
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UNR
https://answers.edge.launchpad.net/netbook-remix

Or try pressing F11 twice.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/CompositeManager/CompizFusion#Window%20Decorators

Thanks Sam, As per your suggestion, I've tried:

$ compiz --replace gconf &
$ gtk-window-decorator --replace &

But the problem still exists. In fact, now I can't use the Desktop button (minimize all windows) in the lower left corner of the screen. It says either the window manager doesn't support it or I'm not running a window manager.

After a reboot, everything is back to where it was when I started this question, so at least I've got the desktop button back.

How about this one.
Quote:
Menu -> System -> Startup Applications and de-select "Netbook Launcher"
https://answers.edge.launchpad.net/netbook-remix/+question/90183

Thanks again for the tips, Sam.

The second one I'd already read. It's the one that answered my question as to what became of the desktop switcher I had been accustom to.

I'm running Ubuntu 9.10 but I have no idea what window manager I'm using - presumably the default - and I don't know how to identify it.

Now, maximus - that's a different story. I'd never heard of it until you gave me the link and it sounds like that's exactly what's behind all this. Checking /etc/xdg/autostart I see "maximus.autostart.desktop" is listed. I suspect it was installed as part of the Netbook Remix suite. I also see that "netbook.launcher.desktop" is listed there as well.

Listing the files, I see that they describe a number of settings. From that I would presume that there is either a file that tels gnome which files to read (in the same way that named.conf.local tells bind which zone files to load) or it defaults to reading everything in the autostart directory. If it reads everything in the directory, simply chaing the file name won't help but deleting it will, however if it is reading a list of files in a configuration file (a' la bind) it might produce errors or other unwanted results. I'll experiment.

Thanks Sam, that solved my question.