NMGLugers, Well I am listening. And did find a few tips on using 'dpkg --re-configure ldm' for instance. BUT as a still Ubuntu-coaching, but writing from a Debian Stretch install, by the way, I was afraid of getting into a mess over this. My current guess is that the original ___dm, maybe kdm, has been put out of order with some desktop switching and updating and such. If not caught right away it is difficult to un-do all the settings that have been "re-set to see if that would help" ... At a point when it gets beyond me I use a live disk/usb to access and copy my files and prepare for a fresh install. You certainly can find your files via a terminal, but a live os makes it easier to sort and copy for us "Buntus." Having a time and health constraint make the decision-making difficult. I really am a hobbyist and cannot do professional IT consults. I do prefer face to face talks and a look at what I am up against. Alas I have the flu and am not in a position to add much more at this time, especially with a time constraint. Thank you, Ted P., Ubuntoid but by the seat of my pants.