Since you are posting in 'Ubuntu running as server' I assume you installed the server edition... Which could mean you do not have any desktop or x-server pre-installed. Try 'sudo apt-get ubuntu-desktop' to install the gnome desktop or 'sudo apt-get kubuntu-desktop' to install the KDE. Hope this helped.

I am experiencing the same problem. I installed the sever version from the downloaded cd and I am unable to run any of window manager install and configuration options. If somebody can advise, PLEASE and THANKS

HiAnyone having problems with the above post (sudo apt-get ubuntu-desktop) will need to use the following to install a GUI in Ubuntu Server:sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop ORsudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktopdepending on your preference :)

Ok, I did the 'sudo apt-get ubuntu-desktop' on my (old)  machine and it was unpacking for about 30 minutes. Cool.  I saw some openoffice filnames pass on my screen.   But how do I activate/start up the desktop on the server machine ?  I restarted the machine and nothing new appeared to be happening.

    It my understanding that in server the interface in text base

Just type in startx and the GUI will boot up. Randy http://techloaf.com

startx didn't work, and neither did the second suggestion, but judging from the install part of the sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop  command, looks like the GUI did not install by default  on the server  version.I'm watching open office unpack now, at 4:45 AM Sunday morning. This rocks, and life is good.

/etc/init.d/gdm start for gnome desktop and /etc/init.d/kdm start for the kde desktop

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop That made the difference!!  Back up and running with GUI.I don't remember having to do that the last time I built a server.  --  Seems like the option to install GUI desktop should have been in there some place.  Also would like to have had an option not to have all the movie/music-player,games,OpenOffice etc on my server; desktop install wouldn't have taken so long.  --  I didn't execute the server.  Being a Windows user I rebooted - the GUI took effect while shutting down.  --  Now I have my "beautiful" brown desktop back.  (Now where did I put the bright colored backgroun graphic I was using?)

I got the same problem, and i tried to enter sudo apt-get ubuntu-desktopand i got this message:(sudo) password for ricardo:after entering the password i got this:E:invalid operation ububtu desktopim very new with linux and i really want to learn how to use it. i would really apreciate any help. thnks

Ricardo: note the word "install" got added to the advice above ! __ That whole install process is horrible when things go wrong and you have no decent GUI to figure what it thinks it is doing. I needed to use GParted CD to figure what was going on just to install it.--I suspect the whole thing is designed to allow install where there is only a very primitive graphics capability - say on a very old PC.  ...Why does the install not even ASK if you do/don't want a GUI install ? It shouldn't just assume you don't want it. ...Mind you, the download is HUGE and mine has been running for 30 minutes and claims a bunch of download times that range up to 11 hours for some components in a slightly confusing tty-display screen.  IT APPEARS to be downloading open office which I have local copies here. Maybe the install ubuntu-desktop advice can be finessed - I just wanted the Xsession and X-windows-GUI to start.

Yes, that all worked very well. I have OO2.4 as I expected. I am using it here for this.I had to go round testing a bunch of avi,mpg4,swf,,,, video files and wait again for all the codecs to be found and loaded. This took an acceptable but long time as it didn't seem to allow overlapped fetch and I had to wairt for one bunch to load codecs before I could kick off the next.   Normally, I just load VLC as it doe most things but this time I used the built in player (hey not even remembered what it's called yet) and it seems to work pleasingly well.Tomorrow I'll start picking off all that LAMPware to see how it hangs together (Something says "It Works !" but wouldn't it be nice if there was a help page there rather than that schoolgirl message).Now if only the stupid BIOS on my "server" could see the sata drive from GRUB when the IDE drives were plugged in, I would be a very content fellow.