Swarthmore College Department of Computer Science

swat cs frequently asked questions

questions...

  1. Firefox says it is already running. How can I fix this?
  2. I'm over my quota. Why?
  3. My xfce dock is messed up. How can I fix this?
  4. My xfce panel is missing. How can I fix this?
  5. My gvim menu has disappeared. How can I fix this?
  6. Which lab machines are the fastest?

answers...

  1. Firefox says it is already running

    Try running killfirefox on the command line.

  2. I'm over my quota

    Try running our dsu command to see why you are over your quota. It should list your largest files and directories.

    If one of your largest files is called urlclassifier3.sqlite, that may be due to a firefox 3 bug. To fix this:

    • quit firefox
    • run our leanfox command
    • now rerun dsu or quota to see if you're still over quota

  3. My xfce dock is messed up

    If you don't mind wiping out your xfce configs and starting over, here's how to get a fresh set of config files:

    • if you're logged in, please log out
    • hit Control-Alt-F1 to get to a text console
    • log in on the text console
    • remove your current configs:
      rm -rf .config
    • copy new configs:
      cp -r /usr/swat/skel/skel/.config .
    • exit the text console
    • hit Control-Alt-F7 to get to the graphical login window
    • try logging in on the graphical login window to see if it worked

  4. My xfce panel is missing

    Sometimes the panel dies, and then when you log out, xfce saves your setup (without the panel running). The next time you log in, xfce thinks you don't want the panel, so it doesn't start it.

    To fix it, try running this in a terminal window:

    xfce4-panel &
  5. My gvim menu has disappeared

    Try this:

    • quit out of gvim
    • rm ~/.gnome2/Vim
    • restart gvim

  6. Which lab machines are the fastest

    See our lab machine specs page.