Xubuntu-10.04 Torqued

[Rich Shepard]

   My friend's laptop runs xubuntu-10.04 and she has somehow managed to get
the system's undies in a knot that I cannot untie. For example, xfwm4 is not
running so there's only 1 frameless window. When I press alt-F2 and place
the cursor in the command line widget I cannot erase the current contents or
re-write them with the desired command. The panel settings box is set for 6
workspaces, but only 1 appears on the panel

   Despite my years running xfce I've no idea how to start fixing this mess.
I want to gain control over the system so I restore functionality and also
upgrade her distribution.

   All advice and suggestions appreciated.

TIA,

Rich