Lost Desktop Settings

[Polytropon]

On Tue, 29 Jul 2014 09:29:41 -0400, Jerry wrote:
> Tue, 29 Jul 2014 09:27:18 -0400
> 
> Running Platform Version 4.12.5 on FreeBSD-10, [...]

This is KDE, right?



> [...] I accidentally hit the "WIN"
> key and the "S" key simultaneously. I immediately lost my desktop.

If I remember correctly, some Win+... key combinations
refer to the Plasma components of the KDE desktops and
addressed at the Plasma shell, for example for switching
or stopping activities or switching entire desktops.
Can you still switch desktops (probably Ctrl+F1 / Ctrl+F2
should work)?



> How do I go
> about getting it back.

Open the process manager and check if you have any
activities running. Cancelling them _might_ revert
the initial desktop content.



> I really do not want to have to recreate all of those
> icons I had placed there, etcetera manually.

See the KDE configuration directory if the .desktop files
are still in there. They correspond to the desktop content.
I'm not sure where that configuration directory is located
this week, maybe ~/.kde, or ~/Desktop, or ~/.config/...?

In worst case, retrieve the last working copy of the KDE
configuration from your backup and overwrite, keeping a
copy of the non-functional configuration for "forensics".
But I cannot imagine a keypress like Win+S would have an
extreme impact on configuration files.



-- 
Polytropon
Magdeburg, Germany
Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0
Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...