Bug#526950: [gnome-panel] gnome-panel freezes on login

[Brent S. Elmer Ph.D.]

Package: gnome-panel
Version: 2.24.3-1+b1
Severity: critical

--- Please enter the report below this line. ---
Starting last week, my gnome-panel would freeze on login.  The panel would paint part of the 
applets then freeze.  I could still move the mouse around the screen but nothing worked and gnome is 
frozen.  I can go to another session with ctrl-alt-f1 and see that gnome panel is running.  I run squeeze.
I tried reverting to VESA video to see if that made any difference but it didn't help.  I had been running network-manager 7.1
from sid so I reverted that to see if that helped but it didn't.  I tried removing all applets but it didn't help.  I removed my 
.gconf, .gconfd, .gnome, and .gnome2 but that didn't help either.  I tried updating to gnome-panel from sid but that didn't help.

The only thing I found that gave me a workaround was if I start the computer with the network cable unplugged I can log in to gnome 
and the panel and gnome will start.  Then I can plug in the cable and the network will come up and things will work.  Every time I start up the 
laptop on the network, gnome-panel/gnome freezes.  I have eth0 set to auto in /etc/network/interfaces.

I don't know how to debug this since I can't do anything when I log in to gnome because it freezes.  There are no errors in syslog.
I do notice that when I do ctrl-alt F1 then come back to ctrl-alt F7, the desktop icons that were there are gone, the menus in the panel 
are gone, the partial applets that were painted are gone.  Basically all there is is an empty screen with the screen background.

This is driving me crazy and stopping me dead until I found the network workaround.

--- System information. ---
Architecture: i386
Kernel:       Linux 2.6.28.090316

Debian Release: squeeze/sid
  500 testing         www.debian-multimedia.org 
  500 testing         security.debian.org 
  500 testing         debian.linux.ibm.com 
  500 hardy           ppa.launchpad.net 

--- Package information. ---
Depends                        (Version) | Installed
========================================-+-===============
libatk1.0-0                  (>= 1.20.0) | 1.24.0-2
libbonobo2-0                 (>= 2.15.0) | 2.24.1-1
libbonoboui2-0               (>= 2.15.1) | 2.24.1-1
libc6                      (>= 2.3.6-6~) | 2.9-4
libcairo2                     (>= 1.2.4) | 1.8.6-2+b1
libdbus-1-3                   (>= 1.0.2) | 1.2.12-1
libdbus-glib-1-2               (>= 0.78) | 0.80-4
libecal1.2-7                 (>= 2.24.5) | 2.24.5-4+b1
libedataserver1.2-11         (>= 2.24.5) | 2.24.5-4+b1
libedataserverui1.2-8        (>= 2.24.5) | 2.24.5-4+b1
libgconf2-4                  (>= 2.23.2) | 2.26.0-1
libglade2-0                 (>= 1:2.6.1) | 1:2.6.4-1
libglib2.0-0                 (>= 2.16.0) | 2.20.0-2
libgnome-desktop-2-11                    | 2.26.1-1
libgnome-menu2               (>= 2.23.3) | 2.24.2-2
libgnome2-0                  (>= 2.17.3) | 2.24.1-2
libgnomeui-0                 (>= 2.22.0) | 2.24.1-1
libgtk2.0-0                  (>= 2.14.0) | 2.16.1-2
libgweather1                (>= 2.23.92) | 2.24.3-1
liborbit2                 (>= 1:2.14.10) | 1:2.14.17-0.1
libpanel-applet2-0           (>= 2.19.3) | 2.24.3-1+b1
libpango1.0-0                (>= 1.18.0) | 1.24.0-3+b1
libpolkit-dbus2                 (>= 0.7) | 0.9-3
libpolkit2                      (>= 0.7) | 0.9-3
librsvg2-2                   (>= 2.22.3) | 2.22.3-2
libwnck22                    (>= 2.22.0) | 2.24.2-2
libx11-6                                 | 2:1.2.1-1
libxau6                                  | 1:1.0.4-2
gnome-panel-data               (>= 2.24) | 2.24.3-1
gnome-panel-data               (<< 2.25) | 2.24.3-1
gnome-desktop-data         (>= 2.10.0-1) | 2.22.3-2
gnome-control-center      (>= 1:2.8.2-3) | 1:2.22.2.1-2+b1
gnome-menus                  (>= 2.16.1) | 2.24.2-2
gnome-about                (>= 2.10.0-1) | 2.22.3-2
menu-xdg                        (>= 0.2) | 0.4


Recommends                    (Version) | Installed
=======================================-+-==============
gnome-applets             (>= 2.12.1-1) | 2.22.3-3
gnome-session                           | 2.22.3-3
evolution-data-server                   | 2.24.5-4+b1
gnome-icon-theme              (>= 2.24) | 2.24.0-4
alacarte                                | 0.11.6-1
gvfs                                    | 1.0.3-3
policykit-gnome                         | 0.9.2-1


Suggests                   (Version) | Installed
====================================-+-=============
yelp                                 | 2.24.0-2
gnome2-user-guide                    | 2.8.1-2
gnome-terminal                       | 2.24.3-3
 OR x-terminal-emulator              | 
gnome-system-tools                   | 2.22.1-2
nautilus                             | 2.20.0-7
evolution                            | 2.24.5-3
epiphany-browser                     | 2.22.3-9
gnome-session           (>= 2.23.6)  | 2.22.3-3
 OR gdm                              | 2.20.9-1