Gnome 3.4. sucks. http://wiki.debian.org/Xfce "Install a fresh system with Xfce" A little more than half way down has a section, "Install Xfce in an already installed system". Although it might be better to just flatline the system and start from scratch. 16 July 2013 # Uninstall Gnome aptitude purge `dpkg --get-selections | grep gnome | cut -f 1` aptitude -f install aptitude purge `dpkg --get-selections | grep deinstall | cut -f 1` aptitude -f install