I think burning Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer in effigy [1] worked to remove any bad karma from the system (that, and changing the CD (Compact Disc)-ROM (Read Only Medium) in the computer). I was able to finally get my Linux-based workstation going, and the first thing I did was install Fvwm [2] (my window manager of choice—yes, I am old school).
Now I have a very comfortable environment with which to work in, and all is right with the world (and it doesn't hurt that it's been a quiet day at the office).