Well, kde 3.1 is finally running on my 8.0 system. I tried all of the things I had seen on this list and thanks to everyone that helped. The solution to my problem turned out to be uninstalling kde3 and then removing the /opt/kde3 and ~/.kde directories before installing the kde3 rpms again. I didn't use the --nodeps option but rather just followed the dependency notifications until I found a package I could install wihout errors and then worked my way back up the dependencies until the whole lot was installed. It wasn@t as bad as it might sound so don't be put off. I guess that is where apt would be a god send - but I couldn't get it running on my system that was getting progressively more and more broken. So, installed all the base packages then the apps, installing the dependant devel packages as I went. Points to note: After deleting /opt/kde3 and ~/.kde (or renaming them at first to be sure everything works) removes all your personalization settings - including address book (D'OH!!!) so back those things up first. After taking this drastic step, be prepared to redo your personal settings. The lost .la files seem to be because the new 3.1 KControl menu structure is different to the 3.05 KControl menu structure eg "Desktop" under "Desktop" which used to throw the lost .la file error is now called "Multiple Desktops" under "Desktop" so I guess that is the problem - left over config files from a previous install?? YaST - I also had the problem that Yast wouldn't start graphically. I solved that after reading a post from February that mentioned installing qt-non-mt . However the post said that qt3 and qt-non-mt weren't compatible. They installed on my system without complaints (ie without --nodeps etc) and the YaST was immediately able to launch. Certainly seemed to not cause any troubles. If anyone can tell me how to get my address book back I'd be very happy :-) Otherwise these tips may help anyone who's at their wits end with the upgrade. But, a I said - it is a bit of a drastic step but not too tragic if you are able to restore your old setups - including app specific configs - from backups. Regards Rich