Ubuntu 12.10 blank after login -- images/icons can't be displayed

I rebooted my 12.10 (Linux ubuntu 3.2.0-60-generic #91-Ubuntu SMP Wed Feb 19 03:55:18 UTC 2014 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux) which has been running fine for many months after a Thunderbird update and found the icons had suddenly changed and a few were missing on the login screen. After logging in the screen was blank, no background image, no launcher, no task bar.

I went into a shell and tried unity --reset and --reset-icons but that failed. --reset produced:

WARNING: Unity currently default profile, so switching to metacity while resetting the values
Window manager warning: Failed to load theme "Ambiance": Line 195 character 94: Couldn't recognize the image file format for file '/usr/share/themes/Ambiance/metacity-1/trough_left.png'
unity-panel-service: no process found
Checking if settings need to be migrated ...no
Checking if internal files need to be migrated ...no
Backend     : gconf
Integration : true
Profile     : unity
Adding plugins
Initializing core options...done

compiz (core) - Warn: failed to receive ConfigureNotify event on 0x2800003

compiz (core) - Warn: failed to receive ConfigureNotify event on 0x2800007

compiz (core) - Warn: failed to receive ConfigureNotify event on 0x2e000b1

compiz (core) - Warn: failed to receive ConfigureNotify event on 0x2400005

Initializing composite options...done
Initializing opengl options...done
Initializing decor options...done
Initializing vpswitch options...done
Initializing snap options...done
Initializing mousepoll options...done
Initializing resize options...done
Initializing place options...done
Initializing move options...done
Initializing wall options...done
Initializing grid options...done
Initializing session options...done
Initializing gnomecompat options...done
Initializing animation options...done
Initializing fade options...done
Initializing unitymtgrabhandles options...done
Initializing workarounds options...done
Initializing scale options...done
compiz (expo) - Warn: failed to bind image to texture
Initializing expo options...done
Initializing ezoom options...done

(compiz:4230): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets.css:1516:46: Unrecognized image file format

(compiz:4230): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets.css:1521:55: Unrecognized image file format

(compiz:4230): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets.css:1525:58: Unrecognized image file format

(compiz:4230): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets.css:1529:55: Unrecognized image file format

(compiz:4230): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets.css:1533:64: Unrecognized image file format

(compiz:4230): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets.css:1537:67: Unrecognized image file format

(compiz:4230): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets.css:1595:73: Couldn't recognize the image file format for file '/usr/share/themes/Ambiance/gtk-3.0/assets/scrollbar_handle_vertical.png'

(compiz:4230): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets.css:1612:64: Couldn't recognize the image file format for file '/usr/share/themes/Ambiance/gtk-3.0/assets/scrollbar_handle.png'

(compiz:4230): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets-backdrop.css:769:55: Unrecognized image file format

(compiz:4230): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets-backdrop.css:773:55: Unrecognized image file format

(compiz:4230): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets-backdrop.css:777:67: Unrecognized image file format

(compiz:4230): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets-backdrop.css:781:64: Unrecognized image file format

(compiz:4230): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets-backdrop.css:785:64: Unrecognized image file format

(compiz:4230): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets-backdrop.css:789:76: Unrecognized image file format

(compiz:4230): GConf-CRITICAL **: gconf_client_add_dir: assertion `gconf_valid_key (dirname, NULL)' failed
WARN  2014-03-22 17:42:37 unity.favorites FavoriteStoreGSettings.cpp:139 Unable to load GDesktopAppInfo for 'ubiquity-gtkui.desktop'
ERROR 2014-03-22 17:42:37 nux.image GdkGraphics.cpp:68 Couldn't recognize the image file format for file '/usr/share/unity/5/dash_noise.png'
WARN  2014-03-22 17:42:37 nux.image GdkGraphics.cpp:80 No pixbuf loaded
Segmentation fault

I then reinstalled compiz, ubunutu-desktop, no change. I was able to get "gnome-panel" up so I had some GUI but several icons are missing but the services are running. The windows can not be resized and I am unable to save screen shots to anything, even though I can read/write via terminal.

When I launch firefox for example it generates a "sys_page_size=0" error and can not be resized properly. I have to connect with the CLI to wifi because there seems to be no indicator for network-manager.

I do see a lot of these:

Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets-backdrop.css:773:55: Unrecognized image file form

/var/log/syslog shows:

Mar 22 05:45:28 ubuntu kernel: [  376.763327] compiz[3062]: segfault at 0 ip 013
8d46f sp bfa59ea0 error 4 in libunityshell.so[11b8000+2ff000]
Mar 22 05:45:31 ubuntu kernel: [  379.209530] compiz[3161]: segfault at 0 ip 015
5d46f sp bffc9200 error 4 in libunityshell.so[1388000+2ff000]
Mar 22 05:46:11 ubuntu kernel: [  418.939940] compiz[3353]: segfault at 0 ip 04f
5346f sp bfee65b0 error 4 in libunityshell.so[4d7e000+2ff000]

Any ideas? I don't know what is going on here and my system is pretty hosed. I would like to find a fix for this rather than download a new image which will take days if I'm lucky. TIA.

EDIT #1:

I've been running kernel 3.2.0-60 for months and I've dropped back to 3.2.0-59 but no change in the situation.

One thing I discovered is that GTK can no longer read images (png, jpg, etc.). I can't open images that I know are valid and none of the desktop images seem to load:

(gnome-panel:2954): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets.css:1612:64: Couldn't recognize the image file format for file '/usr/share/themes/Ambiance/gtk-3.0/assets/scrollbar_handle.png'

This could be part of the problem with why icons, task bar, etc. are failing to show. Does anyone have an idea of what I could try to correct these problems?

For example if I try to view a known good JPG with eog from the cli I get this string of messages and EOG opens to a empty (black) image with an error "Unrecognized image file format". The command errors are:

(eog:3842): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets.css:1516:46: Unrecognized image file format

(eog:3842): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets.css:1521:55: Unrecognized image file format

(eog:3842): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets.css:1525:58: Unrecognized image file format

(eog:3842): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets.css:1529:55: Unrecognized image file format

(eog:3842): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets.css:1533:64: Unrecognized image file format

(eog:3842): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets.css:1537:67: Unrecognized image file format

(eog:3842): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets.css:1595:73: Couldn't recognize the image file format for file '/usr/share/themes/Ambiance/gtk-3.0/assets/scrollbar_handle_vertical.png'

(eog:3842): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets.css:1612:64: Couldn't recognize the image file format for file '/usr/share/themes/Ambiance/gtk-3.0/assets/scrollbar_handle.png'

(eog:3842): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets-backdrop.css:769:55: Unrecognized image file format

(eog:3842): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets-backdrop.css:773:55: Unrecognized image file format

(eog:3842): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets-backdrop.css:777:67: Unrecognized image file format

(eog:3842): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets-backdrop.css:781:64: Unrecognized image file format

(eog:3842): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets-backdrop.css:785:64: Unrecognized image file format

(eog:3842): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets-backdrop.css:789:76: Unrecognized image file format

** (eog:3842): CRITICAL **: failed to load icon 'lpi-help': Unrecognized image file format

(eog:3842): Gtk-CRITICAL **: gtk_icon_theme_load_icon: assertion `error == NULL || *error == NULL' failed

** (eog:3842): CRITICAL **: failed to load icon 'lpi-translate': Unrecognized image file format

EDIT #2:

Mr. Lee was correct https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gtk+3.0/+bug/1295220 was one of my problems because I had to use gfvs before there was a ubuntu ppa for it. This was causing part of my problem with images/icons missing. However I still need to drop to a terminal and run "gnome-panel" to bring up the taskbar (no launcher appears, unable to resize or move windows) and running gnome-panel produces this error:

*** BUG ***
In pixman_region32_init_rect: Invalid rectangle passed
Set a breakpoint on '_pixman_log_error' to debug
**strong text**

At least it is mostly functional once I run gnome-panel. However I'm not sure what is still wrong with Unity. Not being able to resize or move windows or have at the left side launcher bar means something is still really confused.

EDIT #3:

In the end Mr. Lee's solution via the bugfix and running "unity --reset" restored the desktop properly and now boots up properly without the help of gnome-panel.