<solved>Incompatible cinnamon settings file after update

[Truemanshow]

Incompatible cinnamon settings file after update between two 17 versions


Hello everybody,

it's not easy to explain this strange behaviour. The short version of my story is:
the file .conf/dconf/user what contains all the customisation of the taskbar, the applets, the spacer, the theme, ...
seems to be incompatible between two versions of mint cinnamon 17. A one, 6 month old (not updated) and the last updated.

Longer version:
My hard drive is splited in two partitions: one for the root (/), the other for data (/home)
For any reason, I became unable to regularly update, so I decide to reinstall the system.
So, with installation options, I asked to install root on first partition with formatting and take the second partition as /home without formating. All was OK exepted cinnamon settings. All settings were scratched.

Later, I redo a complete installation and try to replace the .conf/dconf/user with a backup file
Same result. I insist that all was cinnamon and all was version 17 (Quiana I think).

And last mystery, I didn't dream, I had on my task bar three panels lanchers. Yes, three!!!
Now, no way, it's just one and no more???



I don't understand what hapen. It look like the format of the cinnamon settings file has changed inside the same distribution 17 Quiana. Does somebody know something about this?

Thanks

[Cosmo.]

If both - old and new - systems are LM 17 Qiana, how should there be an incompatibility? Even between other versions of the LM 17 branch I did not notice this.

You wrote, that for some reasons you were not able to do updates. Sometimes such problems are caused by a defective user account, following this a defective file user is thinkable.

One thing more: In LM 17 it is not possible to have more than one panel launcher applet in the panel. The feature for more than one has been added in LM 17.1, more than 2 of them to my remembrance in LM 17.2.

[Truemanshow]

Thanks Cosmo for your answer

I know, it's seems to be impossible. And I didn't have any screenshot as evidence, so you will think I dreamed. I don’t know of course which LM17 I used excepted that it was cinnamon. Now, its 17.2.


Here is the full story. A little big long, I'm sorry but it's complete

The problem of the update blocking from one day to the next is also very strange (excuse my very poor english, it's not my langage )
Aroud one year ago, I installed LM17. It's was great, beautifull, ... The next steps were:
- make an update : OK
- install some coll stuffs: blender, code blocks, ...ok
- customize my desktops: background, magic corners, ... and applets on the bar. OK also

As with cinnamon it was no more possible to directly put shotcuts of applications on the bar, I used the pannel lancher, but with more than ten shortcuts, mmmh, not verry friendly, so I add a spacer and a second lancher, then a third spacer and a last lancher.
Yes I had three!!!!!

SO FAR SO GOOD...




After that for many months I made regularly update and sometimes install new softwares. And one day, no way to do update. It was like my system was trying to connect to a server without result. The same to install new software in comand line. sudo apt-get instal ..... it was saying trying to connect to an ip address until a timeout. I dont't remember this adress, it was begin with 84 or 87. I tried to find a reference to this address with google without result.
This problem seemed to be definitive not temporary, so end december I decided to reinstall all.
What is cool when you put your /home on another partition is that you don't need to make a backup/restore (But I always do this of course ).
So when you reinstall LM (THE SAME VERSION) and just say /home is sda2, when you reboot, you find back all: desktop settings, firefox and thunderbird data, ...
I did it in the past with a LM 16. WOrked fine.

And here, all my desktop was destroyed ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
I reset all : default parameters, but strange, when I want to but a second launchers panel, the option is grayed. I can remove the first, add it again and it's grayed again. So I tryed to overide the .conf/deconf/user file with a backup dated 27 december, just before the reinstallation. Desktop destroyed again. Note that even the file is note ascii it's possible to see somethings in command line with cat command (and the 3 launchers panels of course).



Well well well
I want to say that I can live with this. I will not have trouble to sleep. But it's frustrating to don't understand and feel disappointed of what I found the very best OS and desktop environnement for me. That's not all I have now two buggs, one with the screen saver (dual screen and two different clocks (confused!), followed by a crash) and the automatic standby what doesn't work any more. It looks like a regression after an update???

So if reach the end of this text, thank you. I you have an idea thank you also, but I fear to close this topic without solution.

[Cosmo.]

In your starting post you asked for a supposed incompatibility of the file user, so I limited my first reply to that.

Now with the new post my advice is this:

First try: Rename the file user. Immediately log off and back into your account. A new file will get created. If the file should be corrupted the problem would be solved.

If this is not the case, create a new user account. Check the behavior there.

One additional warning:

What is cool when you put your /home on another partition is that you don't need to make a backup/restore (But I always do this of course ).

This is a great misunderstanding. Having home on a separate partition is fine and makes things easier, but this is not a replacement for regularly backups!. Not only, but especially before you do greater changes to your system.

[Truemanshow]

Of course, I fully agree that this is not a replacement of backups. I do it monthly on two separate HDs in case of... and even if /home will remain unchanged, I make the backup before a great change, in case of. Not crazy!

I tried with a new user, no change. I tried also with a .config/dconf/user backup file from another PC, also on LM17 cinnamon what had multiple launcherspanel. Same problem: desktop crashed, so the first one was not corrupted.

Regrettably, on this other PC, the system was also reinstalled so I don't have any screenshot as evidence. For the story, this PC has also update problems but not in the same way. It was also saying that my updates were unsecure????


But..........I still have the "strange" user file if someone feel as a gourou or a masochist

[Cosmo.]

What exactly does not work in the new account?

Adding more than one panel launcher applet? Adding launchers to the applet?
Doing updates? Is the new account member of the group sudo?

What is now the version of Mint? The thread goes at the beginning about LM 17 Qiana, later to LM 17.2 Raphaela, now I read again LM 17.

[Truemanshow]

Hello,

I think the problem is SOLVED! And you will hate me...

After your last post, I had a doubt about my version and I booted on a 17.1 DVD to see the system info window. Mmh. And I had an intuition when I saw the default background. It's the mint logo with "17.1" in a circle. An d when I launch the system info window, I can read:
Linux mint 17 Cinnamon 64-bit
cinnamon version : 2.4.5

??????????????????????? confused

I booted back on my hard drive, because there the version is 2.2.16. It's why I was convinced to run 17.2. I was false! But how to know wich version I'm running?
I went to the backgrounds collection to find back the default. I find the mint logo with "Quiana" in the circle. Oooooh

It's so stupid. One day, I had a problem with a DVD reader and burned some more disks. I made mess in my DVDs. I thought make a upgrade from 17.1 to 17.2 and I did a downgrade instead.
That explains the launcherspanel but that explains also the bug with screensaver, another bug with the power management and the notification tray that became lousy.

I feel so stupid! Shame on me, shame on me, shame on me!
Thank very much. You tried to help me, you put me on the path and because of you, my problem is solved (at least, I'll try 17.3 tonight).

THE LESSON OF THE DAY : DVDs ARE NEVER LABELLED ENOUGH

[Cosmo.]

Wallpapers are just that: Wallpaper, i.e. a graphic, which show, whatever is painted there. Create a wallpaper image where it say Linux Mint 20, than the wallpaper will show this. You could even use this wallpaper on a Windows system (could give probably some fun).

If you want to know hat you really have you have 2 choices (in fact several more): Either call the system information from the system settings or enter in a terminal

Code: Select all

inxi -Sz

The latter one is superior for the support in the forum, but it has a little problem: The inxi-version inside LM 17 and LM 17.1 do not report the correct desktop environment in all cases.

[Truemanshow]

I know. As funny wall paper, I like the one where you see Tux shooting the windows logo with a bazooka
But of course my way to verify the distribution was absolutely not professional. As I didn't know the command inxi, it was just very fast for me. If the default logo say "Quiana", no need to spend hours on Internet to find the command.
But we learn everyday and I tried successfully inxi -Sz. Thanks again.

I had another fear with Lm17.3, the wake up after a standby leaded to crash while it was working fine before. Quickly fixed.
Pilot manager -> Nvidia -> .... use the recommended pilot for my graphical card. How fo you say in english ? Phew?

Just to find were I can can tag my subject as solved

[Cosmo.]

In English the pilot is a driver.

[Truemanshow]

oups! Of course... I was tired