Problems with KDE

[Gustav_S]

Hi there,
I am using Linux Mint 17/KDE/32-Bit (German-Version) since a while. And as a matter of fact, I'm satisfied. But now I have a few problems with my desktop environment. The first thing was this:
Sometimes, after a new start (not Supend-to-RAM or Disk) I had no desktop icons. And they weren't invisible or something...
Additional to that, I have at these cases a Grey strip or ledge. In this ledge, or behind the strip, I have a slider. I can move that up and down.
In the Attachments further down is a Screen-shot.

The yellow arrows showing the strip (or ledge), and the upper arrow showing the slider.
I can only remedy the problem, if I start one or two times new. (restart)
By the way: at the root User, I haven't this problem!

I hope you understand my problem, English is not my native language, how you can surely notice.
But in the big German forums (www.linuxmintusers.de & www.ubuntuusers.de) I can't find really help. In contrary

No I have my next Problem, to this Problem.
I get the hint: delete the “.kde” folder in the Home-Directory. (+ make a copy of the old folder and import (if it works) one after the other file (from the old folder) in the new folder.)
This should be reset KDE.
So I do this. After a restart, I had a fresh & virgin KDE-Desktop. And I must new configure kdewallet. (I choose the same password as before)
After that, I copy the files from the old .kde folder one by one to the new one and restart step by step, to look: Where's the Problem?
But now comes problem number two. Kdewallet request the password. I enter the password.
Then: “Failed to open the password memory. Please try it again.
(Error: -9: read error - Maybe the password is wrong.)”
(the hole thing was logically in German, I translated it)
Then: I copyed the hole files from the old .kde folder into the new one.
No Improvement!

So I habe now two big problems with KDE and I can't help me self^^

One question at the end:
Is there a difference between:
- delete the “.kde” folder in the Home-Directory
and
-the code :
rm -rf .kde/share/config/plasma-*
in the Console?

I hope you can help me. Thanks in advance!

Greetings from Germany

[DeMus]

When you deleted the .kde folder and rebooted things were okay? You could see the widgets and start programs from icons on the desktop?

I would advice you to first switch off the kdewallet. It's a program made to make things simpler but I have never been able to work with it without having to type my password over and over so the first thing I do after a clean install is to switch off kdewallet. Passwords are now stored in every program I use, they are remembered so I don't need to type them again. That is what I call making things simpler.

Second, boot your computer from a dvd and run Mint in the live version. In a terminal type:

Code: Select all

sudo dolphin

Since it is the live version a password is not needed.

In Dolphin you open the home disk in your installed OS and throw away the complete .kde folder. Now you are sure no parts of your profile are left behind.
Be careful since you can easily throw away everything now, make sure you only throw away the .kde folder.

Boot again as usual into your installed OS and a new profile is being made. Now you have to setup some things which have been thrown away, but those are easy to do, aren't they? It is a good idea to see what you have now (widgets, icons, colors, theme, etc) before you start this whole operation. That way it is easier to rebuild the whole lot.

[Gustav_S]

Hi DeMus,

At first, thanks for your reply. But today (in the midday) I've solved the problem at a (my) maybe not so good way. More to this in the end of the text.


So yes, after I delete the .kde folder it comes only a little Error: I believe it was this, that the folder “share” can not be deleted. The system looks like before, only after I restart the computer, my desktop was “new”. No crashes or something.

Now to kwallet. I do not now before that I can switch off the program. I also do not really use that, but must give in the password at each (new) start.
Tomorrow I have a look to this.

Now to my “solving”:
I've deleted the .kde folder (in the running OS) and restart the computer. Then I setup the system how I like them. But:
1. The system was a little bit slower than before. Could this be?
2. The desktop-file-utils do not works. I had must install a new configuration file. But ask me not to the name

But now, it works. Maybe a little bit slower, but that can be imagination^^

But one question at the and. I don't understand the two following sentences from you:
At first:
>>Now you are sure no parts of your profile are left behind.<<
I understand the language, but not what are you trying to tell me

And the next on:
>>Boot again as usual into your installed OS and a new profile is being made. <<
Why should be a new profile being made? Only KDE would be refreshed...?

Good Night,
Gustav

[Gustav_S]

Such a crap!
I have the problem again
Delete the .kde folder isn't a long term solution. What now?

[LindseyD.]

Hi Gustav:

I was having different problems with my desktop. When researching them, I found this:

Instead of deleting the whole .kde folder.

Just deleting/renaming ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma-desktop-appletsrc does the trick.

I also found this: https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=294795
The guy talks about having a scrollbar (slider) when he doesn't want one.

Did you make any changes to the desktop prior to this problem showing up?

[DeMus]

But one question at the and. I don't understand the two following sentences from you:
At first:
>>Now you are sure no parts of your profile are left behind.<<
I understand the language, but not what are you trying to tell me

And the next on:
>>Boot again as usual into your installed OS and a new profile is being made. <<
Why should be a new profile being made? Only KDE would be refreshed...?

Okay, first sentence, and sorry if my English is not perfect, it is not my primary language as well.
I wrote to boot your computer with a live disk, so you don't use anything from the installed OS on your hard disk.
Now when you use Dolphin in superuser mode it is possible to delete the complete .KDE folder from your hard disk.
When you delete the folder from the running OS not everything will be deleted, because it is being used at the moment.
Using the live disk: nothing from the KDE folder is left behind when you delete it.

After deleting the KDE folder, when you boot into the installed version on your hard disk a new KDE profile is made. Since it is a clean profile I was hoping your problem would be gone as well. But you wrote the problem came back. Okay you did not erase the .KDE folder from a live DVD (which you still an do) but now I wonder if that helps.
I hope somebody else can help you, I can't. I'm sorry.

Gut, erster Satz: Ich habe geschrieben dass du deinen Computer hochfahren kannst von einem "Live" DVD damit du dein installiertes System nicht benutzt.
Jetzt kannst du mit Dolphin in "Superuser" Modus das Verzeichnis .KDE auf der Festplatte komplett löschen, damit nichts mehr da ist. Wenn du das machst von dem installierten Version aus wird immer etwas benutzt und du kannst das nicht löschen.

Nachdem du das Verzeichnis gelöscht hast, kannst du wieder normal hochfahren von der Festplatte wie immer. Jetzt wird ein neues .KDE Verzeichnis hergestellt. Weil das sauber ist von jede Verschmutzung habe ich gehofft deine Probleme würden verschunden sein. Jetzt wo ich lese dass die Probleme zurück sind bezweifele ich das aber.
Gut, du hast es nicht gemacht von dem DVD aus (kannst immer noch machen) aber ich zweifele daran ob das hilft.

Hoffentlich kann jemand anders dich weiter helfen. Ich kann es nicht, tut mir leid.

Und nein, ich bin kein Deutscher (wie du sicherlich schon rausgefunden hast an den Fehlern die ich gemacht habe) sondern Holländer.

[Gustav_S]

Thanks to LindseyD. and DeMus!
Your English and German was well

I will do now that:
1. Delete (with a live dvd) the whole .kde folder.
2. Restart the OS and Update to Mint 17.2 KDE (RC).

Than I hope the problem is history!