After recently installing the newest system updates, I find that the folders/windows on the desktop no longer will minimize/maximize with just the click on the system tray tab for the corresponding item. On 13.1 KDE 32-bit with newest kernel drop installed. Anyone have a suggestion? Thanks!
I guess you mean the “task manager” in the panel, right?
The system tray is the thing on the bottom-right (left of the clock) where some programs put icons (like KMix f.e.) and which contains the device notifier f.e.
This works fine here.
Do you have the same problem with a new user?
Can you minimize/maximize windows with the buttons in the windows’ titlebar?
Gotta get the proper lingo down. Yes, the task manager.
I have created a new “test” user with password but for some reason I log off and cannot log back in with any of the 3 users, Charles - Root - Test. The login fails each time even though I now have made the logins password-less. I cannot figure this out and have to reboot from the login screen and it logs in automatically with the Charles user properly then.
And, yes, I can minimize/maximize windows with the buttons in the titlebar.
Hm, that’s strange.
Sure you entered the correct passwords? No CAPS-Lock active or similar?
What happens when you “cannot log back”? Is there any error message?
How did you make the logins passwordless?
And, yes, I can minimize/maximize windows with the buttons in the titlebar.
OK, so it’s no general problem with minimizing/maximizing windows.
If you create a new default panel, does it work from there? (right-click on the desktop and choose “Add panel”->“Default Panel”)
No CAPS/NUM-lock. “Login failed.” error message. Expert Options in the User/Group Management dialog where users are listed/created. Bottom right above the OK button.
Yes, strange. I’m going to try to automatically login with the Test user now.
well, I’ve found that apparently the passwordless setting is sticking, so the logons are without passwords regardless of whether I have the checkbox ticked or not. Weird.
Something is going on with my Charles user account being that the maximize/minimize works correctly with the Test and Root accounts from the Task Manager. Again, weird.
Maybe we can go into a discussion about some of the Desktop Effects settings that I’ve been adjusting. Maybe that has something to do with the situation I am experiencing.
I never played with passwordless logins, but AFAIK this should be saved in /etc/sysconfig/displaymanager.
Please check that this contains a line exactly like this:
DISPLAYMANAGER_PASSWORD_LESS_LOGIN="no"
(and only exactly one line that sets DISPLAYMANAGER_PASSWORD_LESS_LOGIN)
Something is going on with my Charles user account being that the maximize/minimize works correctly with the Test and Root accounts from the Task Manager. Again, weird.
Maybe we can go into a discussion about some of the Desktop Effects settings that I’ve been adjusting. Maybe that has something to do with the situation I am experiencing.
Let’s first check if it is caused by a corrupted plasma/task manager configuration.
Quit plasma, remove its config file, and start it again:
kquitapp plasma-desktop && mv ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma-desktop-appletsrc ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma-desktop-appletsrc.bak && plasma-desktop
Does it work then?
Of course all your plasma customisation is gone then.
You can restore everything back to the state before with:
kquitapp plasma-desktop && mv ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma-desktop-appletsrc.bak ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma-desktop-appletsrc && plasma-desktop
OK, the password issue isn’t resolved but the settings are as you suggested they need to be but still the logins are passwordless even though set otherwise.
Corrupted plasma/task manager configuration is the issue now. Once I removed the config file, things worked properly. Restore then the problem exists again. Guess I’ll be starting over with new configurations, huh?
Maybe they are set in “Configure Desktop”->“Login Screen”->“Convenience”?
Corrupted plasma/task manager configuration is the issue now. Once I removed the config file, things worked properly. Restore then the problem exists again. Guess I’ll be starting over with new configurations, huh?
If you haven’t changed much it might be the easiest.
But you could also try to just remove and readd the task manager (click on the toolbox icon on the right edge of the panel, then right-click on the task manager and choose “Remove Task Manager”. You can add it again by clicking on the toolbox icon again and selecting “Add Widgets”, as long as the toolbox is open, you can drag it around in the panel to position it where you want)
No, the settings were the same in Configure Desktop. I set preselected user as Charles but left passwordless login unticked. Will see if having visited this panel whether or not it made any difference.
Well, I’ve succeeded in losing my clock, network management icon and the system tray all in one fell swoop. What a lucky day I’m having over here. 
How do I get these back?
If you remove the task manager they will move all the way to the left. You mean they disappeared completely? Or did you just look at the wrong place? (they should be right next to the application launcher and the workspace switcher)
Did you maybe remove the whole panel by mistake?
Then just add a new default one as before.
To add single widgets, click on the toolbox icon and select “Add Widgets” as I said.
(the network management icon is part of the system tray, so you only need to add that one)
Well, I’ve gotten them back but I need to learn how to properly place them on the task manager popup bar. I’m workin’ on it.
???
What do you mean with “properly place them on the task manager popup bar”? You cannot place the clock and system tray on the task manager.
I alread told you how you can move them around in the panel, just click on the toolbox icon on the right and move the mouse over the widget you want to move. The mouse cursor should change to the “Arrows” then and you can click and drag it.
See here: http://userbase.kde.org/images.userbase/2/2d/Plasma_howto-widget-panel-move-45.gif
For other howtos regarding plasma: http://userbase.kde.org/Plasma/HowTo/4.5
Lingo problems again. Sorry. I cannot seem to get the system tray moved from where it now wants to be positioned in the middle of the panel. I check further in your reference article for help. Let me work on these issues and I’ll report back later. Thanks again for your assistance.
Well, if you cannot get the panel to how it was, just remove the whole panel and create a new default one (right-click on the desktop, select “Add Panel”->“Default Panel”)
That’s what I did. And regarding that password issue earlier, I seem to have worked through that but find that on each reboot the keyboard is configured for NUMLOCK mode and I have to toggle it each time. Would you know any setting that might reverse that so as to not be in NUMLOCK when the system boots up?
You should be able to configure that in the BIOS settings.
You can override the BIOS settings in /etc/sysconfig/keyboard:
KBD_NUMLOCK="bios"
“bios” means respect the BIOS setting.
If you set it to “yes” instead of “bios” it will be turned on in any case, “no” will turn it off…
Seems you’ve cleared things up for me again. Thank you for your continued assistance. It is greatly appreciated!