Hello all, I am a new user, from Italy, please forgive my poor english.
the problem. I started using tumbleweed in 2024, replacement of openSUSE 15.4.
at some point few monts ago the system began replacing the graphic of icons with generic gray icons, the connected app started and usually restored the correct icon.
I discovered a fast workaround: installing a new icon replaced all the other icons on their place.
monday the workaround stopped to work, finally ai found a doifferent workaround, changing the icons organizations (from row to columns or viceversa) fixed the problem, but at next boot I am again with gray icons.
Another marginal error: if I select by columns I obtain one row arrangement and viceversa the label are misplaced
Welcome to the openSUSE Forums! What Desktop Environment are you using (KDE, Gnome…)? Are you using Wayland or still X11 sessions? Can you name a few apps whose icons “disappear” or are all icons affected?
The dektop is KDE, with X11.
You must understand I am 77 I havemy habits…
From one day forward, at boot the graphic of all icons are replaced with a gray generic image, but the related app was always operational. I can insert one image but i must reboot to have it.
using the described triks the graphic reappear all in the correct place.
ok, tested. Now I have 3 users in this machine: root, paolo, test1.
Only paolo is affected by icons problem.
Details: closed paolo session, open root session icon are correct, not gray, ad some more icons just for test purpose.
created user test1, session root closed, open session test1 added some icons on desktop, close test1, open paolo: paolo is affected again by gray icons problem. if I move one icon (just pick it with mouse and drag somewere around ad return at the original place) the icon regain correct graphics, but only that icon not all the desktop, to fix all icons i must change the arrangement from columns to row. Close again paolo session, open test1 no icons error, closed test1, open root no icons error, close root open again paolo I have again icons error.
this help to determine the problem?
Logging in as root in a graphical session is not a good idea; not meaning that this problem is caused by that, but you might inadvertently break file permissions or system configs by doing so.
That said, I think that there is a problem with the cache in /home/paolo/.cachebut I cannot say which file or folder might be the culprit.
As a test you might rename that folder, like in
mv /home/paolo/.cache /home/paolo/.cache_backup
and see if rebuilding the cache fixes your problem; if so, you might even compare the new .cache with .cache_backup for differences, or just use the new one if you don’t have things you need in the old one.
I have moved the .cache directory, closed paolo session and reopened, no result, and more the system don’t rebuild the file icon-cache.kcache.
About the sugestion of avoiding the root user, I agree, but I am retired and 77 but I have spent all mi working life around the computers of one istitute of CNR of Italy (CNR is for National Research Council of Italy) age kill neurons in my brain one by one, but I still remember something…
(quote)
You should execute the “mv” command when you are NOT logged into that user account.
[/quote]
mmmmmh… there is something strange in files and directory in paolo directory, I am going to try…
(quote)
You should execute the “mv” command when you are NOT logged into that user account.
[/quote]
mmmmmh… there is something strange in files and directory in paolo directory, I am going to try…
I have made some tests, without success, the user paolo was in group paolo solution ro give to paolo some more autority without inserting him in root group. This was made several year in the past.
I have observed that the sistem have inserted several files and directories of user paolo in group users…
Test made:
execute the mv command out of user paolo. no joy…
assign user paolo to group users, If I am correct, this will change the group attribute of all files to group users, again no result
assign user paolo to group paolo for the same reason and again no result.
To be noted that the change row to column and viceversa alwais worked, while the mouse touch no longer worked.
Basically the user paolo should have either users as primary group (the former way this was done on system installation by default) or paolo should be the primary group (as done on new installations by default at the present day).
You can check what the primary group of paolois:
grep paolo /etc/passwd
This will show a line with : separated fields. The fourth field is the primary GID. Use this number to check in /etc/group. This again has : seperated fields where the third field is the GID. Thus the first field of the line which has the GID you found is the primary group of paolo.
Now check in paolo’s home directory /home/paolo. All files there, including /home/paolo itself, should have this group name as group name. When not then change this!
done. no offending file or dir at least in top /home/paolo and /home/paolo/backup.
Observed something in /etc/group: the second field is ‘x’ for all group but paolo group has instead one red exclamation point…
Thanks for not explaining what you did and what the results were. What is the primary group of user paolo? Show results. We can not look over your shoulder. How can people here follow what is happening and maybe warn you for a mistake, etc.
But we are of course specific interested in the configuration file down in ~/.config, ~/.local and maybe more.
I said “check in paolo’s home directory”, which means “check all”, not some of them. Or alternative do (as root) a chgrp -R <the-name of the primary group> /home/paolo.
I understand that my poor english may be a problem, bur I have always specified what I have done.
I follow accurately the suggested test, and explain what I have done
Specifically I have explained that I have changed paolo group to users this means also that the user and group tool will change group to all files and dirs with owner paolo and assign it the group users, I have also cecked this and appear correct.
tested functionality of desktop icons and find that are still affected by the same problem.
repeated the same procedure ad assign group paolo to user paolo again using the user management function obtaining exactly the same result.
I have also noted that in the /etc/group file the password field (the second one) is marked with x but group paolo have a red !.
result:
chgrp -R paolo /home/paolo
empty line is the result
Then no need to explain you got no output. In fact nobody expects here any output. What do you think there should be output?
Remember this started with you doubting that group asigned to the files inside paolo’s home could be (partly) incorrect? I only gave you a way to find if that is the case. And I gave you a way to correct this.
Now you can be sure that group assignment of all files in the home directory of paolo is set to paolo.
I hope that is what you wanted to know in the course of attacking your original problem.
