Latest updates failures [Solved]

[Fitzcarraldo]

I would not run dolphin as root user (i.e. by logging in as root). The best way is to use ksudo dolphin because then the environment variables and paths are the same as yours, rather than those of the root user.

As you have run Dolphin as the root user, would you please try something?:

Code: Select all

$ su
Password:
# rm -rf /root/.kde4
# systemsettings # Make Oxygen the Plasma widget sytle for root, if it is not already.
# exit
$ kdesu dolphin # Browse /var/log/ and click on a log file to see if KWrite opens it.

I have still not had a chance to check the KDE service files on my main laptop, but, in the interim, try the above to see what happens.

[dunsurfin]

As you have run Dolphin as the root user, would you please try something?:

Fitzcarraldo, I'm not sure if you're replying to me or to NoSavy but I didn't run dolphin as root. I tried to to see if there was a difference but got the error message I added as an edit.

[Fitzcarraldo]

robin@robin2 ~ $ su
Password:
robin2 robin # dolphin

I was addressing you both, really. As you have tried running Dolphin as the root user (see above), could you try what I posted, to see what happens?

[dunsurfin]

OK, I've tried that but came across a problem. the rm -rf /root/.kde4 was carried out but I could not open systemsettings as root. I got a similar error message as when I tried to open dolphin as root. I can open systemsettings using kdesu but now get another error "Configuration file "/root/kde4/share/config/systemsettingsrc" not writeable. Please contact your system administrator". I didn't attempt to make any changes as I was using kdesu.

[dunsurfin]

How very strange. The # rm -rf /root/.kde4 has done the trick! After a reboot I ran kdesu dolphin and found that my files now open without any trouble (except for that strange error message about usr/bin/gedit that comes up after the file has opened. I can confirm that kwrite works also. I assume that rebuilding the root/.kde4 did the trick. Thank you Fitzcarraldo.

[Fitzcarraldo]

That's good news, dunsurfin. I think one just needs to make sure never, ever to use Dolphin with su or sudo, but always to stick to launching Dolphin using kdesu dolphin from KRunner or Konsole under one's normal user account. If you do run into the problem again, repeat the exercise.

NoSavy, please try the same exercise, to see if it fixes the problem for you, too.

[NoSavy]

Thankyou, thankyou to Dunsurfin. I was beginning to think it was me and only me. I have my sanity back.

And to Fitzcarraldo, a thousand thanks for your time and patience. I now feel better knowing it wasn't me, although I was 99.9% sure of that in the first place.
No need to reinstall now.

I renamed /root/kde4 and after the system recreated a new /kde4 directory Dolphin now works as it should.
I will now try to see what was causing the error. (if I can).




NS.

[Fitzcarraldo]

I never thought you were alone. Google quickly shows that the problem has existed over several years for some KDE users of various Linux distributions, and still exists for some KDE users of various Linux distributions. It's one of those bugs that seems to only arise under certain circumstances ('use cases') and is, I believe, due to the different way that su, su -. sudo, kdesudo and kdesu work, the way that KDE works, and also the way the distribution is configured. My advice would be to religiously never, ever launch any KDE application/utility using su, su -, sudo or kdesudo. And also never try to log in to KDE as the root user (It's disabled by default, but can be enabled in a configuration file). I stick to using kdesu to launch KDE applications if I want to access files with the root user's privileges.

As the problem is not exclusive to 64-bit Linux, and as it's a problem for some KDE users, I'll move this thread to the '3D Desktops and Window Managers' shed, as it may be seen by more people that way.