[SOLVED] KDE Broken for one user. Cannot fix with new .kde folder.

bogzab · 10-26-2011, 05:39 AM

Slackware 13.37, KDE4.5.5.

Is there another location (other than the .kde folder) where kde config files are kept?

My standard way of recovering from "kde won't start" has failed me since this is based on restoring a previously good .kde folder in place of the existing one that is causing problems. Now I have a failure of startup of KDE (but other users and other window managers for the same user start up fine).

Symptoms are: Splash screen shows, but no progress with the icons which should slowly appear. Dumped back to console where I see:

Code:

startkde: Starting up...
Connecting to deprecated signal QBusConnectionInterface::serviceOwnerChanged(QString,QString,QString)
kded(3521): Communication problem with "kded" , it probably crashed.
Error message was  "org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown" : "The name org.kde.kded was not provided by any .service files" "

"

This all started when KDE crashed when I foolishly tried to add a "Launcelot" application launcher widget to my desktop. I already had a "Quicklauncher" widget, but on trying to configure the new widget, screen went black and I had to ctrl-alt-BS to close X and get back to a console.

Thanks

bogzab · 10-26-2011, 06:58 AM

Possible further clue as top what has gone wrong: When I try to run a KDE app (dolphin, knoqueror etc) from within xfce, I get :

Code:

QGtkStyle was unable to detect the current GTK+ theme
Bus error

I think it is the Bus Error that is significant because if I do the same thing for as another user who has not got the broken kde, you still see the QGtkStyle error (and a whole lot more messages too) but then the dolphin window opens OK.

unclejed613 · 10-27-2011, 10:41 AM

have you tried completely deleting the .kde folder and then restarting X? that's how i fixed a similar problem with one user account.

bogzab · 10-27-2011, 03:14 PM

This link https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=107086 provided the answer. Exact same error message that I had regarding kded crashing. The key is to delete /var/tmp/kdecache-<username> folder. Never knew about this, but it would appear that KDE tries to retrieve stuff from this cache and if there is something corrupt there, you are screwed, whatever you change regarding configs in your home directory.

I have my old desktop back. It even had the lancelot launcher widget which I was installing when it all went horribly wrong. Removed it straight away. This is now solved.

cwizardone · 10-28-2011, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bogzab

This link https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=107086 provided the answer. Exact same error message that I had regarding kded crashing. The key is to delete /var/tmp/kdecache-<username> folder. Never knew about this, but it would appear that KDE tries to retrieve stuff from this cache and if there is something corrupt there, you are screwed, whatever you change regarding configs in your home directory.

I have my old desktop back. It even had the lancelot launcher widget which I was installing when it all went horribly wrong. Removed it straight away. This is now solved.

Yikes!
That is as bad, if not worst, than the way ms-windows scatters details about users across the hard drive!
Are the Slackware Gurus still sure the people at KDE know what they are doing?!

mlangdn · 10-28-2011, 12:20 PM

I had also been having a problem with KDE and file associations suddenly disappearing - .jpg trying to open in okular and other goofy stuff. Deleting the .kde folder was only temporary. Deleting the /var/tmp/kdecache-me took care of that crap!

bogzab · 10-29-2011, 12:54 AM

On a KDE list (where I also posted this problem), somebody replied to say that they symlink /var/tmp to /tmp which they mount on tmpfs. That way a re-boot is always clean with respect to this cache. I think it has some side-effects, but it would ensure that my sort of puzzling problem would not occur.