new Kubuntu install, simple things aren't simple anymore?
 

I installed Kubuntu for the first time this morning. I found many things I love already. However, I've spent the last couple of hours attempting to figure out how to change the desktop wallpaper on Kubuntu 13.10 KDE v. 4.11.2. That's right, changing wallpaper. How hard can it be...right?

I have followed so many "How-tos" I can't count 'em.

I also found this on KDE.org "Plasma Howto" for changing wallpaper: http://userbase.kde.org/images.userb...llpaper-45.gif ...it does not work though, the options shown are not available on my desktop.

Asking for help on a forum is always my last resort, but I have to admit defeat here. What am I missing? Is this a bug?

help, please (and thanks!) : )

Tried it on KDE 4.10.5 (shouldn't be that different from 4.11) and it was as simple as doing a right click on the desktop and choosing "Default Desktop Settings".

Thank you TobiSGD,

This is so very frustrating. I right-clicked on my desktop and hit the printscreen key to take a snapshot so you could see that there was no Default Desktop Settings option there. But my Printscreen is not working. So I tried to use ksnapshot, but couldn't get it to take a shot without the menu disappearing. (sigh) All of these things have been simple things to do before. I apparently have a LOT to learn about Kubuntu.

I love the file manager, and my Wacom works with no effort, and the clipper is really nice, and I love that I have my favorite big red cursor with NO extra work. I really am impressed with a lot of things about KDE, but I feel like a fish out of water with it.

And I cannot figure out why the simplest things like changing wallpaper and Printscreen are not working at all. Perhaps there is more I need to install? Do these things need extra plugins or something?

I feel so stupid...

Another way to get to default desktop settings is via the cashew button in the upper right if you happen to have the plasma desktop active.

Additionally, pressing alt+d then immediately alt+s should make it appear under this circumstance.

I'm not sure why it wouldn't appear in your context menu from right clicking on the desktop, however.

EDIT: what I refer to as the cashew button is the button thing in the upper right corner of the screen which has the yellow plasma icon (called a cashew) and the word Desktop in it.

What options do show on right click on the Desktop? I'm using an earlier kde (4.10.1) and right clicking and selecting Folder View Settings works for wallpaper.

For desktop settings just right click anywhere on the desktop and select 'Default Desktop Setting' or 'Alt+s'

for taking a screenshot just press 'Print Scr' or look on the kstart button for KSnapshot.

If you dont see an icon for it under the graphic category just type the name on the search bar there. I am on KDE 4.10.5 "release 1"

Good luck to you

I'm actually having some trouble with kscreenshot on my Kubuntu 13.10 as well, it's not responding to the print screen button for some reason.

Following are the context menus I get from right clicking on the desktop in Kubuntu 13.10 (bear in mind I upgraded, it's not a fresh install)

Widgets locked:
Run Command...
Activities...
Unlock Widgets
Lock Screen
Leave...
Default Desktop Settings

Widgets unlocked:
Run Command...
Add Widgets...
Add Panel
> Default Panel
> Empty Panel
Lock Widgets
Lock Screen
Leave...
Default Desktop Settings

for those familiar with KDE, please note that the following shows kde v4.11.2 in kubuntu 13.10:

Thanks so much for the help, I was getting so frustrated this morning and tried hard not to make my question sound as horribly frustrated as I was feeling.

I finally had to put down the mouse and step away from the Kubuntu for a while. : )

This is what I get when I right-click on an empty space on the desktop:

Create new
Undo: rename
Paste clipboard contents
---
Icons
Refresh desktop
Open with Dolphin
---
Run command
Add widgets
Add panel
Activities
Lock widgets
---
Lock screen
Leave
---
Folder settings

This (below) is what's available when I click on the "cashew" (upper right on the desktop) :

Add panel
Add widgets
Activities
Shortcut settings
Folder settings
Lock widgets
Lock screen
Leave

After reading so many how-tos this morning, and not finding ANY of the menu items or options that were described in any of them, I am wondering if I might need to install some additional settings, or plugins, or widgets, or something??

I DID add the "Picture frame" widget to my desktop, and I can see the tiny wallpaper picture that I chose showing in the lower panel, but there has, as yet been no actual change in my desktop wallpaper.

It's crazy. Changing wallpaper must surely be in a setting, somewhere, or maybe I've found a bug?

I am using a "new" computer that I got last week (it's a used one, maybe 4 years old, so it's only "new" to me). I should have given the specs (In my frustration I forgot proper forum ettiquette this morning).

AMD Phenom(tm) II X6 1090T Processor
8GB RAM
ATI video card (I can't tell what model)

It's a pretty basic little machine, I'm just testing it out and thought I'd try Kubuntu on it.

**And as a side note, I installed two more screen shot apps and still couldn't get one to work with the PrintScreen key. I tried setting new hot keys for it, but nothing worked. It was just one more frustration, so I stopped fussing with it...one thing at a time.

Once again, thanks so much for the help!
jccar
--------------
EDIT:
--------------
After a good night's sleep, I tried the suggested Alt+D and Alt+S, which opened the Plasma desktop shell and showed a few extra samples of wallpapers.

I have my own collection of wallpapers though, so I wanted to point it to my pictures folder, but it wouldn't allow the change to my own folder.

So, I tried the old gksudo trick for Dolphin and, using the split pane (I love Dolphin!), grabbed all my own wallpapers and dragged them into the system wallpaper folder. I thought I was finished but, no, my own wallpapers were still not visible to the Plasma desktop shell.

I'm making progress though.

1. I have found the desktop shell for making the wallpaper change (Alt+D + Alt+S)
2. I managed to place my own wallpaper images into the root wallpaper folder (using gksudo Dolphin).

All I need now is a way to make the Plasma desktop shell "see" the new pictures and actually use them. I was given the option to download new wallpapers, but try as I might, not from my own images in the wallpaper folder.

Thanks for the great help!
jccar (the grandma who has wallpapers and is not afraid to use them) :)

Ok, this all falls under the category of "Stupid Grandma Tricks" - I think we can mark this one "Solved" and here's what I figured out...

1. If custom wallpapers are needed, use gksudo dolphin (and the split screen!) to move the custom wallpapers from your storage folder to the system home>user>shared>wallpapers folder.

2. Using Alt+D followed by Alt+S will bring up the Plasma desktop shell, which allows the changing of wallpapers.

3. Use the little "Open" button at the bottom of the "Plasma Desktop Shell" window and scroll through the newly added custom wallpapers, and select one...(why didn't I see that sooner?)

4. Hit "Apply" and see your new desktop in all its custom-wallpaperish glory!

Sorry to be such a dimwitted old lady, but damn, I learned a lot yesterday. : ) Thanks to everyone that guided me to the answers. Sometimes all the Googling in the world doesn't help if one doesn't know what to call the the things they want. "Plasma Desktop Shell" gives me much better results than "how to change wallpaper in KDE", but I'd never heard of such a thing before yesterday, so thanks for being patient with my obtuse-ness.

And, if one must be stupid in public, one should have a sense of humour about it, yes? lol :D
Now I have to figure out the printscreen problem...

jccar (the grandma with old brain cells who's not afraid to use them...lol)

The context menu you describe is similar to what I get when I right click on my folder widget. I wonder if you have plasma set up to act more like a traditional desktop with icons directly on it. I'm not even certain how I'd accomplish that.

Anyway, I'm glad to hear you got it sorted, Jccar. Now to figure out this screenshot issue.

I'm glad I checked back. Thank you for suggesting that "traditional desktop" possibility, because it made me remember changing a setting early after the installation finished. It made the big "drawer" on the desktop go away and allowed my own folders to stay on the desktop. I will look into that, my problems likely began there.

P.S. I have never had "PrintScreen" fail before. So that'll be my focus for tomorrow. It's a sad day when a girl can't get the printscreen key to obey. : )

jccar