[SOLVED] Folder colors and emblems reset to default settings and won't change back [3]

I don't know why, but whole drive volumes are losing folder color and emblem data. It started with my OS drive, then recently spread to my main storage device (3TB). The folders are reset to the default green color with no emblems, after which they are permanently stuck! Reboot does nothing, and an internet search comes up empty.

I'm not a major tinkerer! So having not meddled with critical settings or changed the code, why is this suddenly happening with no explanation? The only lead I have is that it could be graphics related. I had screen tearing on first login, and had to fiddle with drivers to get things sorted.
This is a pretty annoying handicap to me, because I use these colors and emblems for organization.

I've asked this question 2 other times, and still haven't been able to resolve it: https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...5D-4175645362/
There you can see some of the things I've tried.


Linux Mint 18.2 Sonya - Gnome desktop
Any help is appreciated.

Is there anything besides colors that have reset or don't allow changes that stick? What you describe may be that permissions of and within your home directory have been stolen from you. What is the output from:

dir -d /home/myusername/

in particular, and

ls -l $HOME

more generally. If you see anything other than your own username and group, this is your problem. You'll also need to check permissions in ~/.config, ~/.local and elsewhere to be sure it isn't a deeper problem. Any you find that are not your own will need to be changed with the chown command and superuser permission, such as:

sudo chown -R myusername.mygroup /home/myusername

what were the last few things you did before you noticed this taking place? opening an app, updating the system etc..

I opened multiple tabs in multiple windows of nemo

Just figured it out. Some metadata files in my home were sudo. Maybe this happens when you color folders in sudo mode? Or a more specific circumstance. Whatever the case, if it happens again, I'll remember and correct it.

you need to know what you will do first.

Originally Posted by bobIsHere244 Some metadata files in my home were sudo. Maybe this happens when you color folders in sudo mode?

one of the many reasons people do not recommend to run graphical apps with elevated privileges is that the permissions on the files they create/modify can get messed up.