setting XDG_DESKTOP_DIR automaticallyto the user dir when Desktop is not available confuses users

[Jeremy LaCroix]

I install both ubuntu-desktop and kubuntu-desktop. I set up both the way I like them (wallpaper, etc).

As I always do, I separated the Desktop folder for Kubuntu and Ubuntu. While I was logged in to KDE, I created the folder "/home/jeremy/KDesktop" and then I changed KDE's desktop path to that directory.

I logged in to Gnome so I could play around with it a bit, and for some reason my /home/jeremy/Desktop folder was deleted! (When I changed the path in KDE, I didn't rename the Desktop folder, I created a new folder and called it "KDesktop").

Now, when I log in to Gnome, it complains that it cannot load the user switcher and asks me if I want to reload it, and this is an endless loop. Not only that, but the contents of my "/home/jeremy" folder is on my Desktop. If I go to Places, then click on Desktop, it brings me to my home folder instead. My home folder also now has the Desktop icon on it.

Even worse, is that the refresh rate of Gnome is 60hz. In KDE and KDM, it's 85hz. Just so you know, I go by what my monitor reports my refresh rate as being, not GTK. (GTK always reports the wrong refresh rate and has for as long as I can remember).

To try to fix the issue, I recreated my /home/jeremy/Desktop folder and made sure the permissions were set to read/write for my username. I logged out and then back in, but still had the same problem.

Then I found a key in gconf-editor called "home directory is desktop". It was not enabled, however I enabled it, logged out, logged in, disabled it, logged out, logged in, and it did not fix the issue. I then deleted all the .gnome*, .nautilus* and .gconf* folders to reset my Gnome installation back to default.

After deleting those folders, my refresh rate issue was resolved. However, my home directory is still my Desktop. I made sure the Desktop folder was still there, and it is.

Please note that with every version of Ubuntu ever released, it's standard practice for me to change the path of the KDE desktop folder and its never affected Gnome until now.

I'm probably going to have to wipe my Ubuntu partition and start it over since I don't see any fix for this yet. I *really* don't want to do this though.

In summary:

* I created the folder "KDesktop" in my home directory.

* I configured KDE to use the KDesktop folder as my Desktop folder.

* I logged in to Gnome.

* My refresh rate dropped to 60hz, user switcher refused to load, and my home directory is now my desktop.

* Deleting the .gnome* folders and then reloading Gnome fixed the refresh rate issue.

* Even after disabling the "home directory is desktop" key in Gconf, which wasn't even enabled to begin with, the problem with the home directory set to the desktop directory remains.

* User switcher still will not load despite all my effort to fix this problem.

* In the Places menu, clicking on "Desktop" brings me to my home folder instead.

* My home folder now has the desktop icon.

[Jeremy LaCroix (jlacroix82-deactivatedaccount)]

I thought I might add that an acceptable fix might possibly be to make it so that changing the desktop path in KDE doesn't effect Gnome. It didn't effect Gnome for me in any previous version of Ubuntu.

[irongrunty (wtfmanthatsnotcool)]

i also have this problem. ubuntu w/ gnome system, no kde. didn't try changing the refresh rate and all, just one day my desktop started showing the contents of my user folder instead of my desktop folder (on startup). clicking on desktop brings me to my user folder. Desktop folder exists in my user folder (/home/username/Desktop). very strange, and i can't change it back. using compiz if that helps.

[Bob W (rlwhite)]

I accidentally changed the name of the desktop folder from Desktop to desktop. Then next time I logged in, the desktop was my home directory. The fix it to go to edit ~/.config/users.dirs.dirs and change the line XDG_DESKTOP_DIR="$HOME/" to XDG_DESKTOP_DIR="$HOME/Desktop". Log out and back in. Using Ubuntu 7.10.

Bob W.

[Jeremy LaCroix (jlacroix82-deactivatedaccount)]

I'm pretty sure this is fixed, unless someone else is still having this issue, it could be closed.

[John Coulthard (retired)]

I just got it. Thank you Bob W for your advice. I just about went nuts trying to track this one down - been at it for about 2 hours. Well... I learned a lot in the process I suppose.

I believe I triggered it by mistakenly deleting "Desktop". Nothing happened but my very few desktop icons disappeared and at that time I didn't associate the two events (in fact I don't remember deleting Desktop - I just remember my desktop icons disappearing). Later, (presumably after a reboot or logout?) the icons all appeared on my desktop and I started looking into it. Then - I discovered a folder called "file:" in my home directory. It contained a folder called "coulthard" (or maybe it was "home"? - sorry my memory is a bit weak on this one) it contained an empty folder called "Desktop". I deleted them, and recreated Desktop in my home folder. Then flailing around with the gconf-editor to no avail was very frustrating. Looks normal now - thank goodness.

[Brayan Habid (brayanhabid)]

The same happened to me. Is there any way to do it, with feisty + compiz. For me it is not important if I have to change the desktop folder to some other folder, but the home being shown at the desktop means lots of loads in my system, so I just would like to change it to any folder else. thanks

[Bob W (rlwhite)]

Hi Bryan,

I don't know about compiz but basically you need to find out where the desktop is defined. In Gnome it in ~/.config/users.dirs.dirs as mentioned above. If you have a .config directory, you might start looking there. You might try grepping for "\$HOME".

Bob W.

[Jan Moolman (n8wulf)]

Hi All;
I installed a little app by the name of Ubuntu Tweak ( http://www.ubuntugeek.com/howto-tweak-ubuntu.html )
This is for use with Gnome. After tweaking a bit and trying to avoid the obvious pitfalls as noted by the app creator in the app, I logged out and, voila, I had the above problem of Home being displayed on the desktop.

The tool allows to set the path to the Desktop folder, which after selecting this option, all was correct again.

Summary: Those who can't find the above mentioned "~/.config/users.dirs.dirs" or anything refering to it, try using Ubuntu tweak
Cheers

[James Sparenberg (james-linuxrebel)]

Just did a default install on my eeepc and by default the .config/users.dirs.dirs had everything as $HOME instead of $HOME/[sub dir]

[Omegamormegil (omegamormegil)]

I can confirm that this bug still exists in Jaunty. I deleted my Desktop folder, as I wanted my Desktop to be on a different partition using a symlink, and my home folder became my Desktop. I also tried fixing with gconf, which didn't work. Correcting the line in ~/.config/users.dirs.dirs did fix my problem.

[Najmi (najmi-zabidi)]

I also got this problem on Jaunty (9.04).
Currently suffering on this problem, even my Firefox does not work as expected (no history, no bookmark whatsoever)

[nosolosw (nosolosw)]

This is an error I got in other environment. Posted here, just to keep track on it: https://bugs.launchpad.net/dell-mini/+bug/342284

[nosolosw (nosolosw)]

By the way, as workaround, modifying the values of my .config/user-dirs.dirs fixed the bug.

[nosolosw (nosolosw)]

By the way, as workaround, modifying the values of my .config/user-dirs.dirs fixed the bug.

I'm running Jaunty UNR in my dell-mini 12". My environment:

$ uname -a
Linux myhost 2.6.28-13-generic #45-Ubuntu SMP Tue Jun 30 19:49:51 UTC 2009 i686 GNU/Linux

$ gnome-about
 - Version: 2.26.1
 - Distributor: Ubuntu
 - Build date: 07/06/2009

[xteejx (xteejx-deactivatedaccount)]

Also affects Karmic Beta. Accidentally moved home folder contents to wastebin, brought them back from the 'dead' and the desktop continued to show the home directory, not the ~/Desktop directory. Workaround above fixed the problem though.

[Rockroehre (rockroehre)]

Same problem with Karmic / Ubuntu 9.10 after uninstalling UnionFS (must have deleted the original Desktop folder). Bob W's workaround posted on 2007-11-06 worked for me.

[ferrouswheel (joel-pitt)]

Same problem for me...

Would be great if Nautilus gracefully just monitor whether the Desktop dir comes back.

I have a symbolic link to a shared drive for my Desktop, this behaviour kills it whenever there are network problems.

[Carl-Erik Kopseng (kopseng)]

This is still a problem in Ubuntu 10.04 (beta)! Just luck brought me here to find the solution with the .config directory. I think one should be presented with a dialog on the next login where one has the possibility of restoring the desktop folder entry (and settings) with a checkbox to not show again. That would save users in use cases as mine.

[xteejx (xteejx-deactivatedaccount)]

Is this a problem in Ubuntu 10.10? If so, please report back and this can be sent upstream.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for xdg-user-dirs (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]