CRITICAL: Unable to create a DBus proxy for GnomeScreensaver: Error calling StartServiceByName for org.gnome.ScreenSaver: GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.Spawn.ChildExited: Process org.gnome.ScreenSaver exited with status 1

[dino99]

That error is logged:

org.gnome.ScreenSaver[1081]: Unable to init server: Could not connect: Connection refused

then:

gnome-session[895]: gnome-session-binary[895]: CRITICAL: Unable to create a DBus proxy for GnomeScreensaver: Error calling StartServiceByName for org.gnome.ScreenSaver: GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.Spawn.ChildExited: Process org.gnome.ScreenSaver exited with status 1

oem@ubuntu:~$ localectl
   System Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8
       VC Keymap: n/a
      X11 Layout: fr
       X11 Model: pc105
     X11 Variant: oss

So, with googling help (https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=180103), i've edited /etc/locale-gen (as user) and uncommented the line: fr_FR.UTF-8
 and then ran 'sudo locale-gen' and finally rebooted.

But the error is still logged after reboot: either i need to set also 'VC Keymap', but how ?, or it is related to the vte version actually used (and need an upgrade) (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/vte2.91/+bug/1721412)

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 18.04
Package: gnome-session 3.26.1-0ubuntu7
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.13.0-18.21-generic 4.13.13
Uname: Linux 4.13.0-18-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.8-0ubuntu2
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: GNOME
Date: Sun Dec 3 17:17:45 2017
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm-256color
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: gnome-session
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Eric Brown (eberic)]

I was getting this error on Ubuntu 17.10 on a Mac Pro 2,1 and was also having problems with soft lockups associated with errors saying "CPU#x was stuck for 22s" (where x was the CPU number). When I removed gnome-screensaver, both issues stopped. However, when I reinstalled gnome-screensaver, the bug here (CRITICAL: Unable to create a DBus proxy for GnomeScreensaver) started happening again but the CPU lockups did not.

[Chris Thompson (chris-thompson)]

I have the same error after a clean install (today) of 17.10 using nvidia 384.98 driver in an xorg gnome session. I presume the screensaver failure is responsible for a failure to switch users.

[yolen (plasmajens)]

For me problem happens when using two monitors with "high" resolution 3840x2160 (had two older monitors until yesterday). I use a Lenovo x260 and a dock. Machine freezes. From my logs

08:34:43 gnome-session-b: CRITICAL: Unable to create a DBus proxy for GnomeScreensaver: Error calling StartServiceByName for org.gnome.ScreenSaver: GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.Spawn.ChildExited: Process org.gnome.ScreenSaver exited with status 1
08:34:36 systemd: Failed to start LSB: This service starts and stops VMware services.
08:34:31 wpa_supplicant: Could not read interface p2p-dev-wlp4s0 flags: No such device
08:34:30 gnome-session-b: CRITICAL: Unable to create a DBus proxy for GnomeScreensaver: Error calling StartServiceByName for org.gnome.ScreenSaver: GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.Spawn.ChildExited: Process org.gnome.ScreenSaver exited with status 1
08:34:30 NetworkManager: ((src/devices/nm-device.c:1452)): assertion '<dropped>' failed
08:34:28 systemd: Failed to start AppArmor initialization.
08:34:27 kernel: tpm tpm0: A TPM error (6) occurred attempting to read a pcr value

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

dino99,

I believe this error will also cause a 25 second delay (the default dbus timeout) when logging in. Is that what you experience?

[hamid (alias-neo-one)]

vanvugt,

Interesting point you raise there. I consistently see a delay when logging in, between my password being accepted , screen going blank, and my desktop wallpaper "zooming" (it grows from the centre of the screen) in. Not 25 seconds, but in my case closer to 5-10 seconds. Could this be related?

I'm running 17.10, and X (since Nvidia drivers caused Wayland to be disabled).

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

hamid,

Just run 'journalctl' after logging in. Look through the log carefully and you'll find two adjacent timestamps that are many seconds apart. What are those log entries?

[hamid (alias-neo-one)]

I too have the error displayed in the original bug.

I intentionally waited a good few seconds before logging in to help with the log timestamps, my machine boots in ~3-5 seconds. No matter how long I wait after boot before logging in, it always takes the same time to show the desktop.

My login delay appears to be at this point.

Jan 12 20:53:53 Freyja rtkit-daemon[1975]: Successfully made thread 2798 of process 2798 (n/a) owned by '1000' high priority at nice level -11.
Jan 12 20:53:53 Freyja rtkit-daemon[1975]: Supervising 1 threads of 1 processes of 2 users.
Jan 12 20:54:07 Freyja rtkit-daemon[1975]: Supervising 1 threads of 1 processes of 2 users.

Just before all this, there is a lot of logging from gdm-x-session "configuring" my displays or something.

Those ~200 lines of gdm-x-session occur within about a 2 second period (not much), just before this delay seen here. To my untrained eye it's hard to see where the log relates to the login delay, but if it looks like

As with yolen, I am also running "high res" displays, 3 x 3840x2160, 2 x DP, 1 x HDMI and the Nvidia drivers and related hog a good proportion of the log.

[Piotr Czekalski (pczekalski)]

Same here (Ubuntu 17.10):
CRITICAL: Unable to create a DBus proxy for GnomeScreensaver: Error calling StartServiceByName for org.gnome.ScreenSaver: GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.Spawn.ChildExited: Process org.gnome.ScreenSaver exited with status 1

[Laurent Bonnaud (laurent-bonnaud)]

I also see those error messages on 2 systems. Compared to other people:
 - it has nothing to with the locale (I use en_US.UTF-8 for everything)
 - my systems use an Intel GPU (not NVidia)
 - I do not use a HiDPI screen (only FullHD)
 - I have no delay when logging in

[jondee (jonathandilks)]

Can everyone clear their gnome-shell extensions and check this isn't the cause of the issue? If so, I think we need a better way of handling extension crashes.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Indeed, removing all extensions should be the first thing to check when dealing with gnome-shell bugs.

But calling them extension crashes isn't quite right. Extensions can effectively modify the code of gnome-shell at runtime and then gnome-shell crashes. This is unfortunate for reliability, but is probably the reason why we can have so many extensions at all. So I don't imagine gnome-shell will ever have a more reliable way of dealing with buggy extensions aside from us reminding people to uninstall them when problems occur.

[Gerhard Beck (gerhardbeck-de)]

I can confirm the bug on an HP Laptop.
I got no gnome-shell extensions installed
I don't find it in the login, but I feel there's a quite long delay after logging in and before the desktop starts

[hamid (alias-neo-one)]

I still have the same issue on my Desktop PC, now running 18.04, fresh install (not upgrade from the 17.10 that had this issue), it takes a good ~8-10 seconds for my desktop to show after hitting enter on the login prompt.

I haven't tried turning off gnome extensions yet, I only just saw that suggestion, but will try it when I get home. I have a laptop, a bit less powerful than the desktop, running the same gnome extensions, but which doesn't exhibit the login delay.

[Dave (dave-riedstra)]

+1

MacbookAir 6,2
Issue is present with all extensions disabled (minus user themes).
In addition to the delay after login, there's this weird behaviour: after waking from sleep induced by closing the lid, the desktop shows for a while before going back to the greeter screen. Not sure if this is related (maybe others can corroborate?), but it's there more often than not. I recently switched from laptop-mode-tools to TLP which seems to exacerbate this behaviour.

[Jason Hunter (jhunterwu)]

It says the sender of this error is gnome-session-b? who's that? where's the code that generates this error? I'm on 18.10, upgraded from 18.04

CRITICAL: Unable to create a DBus proxy for GnomeScreensaver: Error calling StartServiceByName for org.gnome.ScreenSaver: GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.Spawn.ChildExited: Process org.gnome.ScreenSaver exited with status 1

[Laurent Bonnaud (laurent-bonnaud)]

I no longer see this bug in Ubuntu 19.04/disco.

[Yovan (navoytak)]

lsb_release -a gives me :
LSB Version: core-9.20170808ubuntu1-noarch:security-9.20170808ubuntu1-noarch
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 18.04.2 LTS
Release: 18.04
Codename: bionic

The error presents itself with no gnome-shell extensions installed.

The vga controller is as follows:
VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] RV620/M82 [Mobility Radeon HD 3450/3470]

Does anyone have any workaround?

[giannione (giannione)]

Same problem on ubuntu 18.10. Everything crashes when the screen timouts or goes in powersaving who knows. Every app closes and I have to login again.

[David Wolff (elameno)]

Same issue after an update this morning on Ubuntu 18.04. Running Ubuntu in a VMWare Workstation. My login screen never appears after startup.

[David Wolff (elameno)]

I posted too soon. It turns out that in my case the error was a red-herring. I loaded a backed up VM without the latest Ubuntu updates and I am able to log in fine even though the syslog still contains the error:
CRITICAL: Unable to create a DBus proxy for GnomeScreensaver: Error calling StartServiceByName for org.gnome.ScreenSaver: GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.Spawn.ChildExited: Process org.gnome.ScreenSaver exited with status 1

This clearly isn't the root cause of my missing login screen.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

David, see bug 1832138.

[Fredrik Jacobsson (smask)]

So I still see this bug on several machines here that runs Ubuntu 20.04 with Gnome Flashback. And I suspects this bug causes Updatemanager to fail sometimes when the system autostarts it while the screensaver is activated. (The program is running minimized, but unable to unminimize. You have to close/kill it and manually start it)