Nautilus desktop icons won't load

[Frank Prescott]

Binary package hint: nautilus

When booting into Ubuntu Intrepid 8.10, the desktop icons do not display consistently. The icons I created on the desktop do not show up. This happens on my desk and lap top computers (see specs below). If I logout and back in the icons appear, sometimes. This is not affecting the upper and lower panel icons, just the desktop. The background image is always correct. If I set login for Xclient script I have the same problem. If I set default to either Gnome or Xclient in System/Administration/ Login Window the problem occurs. When I designate either one then login and specify that setting it asks me do I want to make that the default, even though that is what I have set it as. It does not matter whether it is Xclient or Gnome, it has this problem.

I get no replies from the forums regarding this issue. I have posted my situation several times.

The desktop was originally the beta Intrepid and I updated through the final release. The Laptop was a clean install of Intrepid.

Any info you need? I do not know where to look in the system to correct this lack of the setting "sticking".

Laptop = Toshiba Satellite M115-S3094. Intel Core Duo T2050 1.5GiB PC2-4200 DDR2 Memory, 80GB HD, Intel GMA 950 Integrated Graphics with 128MB Shared Memory, 10/100 Ethernet and 802.11a/b/g Wireless.

Desktop = Biostar TF560 A2+, AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4000+, 4gb DDR2 667 Ram. Nvidia 7600GT 256mb. 250, 160 & 40 gig HD's.

[Pedro Villavicencio (pedro)]

thanks for the report, could you attach your ~/.xsession-errors file to the report? do you get the same with another new user created on your system?

[Frank Prescott (73ckn797)]

I performed a search for "~/.xsession-errors" but nothing was found on either computer.

[Frank Prescott (73ckn797)]

I found the ".xsessions-errors" and have attached that info below:

/etc/gdm/Xsession: Beginning session setup...
Setting IM through im-switch for locale=en_US.
Start IM through /etc/X11/xinit/xinput.d/all_ALL linked to /etc/X11/xinit/xinput.d/default.
Checking for Xgl: not present.
Detected PCI ID for VGA:
Checking for texture_from_pixmap: present.
Checking for non power of two support: present.
Checking for Composite extension: present.
NVIDIA: could not open the device file /dev/nvidiactl (Permission denied).
NVIDIA: Direct rendering failed; attempting indirect rendering.
Comparing resolution (1280x1024) to maximum 3D texture size (4096): Passed.
Checking for Software Rasterizer: Not present.
Checking for nVidia: present.
Checking for FBConfig: NVIDIA: could not open the device file /dev/nvidiactl (Permission denied).
NVIDIA: Direct rendering failed; attempting indirect rendering.
present.
Checking for Xgl: not present.
NVIDIA: could not open the device file /dev/nvidiactl (Permission denied).
NVIDIA: Direct rendering failed; attempting indirect rendering.
/usr/bin/compiz.real (video) - Warn: No 8 bit GLX pixmap format, disabling YV12 image format
Starting gtk-window-decorator
gnome-session[6520]: WARNING: Application 'gnome-wm.desktop' failed to register before timeout
seahorse nautilus module initialized
Initializing nautilus-share extension

(gnome-panel:6680): Gtk-WARNING **: gtk_widget_size_allocate(): attempt to allocate widget with width -3 and height 24

** (nautilus:6682): WARNING **: Unable to add monitor: Not supported
Nautilus-Share-Message: unknown format for key 'public/usershare_acl' as it contains 'Everyone:F,'. Assuming that the share is read-only
E: thread-posix.c: Assertion 'pthread_setspecific(t->key, userdata) == 0' failed at pulsecore/thread-posix.c:194, function pa_tls_set(). Aborting.
gnome-session[6520]: WARNING: Application 'libcanberra-login-sound.desktop' failed to register before timeout

Tracker version 0.6.6 Copyright (c) 2005-2007 by Jamie McCracken (<email address hidden>)

This program is free software and comes without any warranty.
It is licensed under version 2 or later of the General Public License which can be viewed at http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.txt

Initialising tracker...
starting HAL detection for ac adaptors...Failure: Module initalization failed

** (nm-applet:6730): WARNING **: No connections defined
none found
Throttle level is 0
  PID TTY TIME CMD
 6574 ? 00:00:00 pulseaudio
6680

[Frank Prescott (73ckn797)]

I found .xsessions-errors file and pasted the info into the bug report.
I created another user and the icons appear but then I lost all of my
Firefox memorized entries from forms after that when using my username.
Frustrating and affects my business.

Here is .xsessions-errors:

    //etc/gdm/Xsession: Beginning session setup.../
    /Setting IM through im-switch for locale=en_US./
    /Start IM through /etc/X11/xinit/xinput.d/all_ALL linked to
    /etc/X11/xinit/xinput.d/default./
    /Checking for Xgl: not present. /
    /Detected PCI ID for VGA: /
    /Checking for texture_from_pixmap: present. /
    /Checking for non power of two support: present. /
    /Checking for Composite extension: present. /
    /NVIDIA: could not open the device file /dev/nvidiactl (Permission
    denied)./
    /NVIDIA: Direct rendering failed; attempting indirect rendering./
    /Comparing resolution (1280x1024) to maximum 3D texture size (4096):
    Passed./
    /Checking for Software Rasterizer: Not present. /
    /Checking for nVidia: present. /
    /Checking for FBConfig: NVIDIA: could not open the device file
    /dev/nvidiactl (Permission denied)./
    /NVIDIA: Direct rendering failed; attempting indirect rendering./
    /present. /
    /Checking for Xgl: not present. /
    /NVIDIA: could not open the device file /dev/nvidiactl (Permission
    denied)./
    /NVIDIA: Direct rendering failed; attempting indirect rendering./
    //usr/bin/compiz.real (video) - Warn: No 8 bit GLX pixmap format,
    disabling YV12 image format/
    /Starting gtk-window-decorator/
    /gnome-session[6520]: WARNING: Application 'gnome-wm.desktop' failed
    to register before timeout/
    /seahorse nautilus module initialized/
    /Initializing nautilus-share extension/

    /(gnome-panel:6680): Gtk-WARNING **: gtk_widget_size_allocate():
    attempt to allocate widget with width -3 and height 24/

    /** (nautilus:6682): WARNING **: Unable to add monitor: Not supported/
    /Nautilus-Share-Message: unknown format for key
    'public/usershare_acl' as it contains 'Everyone:F,'. Assuming that
    the share is read-only/
    /E: thread-posix.c: Assertion 'pthread_setspecific(t->key, userdata)
    == 0' failed at pulsecore/thread-posix.c:194, function pa_tls_set().
    Aborting./
    /gnome-session[6520]: WARNING: Application
    'libcanberra-login-sound.desktop' failed to register before timeout/

    /Tracker version 0.6.6 Copyright (c) 2005-2007 by Jamie McCracken
    (<email address hidden>)/

    /This program is free software and comes without any warranty./
    /It is licensed under version 2 or later of the General Public
    License which can be viewed at http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.txt/

    /Initialising tracker.../
    /starting HAL detection for ac adaptors...Failure: Module
    initalization failed/

    /** (nm-applet:6730): WARNING **: No connections defined/
    /none found/
    /Throttle level is 0/
    / PID TTY TIME CMD/
    / 6574 ? 00:00:00 pulseaudio/
    /6680/

Pedro Villavicencio wrote:
> thanks for the report, could you attach your ~/.xsession-errors file to
> the report? do you get the same with another new user created on your
> sys...

[Tom (tom6)]

Hmmm, seems annoying. I like to keep my desktop clear and sometimes reboot Ubuntu 8.10 just to clear the clutter i manage to build-up through using different folders over the network here.

As a temporary work-around could you Add To Panel a Drawer applet and have those links/shortcuts in the Drawer? I know its not what you really want but perhaps is 'good enough' in the short-term?

Good luck with this :)

[Tom (tom6)]

Ooops, i got Drawer wrong - it stores applets rather than files and shortcuts. In Windows i tend to dump everything from my destop into a sub-folder in 'My Documents' and place a short-cut to that sub-folder on my desktop. I dunno what the difference between hard-links and soft-links is, perhaps a hard-link would be more persistent?

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

do you still get this issue?

[Frank Prescott (73ckn797)]

-----Original Message-----
From: Sebastien Bacher <email address hidden>
Reply-to: Bug 303023 <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>
Subject: [Bug 303023] Re: Nautilus desktop icons won't load
Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:11:53 -0000

do you still get this issue?

Thanks for you response.

I reloaded the desktop with a fresh 8.10 install and the problem occurs
no more. The laptop has done it only a few times after a recent fresh
install of 8.10. As before, when I log out and back in everything works
properly. There have been numerous updates with no increase in the occurrences.

I have not had the problem running 8.10 64bit on another drive. I now use it almost exclusively.

Is there anymore information that you would need?
Has it been a problem experienced by others? I have not been checking the bug reports recently.

Thanks again,
Frank Prescott, aka... 73ckn797.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

not sure what is creating the issue and what details would be useful but it would require debugging by somebody having the bug

[Pedro Villavicencio (pedro)]

closing it since it works fine for you now, there's no other reports about this and most of the old ones related to it were mostly an user issue and not a bug, thanks.

[Frank Prescott (73ckn797)]

I did it the other day on my desktop again running 64bit 8.10.

On Mon, 2009-01-19 at 12:47 +0000, Pedro Villavicencio wrote:

> closing it since it works fine for you now, there's no other reports
> about this and most of the old ones related to it were mostly an user
> issue and not a bug, thanks.
>
> ** Changed in: nautilus (Ubuntu)
> Status: Incomplete => Invalid
>

[Frank Prescott (73ckn797)]

Today the issue occurred on my laptop running Ubuntu 8.10 32bit. I saved
a copy of the .sessions-errors and attached that as a text file and
posted below.

        /etc/gdm/Xsession: Beginning session setup...
        Setting IM through im-switch for locale=en_US.
        Start IM through /etc/X11/xinit/xinput.d/all_ALL linked
        to /etc/X11/xinit/xinput.d/default.
        Window manager warning: Failed to read saved session
        file /home/frank/.config/metacity/sessions/1018d9e2d44ee451a1123246032993881300000056380005.ms: Failed to open file '/home/frank/.config/metacity/sessions/1018d9e2d44ee451a1123246032993881300000056380005.ms': No such file or directory
        Initializing nautilus-image-converter extension
        seahorse nautilus module initialized
        Initializing nautilus-share extension

        ** (nautilus:5734): WARNING **: Unable to add monitor: Not
        supported
        x-session-manager[5638]: WARNING: Application
        'libcanberra-login-sound.desktop' failed to register before
        timeout
        x-session-manager[5638]: WARNING: Could not launch application
        'nm-applet.desktop': Unable to start application: Failed to
        execute child process "nm-applet" (No such file or directory)
        Failure: Module initalization failed

        Tracker version 0.6.6 Copyright (c) 2005-2007 by Jamie McCracken
        (<email address hidden>)

        This program is free software and comes without any warranty.
        It is licensed under version 2 or later of the General Public
        License which can be viewed at
        http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.txt

        Initialising tracker...
        starting HAL detection for ac
        adaptors...found /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/computer_power_supply_ac_adapter_ADP0
        Throttle level is 5
        evolution-alarm-notify-Message: Setting timeout for 53654
        1232514000 1232460346
        evolution-alarm-notify-Message: Wed Jan 21 00:00:00 2009

        evolution-alarm-notify-Message: Tue Jan 20 09:05:46 2009

        20/01/2009 09:05:47 AM Listening for VNC connections on TCP port
        5900
        20/01/2009 09:05:47 AM Advertising security type: 'TLS' (18)
        20/01/2009 09:05:47 AM Advertising authentication type: 'No
        Authentication' (1)
        20/01/2009 09:05:47 AM Advertising security type: 'No
        Authentication' (1)
        Nautilus-Share-Message: unknown format for key
        'public/usershare_acl' as it contains 'Everyone:F,'. Assuming
        that the share is read-only

On Thu, 2009-01-15 at 09:24 +0000, Sebastien Bacher wrote:

> not sure what is creating the issue and what details would be useful but
> it would require debugging by somebody having the bug
>

[da_coynul (xtragb)]

I can confirm this bug. It does occur intermittently - seemingly at random on my desktop but never on my laptop.

Like the original poster's, my xsession-errors contains these warnings:

gnome-session[6520]: WARNING: Application 'gnome-wm.desktop' failed to register before timeout

** (nautilus:6682): WARNING **: Unable to add monitor: Not supported

but nothing else last time I checked.

[OxfordEthical.co.uk (rob-oxfordethical)]

I was having this issue almost all of the time, but when I took a screenshot to attach to this post I realised what was happening. As you can see from the attached image, I have two monitors with the desktop spread over them, the left-hand one is a smaller 15" and the right-hand a larger 17". I had set the screen resolutions differently, so the 15" had 1024x768 and the 17" had 1280x1024. Rather than making the desktop non-rectangular as I had expected, it was rectangular at double the 17" size. Thus the icons were still on the desktop, but "off the top" of the 15" screen, and I didn't see them until I took a screenshot of the whole desktop!
Its probably not the problem everyone in this thread is having, but it may be worth just checking your PC doesn't think that you have two screens attached and is putting the icons on the one you don't have (for instance if you are using a laptop check that you haven't got an external screen configured etc.).
An issue that may or may not be relevant is that the buttons in the bottom panel which show which applications are open and allow you to switch between them mostly aren't showing (again see the screenshot).

[twelvedogs (kiddygrinder)]

I have this issue all the time, single monitor 64bit ubuntu 8.10

[max (max-illis)]

I also have this issue with a clean install of 9.04

[da_coynul (xtragb)]

I haven't had this problem in a while. I think it went away when I
started using the latest NVIDIA drivers from their ftp site. Have you
tried using a different graphics driver?

max wrote:
> I also have this issue with a clean install of 9.04
>
>
> ** Attachment added: ".xsession-errors"
> http://launchpadlibrarian.net/26037040/.xsession-errors
>
>

[Frank Prescott (73ckn797)]

I did a clean re-install a couple of months ago and only encountered it
happening once or twice. I now have 9.04 and no problem at all.

da_coynul wrote:
> I haven't had this problem in a while. I think it went away when I
> started using the latest NVIDIA drivers from their ftp site. Have you
> tried using a different graphics driver?
>
>
> max wrote:
>
>> I also have this issue with a clean install of 9.04
>>
>>
>> ** Attachment added: ".xsession-errors"
>> http://launchpadlibrarian.net/26037040/.xsession-errors
>>
>>
>>
>
>

[da_coynul (xtragb)]

Max - Have you tried updating your graphics driver? I have not had this problem for quite some time. I think one of the updates from NVIDIA might have fixed it.

-----Original Message-----
From: "max" <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>
Sent: 4/27/2009 1:25 PM
Subject: [Bug 303023] Re: Nautilus desktop icons won't load

I also have this issue with a clean install of 9.04

** Attachment added: ".xsession-errors"
   http://launchpadlibrarian.net/26037040/.xsession-errors

--
Nautilus desktop icons won't load
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/303023
You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
of the bug.

Status in “nautilus” source package in Ubuntu: Invalid

Bug description:
Binary package hint: nautilus

When booting into Ubuntu Intrepid 8.10, the d

[truncated by sender]

[max (max-illis)]

I've not had the problem for a while now either, but I couldn't say whether
it was the NVIDIA drivers or not

Max

On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 2:17 PM, da_coynul <email address hidden> wrote:

> Max - Have you tried updating your graphics driver? I have not had this
> problem for quite some time. I think one of the updates from NVIDIA
> might have fixed it.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: "max" <email address hidden>
> To: <email address hidden>
> Sent: 4/27/2009 1:25 PM
> Subject: [Bug 303023] Re: Nautilus desktop icons won't load
>
> I also have this issue with a clean install of 9.04
>
>
> ** Attachment added: ".xsession-errors"
> http://launchpadlibrarian.net/26037040/.xsession-errors
>
> --
> Nautilus desktop icons won't load
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/303023
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in “nautilus” source package in Ubuntu: Invalid
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: nautilus
>
> When booting into Ubuntu Intrepid 8.10, the d
>
> [truncated by sender]
>
> --
> Nautilus desktop icons won't load
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/303023
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in “nautilus” package in Ubuntu: Invalid
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: nautilus
>
> When booting into Ubuntu Intrepid 8.10, the desktop icons do not display
> consistently. The icons I created on the desktop do not show up. This
> happens on my desk and lap top computers (see specs below). If I logout and
> back in the icons appear, sometimes. This is not affecting the upper and
> lower panel icons, just the desktop. The background image is always correct.
> If I set login for Xclient script I have the same problem. If I set default
> to either Gnome or Xclient in System/Administration/ Login Window the
> problem occurs. When I designate either one then login and specify that
> setting it asks me do I want to make that the default, even though that is
> what I have set it as. It does not matter whether it is Xclient or Gnome, it
> has this problem.
>
> I get no replies from the forums regarding this issue. I have posted my
> situation several times.
>
> The desktop was originally the beta Intrepid and I updated through the
> final release. The Laptop was a clean install of Intrepid.
>
> Any info you need? I do not know where to look in the system to correct
> this lack of the setting "sticking".
>
> Laptop = Toshiba Satellite M115-S3094. Intel Core Duo T2050 1.5GiB PC2-4200
> DDR2 Memory, 80GB HD, Intel GMA 950 Integrated Graphics with 128MB Shared
> Memory, 10/100 Ethernet and 802.11a/b/g Wireless.
>
> Desktop = Biostar TF560 A2+, AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4000+, 4gb DDR2 667
> Ram. Nvidia 7600GT 256mb. 250, 160 & 40 gig HD's.
>