grab and move desktop icons

[Tom_ZeCat]

On my main Kubuntu 13.10 laptop, I can use the mouse to move an icon on the desktop wherever I want. The icon changes from the pointer to a grabbing hand when I do so. In the laptop I'm setting up for my roommate (same OS) this doesn't happen. If you try to grab a desktop icon directly, it doesn't move. What you can do is grab the vertical bar that appears to the icon's right and move it like that.

I must have made a change to the desktop interface on my main laptop months ago. I've been hunting through the System Settings trying to figure out what I did. I'm having no luck. Anyone know?

[sithlord48]

your Desktop Layout is in folder mode
his desktop Layout is defalut mode

to change them right click on your desktop select "Defalut Desktop Settings" from there you can change the layout.

[Tom_ZeCat]

your Desktop Layout is in folder mode
his desktop Layout is defalut mode

to change them right click on your desktop select "Defalut Desktop Settings" from there you can change the layout.

I changed his to folder mode, but I still can't drag and drop the icons at will. There must be something else to set.

[deanoandrew]

Are his icons Widgets?
You can only move icons in the way that you are describing.
Widgets have to be moved individually using the side panel that pops up when you hover the mouse or single left click.

I'm pretty new to Linux and KDE but I had this problem when I first started. I got around it by changing the desktop to "folder" mode and replacing all my widgets with Icons (by copying programs shortcuts to the desktop like MS Windows.)

I do still have some problems with shortcuts to folder locations not on the main file system. I assume the links are being broken when the drive is unmounted and when it re-mounts some value is changed. But I can live with using Dolphin to access my second hard drive folders.

Edit...
It might also be worth checking that "icons>lock in place" is not checked in the desktop context menu.