[SOLVED] Desktop has a scroll bar on it

[Qqmike]

for you graphics guys ... 18.04.1 on an ASUS Q501LA laptop:

When I view the Desktop on the screen, it is too big vertically for the screen -- there is a scroll bar on the right of the screen I can use to scroll the Desktop up and down so I can see everything. Make sense? Is there a way to fix this so the Desktop fits on the screen with no scroll bars?

(This is a new installation I am doing for the spousal unit--things look good so far.)

Specs:

ASUS Q501LA laptop 15.6" Touch
4th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-4200U mobile processor
8GB system memory
1920 x 1080 resolution, IPS
Intel® HD Graphics 4400
750 GB HDD
Built-in 10/100/1000 Mbps Fast Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)
3 - USB 3.0 ports
Battery: 4 hr, 38 min
1.0MP webcam with microphone
Voice recognition
media reader: Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, SDXC and MultiMediaCard memory card
Next-Gen Intel® Wireless-AC connectivity
(no cd/dvd)

[Snowhog]

Can you change the resolution in System Settings and get it to stick between reboots?

[Qqmike]

Let's see. From Post #1, the laptop has resolution:
1920 x 1080 resolution, IPS

I check System Settings > Hardware > Display, and it says:
1920 x 1080
I only see Display Enabled, Orientation Normal, Refresh Rate: Auto, and Scale Display (which I have no clue about).

Hmmm, looks like everything is set right? Or, are you saying I should change that resolution in the Hardware > Display menu? If so, to what?

[claydoh]

It may be a long standing pesky bug from ages ago that seems to still has a couple of recent reports though it was fixed many years ago. I have never seen it myself, as far as I can remember.
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=294795

Try switching from the default Folder View desktop layout to the Desktop layout, and switch back to see if that fixes it.
Also, try hitting alt-f12 to bring up the desktop widgets thingy and see if there isn't a stray one somehow becoming full-screen

You may have to delete ~.config/plasma-org.kde.plasma.desktop-appletsrc and ~/.config/plasmashellrc, basically to start over and hope it does not pop back up.

[Snowhog]

Given that you are seeing a vertical scroll bar tells me that the system is presenting/using a resolution that isn't as described. Check System Settings > Display and Monitor > Compositor > Rendering backend. Try setting it to XRender.

[Qqmike]

Snowhog: Check System Settings > Display and Monitor > Compositor > Rendering backend. Try setting it to XRender.

I did that, it seems to have fixed it, I re-booted and it remains fixed. I think that should do it. That setting was on OpenGL2.0; the other choices were OpenGL3.1 and XRender, btw. I hope that sticks. Thanks, Snowhog.

Thanks, claydoh, I'm making a note of your note, also.

[claydoh]

After a bit try going back to opengl 3. Xrender is software rendering instead of gpu rendering, which can be slow but it is still quite usable on most newish hardware

[Qqmike]

claydoh: After a bit try going back to opengl 3

OK, did that just now, and it works; I re-booted, and it still works. Actually, I meant to write Open GL 3.1 instead of Open GL 3.0 in post #6 (which I just now edited). So I have it set on Open GL 3.1 and working OK.

Thanks, guys. I'll mark it Solved, as I cross my fingers.