Desktop Symbols not working

[WinToLinux]

Hello,
I have reinstalled KUbuntu 24.04 on my notebook (Schenker Media 15, Core i7 12700H, 32GB Ram, Nividia RTX3050, Samsung SSD990 PRO).
The system runs very well so far. However, when I drag programs from the start menu to the desktop, I cannot start them from the desktop. Regardless of whether the desktop is a folder or a desktop. If I double-click the entries in Dolphin in the Desktop folder, the programs start.
The same behavior can be seen in a test installation in a Virtualbox VM.

Looking forward to help.

Regards
WinToLinux

[WinToLinux]

Hello,

After extensive troubleshooting, I have found the cause. After installing xsane, the described errors occur.

Maybe this will help other users.

Regards
WinToLinux

[WinToLinux]

After the installation of

sudo apt install kubuntu-restricted-extras gstreamer1.0-vaapi libvdpau-va-gl1 rar fonts-crosextra-carlito fonts-crosextra-caladea exfatprogs

The described error is present again.

I will stay with KUbuntu 22.04.
24.04 is apparently not ready for use.

[Schwarzer Kater]

Interesting - as far as I can tell none of those packages has xsane itself or any of xsane's dependencies as a dependency…

I don't start programs from my desktop (at all), but are you aware that there exist several possibilities to do so? For example .desktop files and Plasma widgets.
The desktop also has two modes of operation in Plasma: 1. "Layout: Folder View" (the default) and 2. "Layout: Desktop".

And welcome, of course.

[WinToLinux]

I like to set up my desktop with the programs I use frequently.

I have tried both start variants, i.e. with .desktop or as a widget.
I have also tried the desktop as a folder or desktop layout.

The error occurs every time.

In KUbuntu 22.04 I did not have any of these errors.

[Schwarzer Kater]

Have you tried - as a kind of workaround or out of curiosity - to use the Folder View widget e.g. in your Plasma Panel and use it to start the applications on your desktop?
If it works in Dolphin this should - theoretically - work too…

[WinToLinux]

When I click on the entries in /home/desktop (double-click), the programs start. But not on the desktop.

[WinToLinux]

As I have now learned, the error of the desktop icons no longer starting after installing various packages first occurred in Plasma 5.27. This bug is still present in the current Plasma 6. There is currently no known solution.

[James the Third]

I am having a very close experience after new partition and fresh install of 24.04 minimal. I previously ran 23.10. I did copy my personal 23.10 Home file folders to the 24.04 install.
Any file or app I copy to desktop stops functioning normal ( no double click to open or launch).
Desktop is set to folder view, folder permissions are set to read/write for all. Left click brings up Desktop menu. Right click does bring up context menu to open files.

In the case of apps, I right click on them in their Launcher group and select add to Desktop. A link shows on the Desktop. It is a Desktop file. Left click brings up Desktop menu. Right click does bring up context menu to open Kate.

In both cases a plus or minus shows in upper left corner of icons when clicked.

HDWR- stock optiplex Intel graphics

And I have gone through the first things to do list.

[Schwarzer Kater]

Welcome.

I am having a very close experience after new partition and fresh install of 24.04 minimal.
[…]
In both cases a plus or minus shows in upper left corner of icons when clicked.
[…]
And I have gone through the first things to do list.

It might have to do something with the "Minimal Installation" option you chose - I had no additional time to test this, sorry…

The "plus" or "minus" symbols belong to a seperate functionality of Dolphin to select or deselect something with one click for people who prefer "single click" to open things, see --> System Settings --> Workspace Behaviour --> General Behaviour --> "Clicking files or folders:".

No step in the "first things to do list" has any effect on the behaviour of icons on the desktop at all.

---

Normally I don't start any applications by a symbol from my desktops, but today I tried this out of curiosity in a Kubuntu 24.04 LTS "Full Installation" VM - this is what I did:



I tried this with Gwenview, Kate and LibreOffice. All three of the programs started without problems when I double-clicked on their freshly created symbols on the desktop.
Right-clicking on the desktop --> Configure Desktop and Wallpaper… --> Wallpaper (a confusing category for the following setting…) --> Layout: is set to "Folder View" (the default).

[WinToLinux]

Everything works with a completely new installation. The error I described occurs after installing several of my preferred packages. E.g. xsane, gimp-help-de and the kubuntu-restricted-extras mentioned by you.

This misbehavior of the KDE desktop was also confirmed to me by Tuxedo (Tuxedo OS). The error probably occurs from Plasma 5.27 onwards, which is why Plasma 5.24 (Kubuntu 22.04) runs without problems. The error is also present in Plasma 6. I was able to reproduce this with Tuxedo OS3.

[Schwarzer Kater]

Right - you have already mentioned this.

I am quite sure that the culprit is xsane (or its dependencies) then in your case, because I just retested this in two installations on "real metal" here where gimp-help-de and kubuntu-restricted-extras are also installed (and all other packages from "step 6" in Essential and strongly recommended things to do directly after a Kubuntu 24.04 LTS installation - but no xsane).
And there it also works without problems…


PS: What did you additionally install in TUXEDO OS 3?

[WinToLinux]

I can post the complete list tomorrow.

The error also occurred when I skipped xsane. After installing gimp-help-de and the kubuntu-restricted-extras the error was there again.

I tried this several times with a KUbuntu 24.04 and a Tuxedo OS3 Virtualbox VM.

I don't have a Tuxedo notebook, but since Tuxedo OS3 uses the Plasma 6 desktop I wanted to test it there as well.

[James the Third]

I guess a reinstall of full ISO is needed. Thank you WinToLinux and Schwarzer Kater for your time will let you know how it went.

[Schwarzer Kater]

[…] After installing gimp-help-de and the kubuntu-restricted-extras the error was there again.

I tried this several times with a KUbuntu 24.04 and a Tuxedo OS3 Virtualbox VM.
[…]

This really is strange. As I wrote: no problems here in Kubuntu 24.04 LTS (neither on "real" hardware nor in VMs) after installing those packages…
The only thing I have not re-tested those packages with so far is the "Minimal Installation" option - will do as soon as I can…

Thank you both.