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Software - Support => Installing Software => Topic started by: john9159 on December 05, 2014, 04:44:31 AM

Title: Missing desktop icons
Post by: john9159 on December 05, 2014, 04:44:31 AM
Yet another nail in the coffin for Linux!
All icons have disappeared from the desktop.
Found nothing using the search for missing icons from desktop.
Title: Re: Missing desktop icons
Post by: colinkx250 on December 05, 2014, 05:17:15 AM
What icons the task bar or icons on the desktop?
Title: Re: Missing desktop icons
Post by: john9159 on December 05, 2014, 05:43:08 AM
"All icons have disappeared from the desktop."
Title: Re: Missing desktop icons
Post by: colinkx250 on December 05, 2014, 06:02:56 AM
How did you manage that,only joking.
Can you right click the desktop, click applications,Settings, Settings manager ,Panel. Check if the auto show hide panel option is not ticked.
Title: Re: Missing desktop icons
Post by: Mike on December 05, 2014, 07:00:34 AM
"All icons have disappeared from the desktop."

John, just to clarify, are you able to see the panel with the menu or do you mean just the portion of your desktop where the wallpaper is? Also, are you able to right-click and see the right-click menu?
Title: Re: Missing desktop icons
Post by: john9159 on December 05, 2014, 07:06:47 AM
Hi
Thanks for the replies.
Colin - I have tried as you suggested although cannot see an auto show/hide panel option anywhere.
Have tinkered with other option too but to no avail.
mlsmith - icons disappeared first, then the background wallpaper. I can right click but as said above, nothing seemed to solve the problem.
Could do with these icons back as they were there just as temporary documents before moving them elsewhere (e.g. ext. USB device) but now they've gone.
Title: Re: Missing desktop icons
Post by: bobw on December 05, 2014, 07:22:15 AM
Hi john9159.  Can you see the missing items in the File Manager under /home/<username>/desktop?
Title: Re: Missing desktop icons
Post by: gold_finger on December 05, 2014, 10:33:27 AM
@john9159,

This is not a response to your immediate problem because I don't really know what may have caused it.


Do you want to learn to use Linux?  Or is your intention to just use it temporarily until you can get a new Windows computer?

Since you've stuck with LL for two months, I'm guessing that you'd like to learn it and have it work for you.  But I get the feeling from reading through all of your prior threads that you may just not know the best way to do that and are ending up trying to fumble your way through things, which just ends in frustration.  Don't feel too bad -- that happens to everyone!

Although some individual programs (Firefox, LibreOffice, etc.) may work the same in both operating systems, Linux is not and never will be a "free" version of Windows.  They are different OS's, are structured and operate differently, and frequently have programs that perform similar functions but don't operate in exactly the same way.  Switching to Linux requires learning how things are done in Linux.

If someone who only knew Linux tried to switch to Windows, they'd have the same problem in reverse.  I used Windows for about 23 years.  I switched to using Linux exclusively about 5 years ago.  I'm so used to the Linux way of doing things now that I get extremely frustrated whenever I have to attempt doing something in Windows -- which is almost always me fixing something that went wrong on other peoples computers.  If I ever had to go back to using Windows regularly, I'd have to spend some time re-learning some of the Windows ways of doing things.


I'm going to recommend three things that I believe will greatly improve things for you.  All you'll need to do is set aside dedicated blocks of time (1-2 hours here and there) over the next week or two for the first two items listed.  You won't be a Linux master in two weeks, but you will have a much better understanding of the basics and gain some much needed confidence.  The third item on the list is just a list of links with further infomation that you can use at your leisure over time to increase your skills.
Title: Re: Missing desktop icons
Post by: Jerry on December 05, 2014, 01:35:41 PM
Excellent reply gold_finger :)
Title: Re: Missing desktop icons
Post by: Mike on December 05, 2014, 02:15:24 PM
Indeed. That was an excellent response.
Title: Re: Missing desktop icons
Post by: bitsnpcs on December 05, 2014, 03:07:21 PM
Are you on your usual workspace/desktop where these icons and wallpaper usually are ?
Title: Re: Missing desktop icons
Post by: Scott on December 05, 2014, 03:09:15 PM
+1 to gold_finger
Excellent reply
Title: Re: Missing desktop icons
Post by: rokytnji on December 05, 2014, 03:27:45 PM
Me in my simple way of thinking. I am just wondering if the hard drive or other gear is failing.

The only things that disappear on me from time to time is my animals/pets.

Anyways
Settings>Settings manager>Desktop>Desktop Icons tab is probably what you are looking for.
I run a clean Desktop myself with only a Conky monitor and run everything else off of the taskbar with drop down arrows.
Even on a 11 inch touchscreen.
Title: Re: Missing desktop icons
Post by: Mike on December 05, 2014, 08:11:32 PM
One thing he can try if he still has issues is to open a new terminal window by pressing ctrl+alt+T.

In the terminal window paste the following:

Code: [Select]
mv ~/.config/xfce4  ~/.config/xfce4.bak (make backup of old settings)

Code: [Select]
cp -r /etc/skel/.config/xfce4 ~/.config (copy default settings to home)
Title: Re: Missing desktop icons
Post by: N4RPS on December 09, 2014, 03:38:29 AM
Hello!

Unlike Windows, Linux (and Linux Lite) supports multiple desktops that can be switched back and forth to on the taskbar. The default is two 'workspaces'.

Perhaps it's all still there, and you just accidentally switched to another desktop, where everything is suddenly 'gone'. I find this feature to be quite annoying, so I disable multiple workspaces - and switching between them - on all my installs...

73 DE N4RPS
Rob

Title: Re: Missing desktop icons
Post by: Aryan Choudhary on December 11, 2018, 12:15:30 AM
I also have same problem as discussed above . and the worst part is i am not able to right click on my desktop 😥😥
Title: Re: Missing desktop icons
Post by: diskrod on December 16, 2018, 05:12:23 AM
If all else fails, do a restore point. Just a suggestion.
Title: Re: Missing desktop icons
Post by: bitsnpcs on December 16, 2018, 08:27:04 AM
I know it is not used on the current releases, because it is no longer developed, but I used SystemBack a few months ago to restore to an earlier restore point, it was very easy to do and worked perfectly solving the problem I had made from experimenting.
I was impressed with it, as I had not restored on Linux before.
Title: Re: Missing desktop icons
Post by: trinidad on December 16, 2018, 11:37:37 AM
@Aryan Choudhary

What version of LL are you having this problem with?
Title: Re: Missing desktop icons
Post by: Aryan Choudhary on December 17, 2018, 02:26:04 AM
LL 3.8
Title: Re: Missing desktop icons
Post by: Andres Rusconi on April 05, 2019, 11:59:50 PM
Sorry my English.
I suffered this when I located the installation for my language. Then, the desktop icons were left in the "Desktop" folder while the "Escritorio" folder was empty. Nothing else I had to move the files from the first to the second and restart the session.
I hope it is useful.

Best regards.

Andrés