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betawind

Member

From: Tempe, AZ

Registered: 2010-07-08

Posts: 5

[SOLVED] Unable to set default application to open files

Hello,

Whenever I try to set a default application for a file type (an avi for example) by right-clicking the file in Nautilus and choosing Open with Other Application, I can select the application (in this case VLC), check the Remember this Application checkbox  and click Open, I always get the below message:

Could not set application as the default: Can't create user application configuration folder /root/.local/share/applications: Permission denied

I'm not logged in as root (confirmed with "whoami") so I'm not sure why it's trying to access the root home folder.

I'm thinking this is simply a misconfigured path statement (forgive the Windows terminology) but I'm not sure where to start looking.  Any help would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

Beta

Last edited by betawind (2010-07-09 00:10:58)

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ngoonee

Forum Fellow

From: Between Thailand and Singapore

Registered: 2009-03-17

Posts: 7,355

Re: [SOLVED] Unable to set default application to open files

Have not heard of such an error before, but have you tried right-click->properties->Open With? A really Windows way of doing things, but I recall that works within nautilus itself, changes the mime-type associations.

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betawind

Member

From: Tempe, AZ

Registered: 2010-07-08

Posts: 5

Re: [SOLVED] Unable to set default application to open files

Thanks for the reply ngoonee! 

The situation has already changed a bit.  Still being in Windows mode, I decided to try a reboot.  After rebooting I no longer get the error I was before (I wonder if it had something to do with logging in initially as root then su'ing to my user account) but the association with vlc just isn't sticking.

I noticed though that now when I right-click on a video file I get the option to "Open with Movie Player" as well as "Open with VLC media player" (which does do what it's supposed to), which wasn't there before.  For grins I went and set the preferred multimedia app to VLC through System > Preferences > Preferred Applications, but that didn't help.

Is there a place these preferences are stored that I might take a peek at?

Last edited by betawind (2010-07-09 00:04:56)

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You don't eat a sausage from the middle outwards!

hokasch

Member

Registered: 2007-09-23

Posts: 1,461

Re: [SOLVED] Unable to set default application to open files

Normally you should be able to set it with right click-> Preferences->Open With ->"dot" the preferred application

betawind

Member

From: Tempe, AZ

Registered: 2010-07-08

Posts: 5

Re: [SOLVED] Unable to set default application to open files

Please consider this solved.

I followed your thoughts ngoonee and that took care of it.  I do want to note that VLC doesn't show up as an option in Properties > Open With until I right-click > Open with Other Application > Select VLC

Sorry for such a truely newbie question

Last edited by betawind (2010-07-09 00:11:27)

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You don't eat a sausage from the middle outwards!

hokasch

Member

Registered: 2007-09-23

Posts: 1,461

Re: [SOLVED] Unable to set default application to open files

That is why there is an "add" button in the preference window.

Last edited by hokasch (2010-07-09 00:12:31)

betawind

Member

From: Tempe, AZ

Registered: 2010-07-08

Posts: 5

Re: [SOLVED] Unable to set default application to open files

Thanks hokasch, didn't see that.  Thread already marked as solved

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You don't eat a sausage from the middle outwards!