Arch Linux

bigoten

Member

Registered: 2018-01-17

Posts: 13

[SOLVED] Lost icons and background

Ok, I really messed up with my system and could use some help to get it back...
My desktop (running cinnamon and Arch Linux up to date) misses all the icons in the task bar, and the wallpaper is gone (all black now).
I will try to explain what I did.

I installed pytranscriber-bin to try to generate some captions for a video.
When I tried to use it, it happened that when I pressed a button to upload a video, the app broke and shut down.
I googled and found someone saying to update the mime-database. And so I did...

sudo update-mime-database /usr/share/mime
sudo /usr/lib/arm-linux-gnueabihf/gdk-pixbuf/gdk-pixbuf-query-loaders --update-cache
sudo gdk-pixbuf-query-loaders --update-cache

It did not work, so I further tampered with my system:

sudo chmod 644 /usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache
sudo chmod -R uga-x /usr/share/mime
sudo chmod -R uga-X /usr/share/mime
sudo pacman -Qkk | grep mime

And after the last command above, my system was broken. I remember the output in the terminal showed a list of several icon mismatches for various apps.
After a restart, all my icons and the wallpaper are gone.

What I tried to do afterwards (but did not work):

• Reinstall Adwaita.

• Repeat the first set of commands above to update the mime-database.

• Clean ~/.icons.

I can for example call Brave from the terminal. It runs perfectly well, with the minimize/maximize/close icons on the top-right showing.
From the terminal, calling rstudio-bin or chromium opens the program, but without the minimize/maximize/close icons on the top-right showing.
And, calling nemo from the terminal ends in error:

$ nemo

(nemo:40369): Gtk-WARNING **: 20:31:47.990: Theme parsing error: gtk.css:7996:1: '/*' in comment block

** (nemo:40369): WARNING **: 20:31:48.059: Current gtk theme is not known to have nemo support (Jade-1) - checking...

(nemo:40369): Gtk-WARNING **: 20:31:48.079: Theme parsing error: gtk.css:7996:1: '/*' in comment block
Initializing nemo-dropbox

(nemo:40369): Gtk-WARNING **: 20:31:48.250: Could not load a pixbuf from icon theme.
This may indicate that pixbuf loaders or the mime database could not be found.
**
Gtk:ERROR:../gtk/gtk/gtkiconhelper.c:494:ensure_surface_for_gicon: assertion failed (error == NULL): Failed to load /usr/share/icons/Adwaita/16x16/status/image-missing.png: Unrecognized image file format (gdk-pixbuf-error-quark, 3)
Bail out! Gtk:ERROR:../gtk/gtk/gtkiconhelper.c:494:ensure_surface_for_gicon: assertion failed (error == NULL): Failed to load /usr/share/icons/Adwaita/16x16/status/image-missing.png: Unrecognized image file format (gdk-pixbuf-error-quark, 3)
Aborted (core dumped)

I see similar errors as above for other apps (e.g., cheese).

Can someone help me to recover my system?

Many thanks in advance.
bigoten

Last edited by bigoten (2022-12-01 22:47:36)

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,261

Re: [SOLVED] Lost icons and background

You broke your system with the random chmods most likely, especially by removing the executable bit of directories you prevent them from being accessed... look at

sudo pacman -Qkk 2>&1 | grep mime

look at the file permissions issues that will likely get thrown for these dirs and fix the perms so they match with the packages providing them again. You probably should have looked at the error of pytranscriber-bin, there should be absolutely no reason that the mime database has any relation to that when you are already at the point of having given it a file.

Last edited by V1del (2022-12-01 11:45:19)

bigoten

Member

Registered: 2018-01-17

Posts: 13

Re: [SOLVED] Lost icons and background

Thanks for your help V1del.

Running your command brought back the permissions mismatch that I had encountered earlier (due to my chmod's):

$sudo pacman -Qkk 2>&1 | grep mime

warning: audacity: /usr/share/mime (Permissions mismatch)
warning: audacity: /usr/share/mime/packages (Permissions mismatch)
cinnamon: 748 total filwarning: cmake: /usr/share/mime (Permissions mismatch)
warning: cmake: /usr/share/mime/packages (Permissions mismatch)
backup file: filesystem: /etc/subgid (Size mismwarning: fltk: /usr/share/mime (Permissions mismatch)
warning: fltk: /usr/share/mime/packages (Permissions mismatch)
warning: gcr: /usr/share/mime (Permissions mismatch)
warning: gcr: /usr/share/mime/packages (Permissions mismatch)
gnome-desktop-common: 56warning: gpick: /usr/share/mime (Permissions mismatch)
warning: gpick: /usr/share/mime/packages (Permissions mismatch)
warning: kcoreaddons: /usr/share/mime (Permissions mismatch)
warning: kcoreaddons: /usr/share/mime/packages (Permissions mismatch)
warning: keepassxc: /usr/share/mime (Permissions mismatch)
warning: keepassxc: /usr/share/mime/packages (Permissions mismatch)
libdca: 23 total files, 0 alterwarning: libheif: /usr/share/mime (Permissions mismatch)
warning: libheif: /usr/share/mime/packages (Permissions mismatch)
warning: libjxl: /usr/share/mime (Permissions mismatch)
warning: libjxl: /usr/share/mime/packages (Permissions mismatch)
libmpwarning: libreoffice-fresh: /usr/share/mime (Permissions mismatch)
warning: libreoffice-fresh: /usr/share/mime/packages (Permissions mismatch)
linuwarning: nemo: /usr/share/mime (Permissions mismatch)
warning: nemo: /usr/share/mime/packages (Permissions mismatch)
perl-mime-charset: 25 total files, 0 altered files
warning: remmina: /usr/share/mime (Permissions mismatch)
warning: remmina: /usr/share/mime/packages (Permissions mismatch)
warning: rstudio-desktop-bin: /usr/share/mime (Permissions mismatch)
warning: rstudio-desktop-bin: /usr/share/mime/packages (Permissions mismatch)
ruby-cgi: 201 towarning: shared-mime-info: /usr/share/mime (Permissions mismatch)
warning: shared-mime-info: /usr/share/mime/packages (Permissions mismatch)
shared-mime-info: 252 total files, 2 altered files
backup file: ufwarning: virt-viewer: /usr/share/mime (Permissions mismatch)
warning: virt-viewer: /usr/share/mime/packages (Permissions mismatch)
xorgproto: 211 total files, 0 altered warning: zoom: /usr/share/mime (Permissions mismatch)
warning: zoom: /usr/share/mime/packages (Permissions mismatch)

My problem is that I don't know how to fix it by following your suggestion.
Could you please tell me how to do so, for one of the folders in the above output?

EDIT 1:
I did manage to make progress thanks to your suggestion.
I could see what the expected permissions with this command:

sudo paccheck --file-properties --quiet

So I started changing them one folder at a time. For example,

sudo chmod 755 /usr/share/mime

So the list of mismatches decreased considerably.
I am now left with a small list that I still don't know how to change, though:

$ sudo paccheck --file-properties --quiet

java-runtime-common: '/usr/lib/jvm/default' symlink target mismatch (expected /dev/null)
java-runtime-common: '/usr/lib/jvm/default' modification time mismatch (expected 2020-05-16 18:30:33)
java-runtime-common: '/usr/lib/jvm/default-runtime' symlink target mismatch (expected /dev/null)
java-runtime-common: '/usr/lib/jvm/default-runtime' modification time mismatch (expected 2020-05-16 18:30:33)
libutempter: '/usr/lib/utempter/utempter' GID mismatch (expected 0/root)
libvirt: '/var/log/swtpm/libvirt/qemu' UID mismatch (expected 0/root)
libvirt: '/var/log/swtpm/libvirt/qemu' GID mismatch (expected 0/root)
quarto-cli-bin: '/opt' UID mismatch (expected 1001/testuser)
quarto-cli-bin: '/opt' GID mismatch (expected 968/docker)
swtpm: '/var/lib/swtpm-localca' UID mismatch (expected 0/root)
systemd: '/var/log/journal' GID mismatch (expected 0/root)
vlc: '/usr/lib/vlc/plugins/plugins.dat' modification time mismatch (expected 2022-11-02 07:51:44)
vlc: '/usr/lib/vlc/plugins/plugins.dat' size mismatch (expected 302.91 K)

EDIT 2:
My system is again booting normally! Thanks!
Here is the current status:

$ sudo paccheck --file-properties --quiet

cups: '/etc/cups/classes.conf' permission mismatch (expected 644)
cups: '/etc/cups/printers.conf' permission mismatch (expected 644)
cups: '/etc/cups/subscriptions.conf' permission mismatch (expected 644)
java-runtime-common: '/usr/lib/jvm/default' symlink target mismatch (expected /dev/null)
java-runtime-common: '/usr/lib/jvm/default' modification time mismatch (expected 2020-05-16 18:30:33)
java-runtime-common: '/usr/lib/jvm/default-runtime' symlink target mismatch (expected /dev/null)
java-runtime-common: '/usr/lib/jvm/default-runtime' modification time mismatch (expected 2020-05-16 18:30:33)
libutempter: '/usr/lib/utempter/utempter' permission mismatch (expected 2711)
libutempter: '/usr/lib/utempter/utempter' GID mismatch (expected 0/root)
libvirt: '/var/log/swtpm/libvirt/qemu' permission mismatch (expected 755)
libvirt: '/var/log/swtpm/libvirt/qemu' UID mismatch (expected 0/root)
libvirt: '/var/log/swtpm/libvirt/qemu' GID mismatch (expected 0/root)
quarto-cli-bin: '/opt' UID mismatch (expected 1001/testuser)
quarto-cli-bin: '/opt' GID mismatch (expected 968/docker)
swtpm: '/var/lib/swtpm-localca' UID mismatch (expected 0/root)
systemd: '/var/log/journal' GID mismatch (expected 0/root)
vlc: '/usr/lib/vlc/plugins/plugins.dat' modification time mismatch (expected 2022-11-02 07:51:44)
vlc: '/usr/lib/vlc/plugins/plugins.dat' size mismatch (expected 302.91 K)

I realized that I can change the permissions of the three cups files (also libutempter, libvirt), but after reboot it gets reversed back to the above. I don't know how to make the change persistent.
As for the other listed files and folders, I don't know what to do. The "expected" part is not a numerical code like in the examples that I fixed.
How can I now do this?

Thanks,
bigoten

Last edited by bigoten (2022-12-01 14:04:14)

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,261

Re: [SOLVED] Lost icons and background

Ah glad you found that, I thought -Qkk would list the expected perms as well

Some mismatches are normal, most of the ones here will be expected. e.g. cups mismatches are fine (the cup daemon changes them during runtime), JVM mismatches are fine since they are set archlinux-java during runtime,  libvirt will likely depend on the user you ran it with,  /opt has no reason that a random AUR packages has a monoply on the perms here, that is fine, vlc plugins.dat are generated during runtime based on opt-deps that is normal as well.

The UID/GID mismatches are about the owner, you'd change those with chown but none of these are particularly tragic or worrysome.

If you consider this [SOLVED] please mark as such by editing the title in your first post.

bigoten

Member

Registered: 2018-01-17

Posts: 13

Re: [SOLVED] Lost icons and background

OK, I added [SOLVED].

I now traced back what my original problem with pyTranscriber was, and I see again why I ended up in the mess above.
I will ask for suggestions on a different thread.

Many thanks V1del!