[SOLVED] Unable to switch Desktop environments after installing i3-wm

paul9115 · 2023-08-17 20:16:32

I recently thought I'd give i3-wm and installed it and spent some time playing around customising it etc. I wanted to go back into GNOME to do some stuff but upon logging out of i3 (my user is set to autologin) I ended up with just a black screen, I couldn't start a tty session or do anything until I restarted the machine (to get logged back into i3)
I've done a little checking and gdm looks to be running fine but is complaining about the keyring and daemon control file

systemctl status gdm
● gdm.service - GNOME Display Manager
     Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/gdm.service; enabled; preset: disabled)
     Active: active (running) since Thu 2023-08-17 21:03:21 BST; 9min ago
   Main PID: 849 (gdm)
      Tasks: 4 (limit: 38424)
     Memory: 10.2M
        CPU: 36ms
     CGroup: /system.slice/gdm.service
             └─849 /usr/bin/gdm

Aug 17 21:03:21 arch systemd[1]: Starting GNOME Display Manager...
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch systemd[1]: Started GNOME Display Manager.
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch gdm-autologin][893]: pam_unix(gdm-autologin:session): session opened for user paul(uid=1000) by paul(uid=0)
Aug 17 21:03:22 arch gdm-autologin][893]: gkr-pam: couldn't unlock the login keyring.

My first thought was that it was possibly dmenu having a bit of a moment, so I restarted the service and that reproduced the issue, however when I checked the logs notihing in there looked too suspicious

journalctl -u dbus
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch systemd[1]: Starting D-Bus System Message Bus...
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch dbus-daemon[728]: dbus[728]: Unknown group "netdev" in message bus configuration file
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch dbus-daemon[728]: dbus[728]: Unknown group "netdev" in message bus configuration file
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Activating systemd to hand-off: service name='org.freedesktop.PolicyKit1' unit='polkit.service' r>
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Activating systemd to hand-off: service name='org.freedesktop.hostname1' unit='dbus-org.freedeskt>
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch systemd[1]: Started D-Bus System Message Bus.
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Successfully activated service 'org.freedesktop.systemd1'
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Successfully activated service 'org.freedesktop.hostname1'
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Successfully activated service 'org.freedesktop.PolicyKit1'
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Activating via systemd: service name='org.freedesktop.nm_dispatcher' unit='dbus-org.freedesktop.n>
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Activating via systemd: service name='org.freedesktop.Accounts' unit='accounts-daemon.service' re>
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Successfully activated service 'org.freedesktop.nm_dispatcher'
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Activating via systemd: service name='org.freedesktop.ColorManager' unit='colord.service' request>
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Successfully activated service 'org.freedesktop.ColorManager'
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Successfully activated service 'org.freedesktop.Accounts'
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Activating via systemd: service name='org.freedesktop.home1' unit='dbus-org.freedesktop.home1.ser>
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Activation via systemd failed for unit 'dbus-org.freedesktop.home1.service': Unit dbus-org.freede>
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Activating via systemd: service name='org.freedesktop.home1' unit='dbus-org.freedesktop.home1.ser>
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Activation via systemd failed for unit 'dbus-org.freedesktop.home1.service': Unit dbus-org.freede>
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Activating via systemd: service name='org.freedesktop.Avahi' unit='dbus-org.freedesktop.Avahi.ser>
Aug 17 21:03:21 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Activation via systemd failed for unit 'dbus-org.freedesktop.Avahi.service': Unit dbus-org.freede>
Aug 17 21:03:24 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Activating via systemd: service name='org.freedesktop.RealtimeKit1' unit='rtkit-daemon.service' r>
Aug 17 21:03:24 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Successfully activated service 'org.freedesktop.RealtimeKit1'
Aug 17 21:04:16 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Activating via systemd: service name='org.freedesktop.UPower' unit='upower.service' requested by >
Aug 17 21:04:18 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Successfully activated service 'org.freedesktop.UPower'
Aug 17 21:05:19 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Activating via systemd: service name='org.freedesktop.nm_dispatcher' unit='dbus-org.freedesktop.n>
Aug 17 21:05:19 arch dbus-daemon[728]: [system] Successfully activated service 'org.freedesktop.nm_dispatcher'

Interestingly

 gnome-shell --replace

seems to just start a new i3 session rather than starting GNOME
I also tried

 dconf reset -f /org/gnome

but as far as I can tell that didn't achieve anything.

Could anyone please advise on what my next troubleshooting steps are?

Last edited by paul9115 (2023-08-17 20:44:55)

seth · 2023-08-17 20:22:03

My first thought was that it was possibly dmenu having a bit of a moment, so I restarted the service

????

Disable the autologin, in GDM select your desired session (gnome) and log in?
Or replace the session for the autologin?
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GDM#Automatic_login

paul9115 · 2023-08-17 20:44:38

seth wrote:

My first thought was that it was possibly dmenu having a bit of a moment, so I restarted the service
????
Disable the autologin, in GDM select your desired session (gnome) and log in?
Or replace the session for the autologin?
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GDM#Automatic_login

So I disabled autologin and when logging into gnome it got as far as displaying the x cursor and black screen. I managed to start a tty session and looked through

journalctl

revealed an error with xdg-desktop-portal timing out. I reinstalled the gnome group and was able to login again, so I guess that was the likely issue

jojo06 · 2023-11-25 18:15:33

I don't have any problem with this but but journalctl gives warning. I want to get involved. I don't have automatic logon, I use sway. Where did you set it up?

seth · 2023-11-25 19:46:36

What does any of this have to do with this thread?
If you're concerned with a warning in your journal you don't understand or can't solve, please open a new thread and at least state the specific warning you're talking about there.

jojo06 · 2023-11-25 20:15:12

I'm getting the same error and if the solution is the automatic login setting, I wanted to find out from OP. Instead of starting a thread on the same problem again. Isn't that the right approach?

seth · 2023-11-25 20:23:48

*What* "same error" (and why was it upgraded from a warning?)
The OP uses GDM and has configured it for autologin and that wasn't related to the problem at all but apparently that gkr hard-depends on an xdg-portal-impl and they didn't have one (that's a guess, their summary is a bit vague itr) and no, the correct approach is to be precise, avoid creating xy-problems where you're asking how to implement an already assumed solution to a different problem and not necrobump.
https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=57855

Arch Linux

#1 2023-08-17 20:16:32

[SOLVED] Unable to switch Desktop environments after installing i3-wm

#2 2023-08-17 20:22:03

Re: [SOLVED] Unable to switch Desktop environments after installing i3-wm

#3 2023-08-17 20:44:38

Re: [SOLVED] Unable to switch Desktop environments after installing i3-wm

#4 2023-11-25 18:15:33

Re: [SOLVED] Unable to switch Desktop environments after installing i3-wm

#5 2023-11-25 19:46:36

Re: [SOLVED] Unable to switch Desktop environments after installing i3-wm

#6 2023-11-25 20:15:12

Re: [SOLVED] Unable to switch Desktop environments after installing i3-wm

#7 2023-11-25 20:23:48

Re: [SOLVED] Unable to switch Desktop environments after installing i3-wm

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