Xubuntu 14.04 cannot change wallpaper

**dentaku65** · June 29th, 2014

Hi,

I've upgrade from 13.10 to 14.04 xubuntu and I'm not able to change wallpaper via Desktop Settings; no matter which folder I choose (personal wallpapers folder or /usr/share/xfce4/backdops), click the chosen picture the setting wont apply and even the style does nothing (centered, zoomed, scaled and so on).

The only way to change wallpaper on my box is via Thunar doing right click on the image and "Set as wallpaper..." option; of course with this method I'm unable to set the style of the wallpaper.

The configuration seems to me correct

Code:

apt-cache policy xfdesktop4

xfdesktop4:
Installed: 4.11.6-1ubuntu1
Candidate: 4.11.6-1ubuntu1
Version table:
*** 4.11.6-1ubuntu1 0
500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/universe amd64 Packages
100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

Code:

ls -l $HOME/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/

-rw-rw-r-- 1 sava sava 212 Jun 5 2013 keyboard-layout.xml
-rw-rw-r-- 1 sava sava 204 May 19 2013 keyboards.xml
-rw-r--r-- 1 sava sava 839 Jun 11 20:48 parole.xml
-rw-rw-r-- 1 sava sava 639 Oct 1 2013 pointers.xml
-rw-rw-r-- 1 sava sava 272 May 20 2013 ristretto.xml
-rw-rw-r-- 1 sava sava 2847 Jun 29 11:34 thunar.xml
-rw-r--r-- 1 sava sava 1816 Jun 24 08:26 xfce4-appfinder.xml
-rw-rw-r-- 1 sava sava 2615 Jun 29 11:25 xfce4-desktop.xml
-rw-rw-r-- 1 sava sava 11470 May 24 2013 xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts.xml
-rw-rw-r-- 1 sava sava 262 Jun 1 2013 xfce4-mixer.xml
-rw-r--r-- 1 sava sava 311 Oct 18 2013 xfce4-notifyd.xml
-rw-rw-r-- 1 sava sava 7015 Jun 29 10:12 xfce4-panel.xml
-rw-r--r-- 1 sava sava 1509 Jan 8 19:40 xfce4-session.xml
-rw-rw-r-- 1 sava sava 336 Sep 18 2013 xfce4-settings-editor.xml
-rw-r--r-- 1 sava sava 276 Oct 6 2013 xfce4-settings-manager.xml
-rw-r--r-- 1 sava sava 4235 May 10 10:43 xfwm4.xml
-rw-rw-r-- 1 sava sava 1763 Sep 23 2013 xsettings.xml

Code:

ls -l $HOME/.cache/sessions

drwx------ 2 sava sava 4096 Jun 28 11:44 thumbs-sava-new:0
-rw-rw-r-- 1 sava sava 2428 Jun 29 10:03 xfce4-session-sava-new:0
-rw-rw-r-- 1 sava sava 2428 Jun 29 09:14 xfce4-session-sava-new:0.bak

Does anybody have some hints?

TIA
Den

**Toz** · June 29th, 2014

What video card do you have and what driver are you using?

Code:

lspci -k | grep -A2 VGA

What are your xfdesktop settings? The following command will display them:

Code:

xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -lv

Also, run the following command, and then try to change the wallpaper via Desktop Settings, and then via Thunar. Post back what displays in the terminal window. Lets see which xfconf keys are being affected with each method:

Code:

xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -m

There was a bug during the beta cycle in which the desktop settings applet was writing to the wrong xfconf key. This was supposedly fixed but maybe somehow you're still being affected.

**dentaku65** · June 29th, 2014

Originally Posted by Toz

What video card do you have and what driver are you using?

Code:

lspci -k | grep -A2 VGA

What are your xfdesktop settings? The following command will display them:

Code:

xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -lv

Also, run the following command, and then try to change the wallpaper via Desktop Settings, and then via Thunar. Post back what displays in the terminal window. Lets see which xfconf keys are being affected with each method:

Code:

xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -m

There was a bug during the beta cycle in which the desktop settings applet was writing to the wrong xfconf key. This was supposedly fixed but maybe somehow you're still being affected.

Hi Toz,

here the outputs

Code:

lspci -k | grep -A2 VGA

00:01.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Trinity [Radeon HD 7400G]
Subsystem: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd Device c660
Kernel driver in use: fglrx_pci

Code:

xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -lv

/backdrop/screen0/monitor0/image-path /home/sava/Pictures/wallpaper/_image.jpg.png
/backdrop/screen0/monitor0/image-show true
/backdrop/screen0/monitor0/image-style 0
/backdrop/screen0/monitor0/last-image /home/sava/Pictures/wallpaper/_image.jpg.png
/backdrop/screen0/monitor0/last-single-image /home/sava/Pictures/wallpaper/_image.jpg.png
/backdrop/screen0/monitor0/workspace0/last-image /home/sava/Pictures/wallpaper/image.jpg.png
/backdrop/screen0/monitor1/image-path /home/sava/Pictures/wallpaper/image.jpg.png
/backdrop/screen0/monitor1/image-show true
/backdrop/screen0/monitor1/image-style 5
/backdrop/screen0/monitorLVDS/workspace0/color-style 0
/backdrop/screen0/monitorLVDS/workspace0/image-style 3
/backdrop/screen0/monitorLVDS/workspace0/last-image /home/sava/Pictures/wallpaper/_image.jpg.png
/backdrop/screen0/monitorLVDS/workspace-1/backdrop-cycle-enable false
/backdrop/screen0/monitorLVDS/workspace-1/image-style 5
/backdrop/screen0/monitorLVDS/workspace-1/last-image /home/sava/Pictures/wallpaper/image.jpg.png
/backdrop/single-workspace-mode true
/backdrop/single-workspace-number -1
/desktop-icons/file-icons/show-filesystem false
/desktop-icons/file-icons/show-home true
/desktop-icons/file-icons/show-removable true
/desktop-icons/file-icons/show-trash false
/desktop-icons/icon-size 42
/desktop-icons/style 2
/last/window-height 511
/last/window-width 646

Code:

xfconf-query -c xfce4-desktop -m

set: /backdrop/screen0/monitorLVDS/workspace-1/last-image
set: /backdrop/screen0/monitorLVDS/workspace-1/last-image
set: /backdrop/screen0/monitorLVDS/workspace-1/last-image

This last output is quite weird, not matter what image I choose, the wallpaper do not change.

kr,
den

**Toz** · June 29th, 2014

Originally Posted by dentaku65

set: /backdrop/screen0/monitorLVDS/workspace-1/last-image
set: /backdrop/screen0/monitorLVDS/workspace-1/last-image
set: /backdrop/screen0/monitorLVDS/workspace-1/last-image

This last output is quite weird, not matter what image I choose, the wallpaper do not change.

Which method generated these results? The Thunar method? If so, what does the Desktop Settings method generate? Or vice versa.

**dentaku65** · June 29th, 2014

Originally Posted by Toz

Which method generated these results? The Thunar method? If so, what does the Desktop Settings method generate? Or vice versa.

The output posted was generated via Desktop Settings; via Thunar generate this one:

set: /backdrop/screen0/monitor0/image-path
set: /backdrop/screen0/monitorLVDS/workspace0/last-image

that seems correct to me.

Do you have any idea what was the wrong xfconf key in the desktop settings applet in the beta cycle?

**Toz** · June 29th, 2014

I don't remember exactly, other than it was writing to the the wrong xfconf entry (I'll see if I can dig up the bug report). The same is happening with your system:

- It looks like thunar is writing to: /backdrop/screen0/monitor0/image-path
- And desktop settings to: /backdrop/screen0/monitorLVDS/workspace-1/last-image

Can you try the following to reset the desktop xfconf settings to defaults (**note, you will lose all the settings in the desktop settings applet)?
1. Log out
2. Go to a text terminal (Ctrl+Alt+F1)
3. Log in to the text terminal.
4. Rename the desktop xfconf xml file:

Code:

cd ~/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml
mv xfce4-desktop.xml xfce4-desktop.xml.BAK

5. Return to the gui login screen (Ctrl+Alt+F7)
6. Log back in again.
7. Perform the same tests from my post #2 again. See if it makes any difference.

**dentaku65** · June 30th, 2014

Hi,

thank tou very much.
Removing xfce4-desktop.xml and rebooting the box fixed my issue; a new xfce4-desktop.xml has been recreated with the default wallpaper, changing the wallpaper via Desktop Settings works fine now with the styles too.

Solved.