Long gray screen on startup

PrivateGER · 2019-07-20 14:45:33

I've recently been having trouble with my xcfe desktop.
Whenever I start it with LightDM, the background is gray and does not display any icons.
The tray bar works and I can launch applications from there. The desktop icons and background only appear after a solid minute of waiting.
Is there a way to fix this? I've searched around and did not find anything matching exactly that problem.

Thanks in advance.

Last edited by PrivateGER (2019-07-20 14:47:35)

ToZ · 2019-07-20 17:51:01

Hello and welcome.

Which distro are you using and which version of Xfce?

Can you post back the contents of your ~/.xsession-errors.log file (if your distro provides one) on fresh login?

One thing you might try is to delete the contents of the ~/.cache/session directory while not logged in in case there is a stale cache entry causing the issue.

PrivateGER · 2019-07-21 14:07:45

I'm running Linux Mint 18.3 (Sylvia) with xfce 4.12.

A ~/.xsession-errors.log file exists, but is completely empty.

Deleting the cache files did not change anything.

ToZ · 2019-07-21 14:49:31

Can you try creating a second test account on your computer and testing there? This will help identify whether it is a systemic or profile issue.

It is odd that there is no content in the ~/.xsession-errors.log file. Does Mint use a different x sessions error file/location?

MrEen · 2019-07-21 18:18:40

ToZ wrote:

It is odd that there is no content in the ~/.xsession-errors.log file. Does Mint use a different x sessions error file/location?

I'm using the same system. I haven't rebooted in 3 weeks and the file is empty here as well. I also have an ~/.xsession-errors.old file that is empty as well.

One correction, there is no .log on the end of the filename, just .xsession-errors

MrEen · 2019-07-21 19:31:09

Mint does use the file at least with the Cinnamon desktop as evidenced by this thread: https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic. … s#p1659958

Still trying to find an example with Xfce.

ToZ · 2019-07-21 19:44:58

Try looking in ~/.cache/upstart/startxfce4.log. At one time, canonical was using that file.

PrivateGER · 2019-07-22 14:47:16

The test account has the same issue, but it takes only about half as long as on my main account until the gray screen disappears.
The ~/.cache/upstart/startxfce4.log file does not exist.

MrEen · 2019-07-22 23:52:36

That's very odd. I'm running the same version as you and ~/.cache/upstart/startxfce4.log exists and is used often. I even have 7 logs rolled over to startxfce4.log.#.gz files.

I'm not sure if this will be of any use, but in /etc/upstart-xsessions I have this content, do you:

# xsessions listed below are run inside an Upstart user session.
gnome
gnome-classic
gnome-fallback
gnome-flashback-metacity
gnome-flashback-compiz
kde-plasma
Lubuntu
Lubuntu-Netbook
lubuntu-nexus7
lxgames
qlubuntu
ubuntu
ubuntustudio
xfce
xubuntu
unity8-x11
unity8-mir

PrivateGER · 2019-07-23 14:00:39

The file apparently was created upon booting my PC up again.
Weird.
My upstart-xsessions looks similar to yours.

My startxfce4.log is here: https://hastebin.com/omemesuzib.makefile

Last edited by PrivateGER (2019-07-23 14:01:27)

MrEen · 2019-07-23 20:03:26

Only got a blank here. You may need to paste the contents of startxfce4.log.1.gz after unpacking it.

ToZ · 2019-07-23 23:03:40

This looks like only part of the output. We really need to get the items listed right at login. Can you log out and back in again. Wait until the desktop appears, then paste all of the content of ~/.cache/upstart/startxfce4.log back here or to the service you used last time.

ToZ · 2019-07-23 23:04:44

MrEen wrote:

Only got a blank here. You may need to paste the contents of startxfce4.log.1.gz after unpacking it.

I didn't see any content earlier either, but I just tried now and it was there. Perhaps op fixed it.

MrEen · 2019-07-24 02:19:28

ToZ wrote:

MrEen wrote:
Only got a blank here. You may need to paste the contents of startxfce4.log.1.gz after unpacking it.
I didn't see any content earlier either, but I just tried now and it was there. Perhaps op fixed it.

Thanks. Now seeing it.

This may not help the issue at all, but it certainly can't hurt. Mint has (had?) a bug that involves dbus and gvfs user permissions. Running the following clears it (may need to do it twice if the first throws the dbus error):

sudo chown -Rc $USER:$USER $HOME

PrivateGER · 2019-07-25 13:16:16

Running that command did change some files in my home directory, but did not help this issue.
I grabbed the latest startxfce4.log file and pasted it here: https://pastebin.com/inycgp6q
That's all that's in it.

MrEen · 2019-07-25 19:27:58

I don't think anything in that log is the issue but I could be wrong.

Until ToZ asks for something more useful, let's see the output from running this in the terminal:

inxi -G

Skaperen · 2019-07-25 23:11:25

i see the gray screen, too, but only for a second or two when my system has to do a lot of swapping to load up lots of stuff. then it draws my vertical gradient background (not an image). i'm running Xfce 4.12.(a mix of 1, 2, and 3) in Xubuntu 18.04.2 LTS (last upgraded yesterday).

Last edited by Skaperen (2019-07-25 23:13:23)

Skaperen · 2019-07-26 00:46:53

i never see desktop icons until my background is done. my background should be fast since it is set to just be a vertical color gradient. that makes me believe that desktop icons are displayed only after the background is done. that make me suspect that OP's background image may be slow to render or slow to uncompress or slow to read or some other background issue.

PrivateGER · 2019-07-26 14:35:18

Running

inxi -G

yields:

Graphics:  Card: NVIDIA GP107 [GeForce GTX 1050 Ti]
           Display Server: X.Org 1.18.4 drivers: nvidia (unloaded: fbdev,vesa,nouveau)
           Resolution: 1920x1080@74.97hz, 1920x1080@60.00hz
           GLX Renderer: GeForce GTX 1050 Ti/PCIe/SSE2
           GLX Version: 4.6.0 NVIDIA 418.56

My desktop + background looks like this: https://i.imgur.com/qbjAMW7.png
I have two 1920x1080 monitors.

Last edited by PrivateGER (2019-07-26 14:36:19)

MountainDewManiac · 2019-07-26 15:52:57

Is Timeshift running and comparing/writing files in the background?

Regards,
MDM

PrivateGER · 2019-07-27 15:42:41

I have not set Timeshift up.
It is installed on my machine, but not started on boot.

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#1 2019-07-20 14:45:33

Long gray screen on startup

#2 2019-07-20 17:51:01

Re: Long gray screen on startup

#3 2019-07-21 14:07:45

Re: Long gray screen on startup

#4 2019-07-21 14:49:31

Re: Long gray screen on startup

#5 2019-07-21 18:18:40

Re: Long gray screen on startup

#6 2019-07-21 19:31:09

Re: Long gray screen on startup

#7 2019-07-21 19:44:58

Re: Long gray screen on startup

#8 2019-07-22 14:47:16

Re: Long gray screen on startup

#9 2019-07-22 23:52:36

Re: Long gray screen on startup

#10 2019-07-23 14:00:39

Re: Long gray screen on startup

#11 2019-07-23 20:03:26

Re: Long gray screen on startup

#12 2019-07-23 23:03:40

Re: Long gray screen on startup

#13 2019-07-23 23:04:44

Re: Long gray screen on startup

#14 2019-07-24 02:19:28

Re: Long gray screen on startup

#15 2019-07-25 13:16:16

Re: Long gray screen on startup

#16 2019-07-25 19:27:58

Re: Long gray screen on startup

#17 2019-07-25 23:11:25

Re: Long gray screen on startup

#18 2019-07-26 00:46:53

Re: Long gray screen on startup

#19 2019-07-26 14:35:18

Re: Long gray screen on startup

#20 2019-07-26 15:52:57

Re: Long gray screen on startup

#21 2019-07-27 15:42:41

Re: Long gray screen on startup

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