21.1 MATE desktop icons move around between boots

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NeilUK
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Joined: Fri Aug 16, 2013 3:30 am

21.1 MATE desktop icons move around between boots

Post by NeilUK »

I've almost persuaded my wife to move from windows to linux. I've used Mint for the last decade (so am increasingly unable to sysadmin her windows problems) so am in the process of setting up a laptop with 21.1 MATE (the flavour I'm used to) for her. Dual boot with win11. It's very close to stock, with no significant additions since loading it, so add chromium, zoom and python3-tk, enable warpinator.

inxi -Fxxxrz

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System:
  Kernel: 5.15.0-58-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 11.3.0
    Desktop: MATE 1.26.0 info: mate-panel wm: marco 1.26.0 vt: 7
    dm: LightDM 1.30.0 Distro: Linux Mint 21.1 Vera base: Ubuntu 22.04 jammy
Machine:
  Type: Laptop System: MEDION product: E15407 v: N/A
    serial: <superuser required> Chassis: type: 10 serial: <superuser required>
  Mobo: MEDION model: NS15IC serial: <superuser required>
    UEFI: American Megatrends v: ICL_IC618_V2.0.29 date: 04/27/2021
Battery:
  ID-1: BAT0 charge: 44.5 Wh (98.9%) condition: 45.0/45.0 Wh (100.0%)
    volts: 11.6 min: N/A model: MEDION Li-ion Battery type: Li-ion
    serial: <filter> status: Charging
CPU:
  Info: quad core model: Intel Core i5-1035G1 bits: 64 type: MT MCP
    smt: enabled arch: Ice Lake rev: 5 cache: L1: 320 KiB L2: 2 MiB L3: 6 MiB
  Speed (MHz): avg: 1161 high: 1254 min/max: 400/3600 cores: 1: 1165
    2: 1254 3: 1201 4: 1101 5: 1100 6: 1100 7: 1167 8: 1201 bogomips: 19046
  Flags: avx avx2 ht lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel Iris Plus Graphics G1 vendor: MEDION AG driver: i915
    v: kernel ports: active: eDP-1 empty: DP-1, DP-2, DP-3, HDMI-A-1
    bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:8a56 class-ID: 0300
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.21.1.3 compositor: marco v: 1.26.0
    driver: X: loaded: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa gpu: i915
    display-ID: :0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1920x1080 s-dpi: 96 s-size: 508x285mm (20.0x11.2")
    s-diag: 582mm (22.9")
  Monitor-1: eDP-1 res: 1920x1080 hz: 60 dpi: 142
    size: 344x194mm (13.5x7.6") diag: 395mm (15.5") modes: 1920x1080
  OpenGL: renderer: Mesa Intel UHD Graphics (ICL GT1) v: 4.6 Mesa 22.2.5
    direct render: Yes
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel Ice Lake-LP Smart Sound Audio vendor: MEDION AG
    driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus-ID: 00:1f.3 chip-ID: 8086:34c8
    class-ID: 0403
  Sound Server-1: ALSA v: k5.15.0-58-generic running: yes
  Sound Server-2: PulseAudio v: 15.99.1 running: yes
  Sound Server-3: PipeWire v: 0.3.48 running: yes
Network:
  Device-1: Intel Ice Lake-LP PCH CNVi WiFi driver: iwlwifi v: kernel
    bus-ID: 00:14.3 chip-ID: 8086:34f0 class-ID: 0280
  IF: wlo1 state: up mac: <filter>
Bluetooth:
  Device-1: Intel Bluetooth 9460/9560 Jefferson Peak (JfP) type: USB
    driver: btusb v: 0.8 bus-ID: 3-10:4 chip-ID: 8087:0aaa class-ID: e001
  Report: hciconfig ID: hci0 rfk-id: 0 state: down
    bt-service: enabled,running rfk-block: hardware: no software: yes
    address: <filter>
RAID:
  Hardware-1: Intel 82801 Mobile SATA Controller [RAID mode] driver: ahci
    v: 3.0 port: 3060 bus-ID: 00:17.0 chip-ID: 8086:282a rev: N/A
    class-ID: 0104
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 476.94 GiB used: 12.95 GiB (2.7%)
  ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Phison model: S11-512G-SSD-B27 size: 476.94 GiB
    speed: 6.0 Gb/s type: SSD serial: <filter> rev: J1.3 scheme: GPT
Partition:
  ID-1: / size: 239.25 GiB used: 12.92 GiB (5.4%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda8
  ID-2: /boot/efi size: 96 MiB used: 33.2 MiB (34.6%) fs: vfat
    dev: /dev/sda1
Swap:
  ID-1: swap-1 type: file size: 2 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) priority: -2
    file: /swapfile
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 45.0 C mobo: N/A
  Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A
Repos:
  Packages: apt: 2137
  No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list
    1: deb https://www.mirrorservice.org/sites/packages.linuxmint.com/packages vera main upstream import backport
    2: deb http://mirror.mythic-beasts.com/ubuntu jammy main restricted universe multiverse
    3: deb http://mirror.mythic-beasts.com/ubuntu jammy-updates main restricted universe multiverse
    4: deb http://mirror.mythic-beasts.com/ubuntu jammy-backports main restricted universe multiverse
    5: deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ jammy-security main restricted universe multiverse
Info:
  Processes: 261 Uptime: 33m wakeups: 1 Memory: 7.5 GiB
  used: 1.23 GiB (16.3%) Init: systemd v: 249 runlevel: 5 Compilers:
  gcc: 11.3.0 alt: 11 Shell: Bash v: 5.1.16 running-in: mate-terminal
  inxi: 3.3.13
To make it look like her last machine, I need to put 80 files onto the desktop, in the same layout. Don't ask me, it's bizarre, I would never run my filing system that way. I've had conversations with her, use folders, get organised, but, that's the way she rolls. Rather than ask the human to fit the machine, let's try to fit the machine to the human. How hard can it be to reproduce that?

It took me an hour to move all the icons to the correct positions. I then did a 'lock icons'. Next boot and login, the darned things had moved, randomised themselves all over the screen??? They are random, not alphabetical order, and some have stayed put. They are a mix of .jpg, .png, .pdf, .docx.

Searches have thrown up possible leads, but nothing relevant. A similar problem on xfce 19 was apparently solved by looking in ~/.config/xfce/desktop for some file with icons in the name and a .rc extension, which gave the pixel coordinates of all the icons. My ~/.config/mate folder contains only backgrounds.xml. There's a promising looking but tiny file ~/.config/caja/desktop-metadata, which contains pixel positions for computer, home, and an external drive, and whether the icons are locked and/or aligned, which gets updated if I right click the desktop and set something. Intriguingly, it has the line caja-icon-view-layout-timestamp=1675619402, but a search for a file with that in the name yields nothing. There is nothing else relevant looking under ~/.config. Unless I'm searching it wrong, there are no *.rc files anywhere under ~/. (edit) Right, I think I'm searching better now, finding files with caja and desktop in them or their filenames, but nothing that looks like icon positions has surfaced yet.(/edit)

So, where is the information on the positions of the desktop icons, and is it editable? I would prefer to enter pixel numbers into this, then backup the file, than to reorganise the desktop and hope it didn't move again. I'm sure someone will suggest timeshift, maybe I'll learn to trust how and what that restores one day.

Finally using the form

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sudo find / -mmin n
to find all files on the machine modified less than n minutes ago, after moving icons around on the desktop. None of the modified files look plausible. If I lock or unlock desktop icons, then ~/.config/caja/desktop-metadata gets updated. It has a caja-icon-position-timestamp line, but no list of user icons or their positions.
Last edited by LockBot on Sat Aug 05, 2023 10:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
billyswong
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Re: 21.1 MATE desktop icons move around between boots

Post by billyswong »

Some google search give me this https://askubuntu.com/questions/1320316 ... ed-in-mate
Every icon has its own metadata attribute. So one can

• read it by

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gio info -a "metadata::caja-icon-position" ~/Desktop/file1.txt
to get something like

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attributes:
  metadata::caja-icon-position: 922,382
where 922 and 382 are horizontal and vertical pixel positions for file1.txt icon.

• write it by

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gio set -t string ~/Desktop/file1.txt metadata::caja-icon-position 300,400
to move file1.txt icon to the location specified by 300 and 400 coordinates in pixels.

Then one needs to ask Caja to refresh the desktop by calling caja -q.
But it doesn't give any hint why your desktop icons move between reboot. But anyway, at least we can backup and reposition the desktop icons by command line now. Someone also wrote an automation script there, but I am not copying it as I haven't studied the correctness of it.
jdm
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Posts: 51
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 7:18 pm

Re: 21.1 MATE desktop icons move around between boots

Post by jdm »

I'm not certain but I don't think this is limited to 21.1 because for some weeks this has been happening to me on 20.3.
It's annoying.
Not sure what the point of having options to "Keep Aligned" and "Lock Icons Position" if they don't do anything.
The whole Mate desktop experience is becoming irritating.
Wish I could offer a solution rather than a rant.

jdm

Edit: I guess I should quantify my statement that the options don't do anything, they do till you reboot. :oops:
linux-rox
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Joined: Sun Jul 19, 2020 9:17 pm

Re: 21.1 MATE desktop icons move around between boots

Post by linux-rox »

I started with Mate, but transitioned to Cinnamon after a few years in part because I got frustrated at how flaky Mate is about positioning things on the panel. Can't say I'm surprised to hear it has even more difficulty with placement of desktop icons.

If this is an important issue, consider setting her up on Cinnamon. Turn off Effects and its system resource use isn't bad.
jerzy
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Re: 21.1 MATE desktop icons move around between boots

Post by jerzy »

I was having this same problem with Xfce 21.1, so I went back to the Xfce 20.3.
Then I remembered that Xfce 21.1 does NOT have the “Home” Directory ICON on the Desktop - by default.
So, out of curiosity I have removed that ICON in Xfce 20.3, and this same problem was reproduced.

The problem was FIXED by reinserting that “Home” Directory ICON on the Desktop.

Later on I have reinstalled the Xfce 21.1 OS and reinserted the “Home” Directory ICON on the Desktop.

All ICONS are staying firmly in their places.

I have tested and verified this issue several times on “HP Pavilion a1600n” Desktop computer.

Below is a Procedure for FIXING the moving ICONS by Restoring the “Home” ICON on the Desktop.

1. In the Bottom-left CORNER of the SCREEN.
2. Click the "Applications" ICON.

In the "Applications" Pop-up LIST

1.On the Left SIDE of the LIST.
2.Click the "Settings" OPTION.
3.On the Right SIDE of the LIST.
4.Click the "Desktop" OPTION.

In the "Desktop" Pop-up WINDOW

1.Click the "Icons" TAB.


In the "Icons" DIALOG WINDOW

At the Bottom of the WINDOW

1.Go to the "Default Icons" AREA.
2.Click the CHECKOFF BOX of the ”Home” ICON.
3.In the Bottom-right CORNER.
4.Click the "Close" BUTTON.
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Moem
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Re: 21.1 MATE desktop icons move around between boots

Post by Moem »

jerzy wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2023 7:02 am I was having this same problem with Xfce 21.1, so I went back to the Xfce 20.3.
Then I remembered that Xfce 21.1 does NOT have the “Home” Directory ICON on the Desktop - by default.
So, out of curiosity I have removed that ICON in Xfce 20.3, and this same problem was reproduced.

The problem was FIXED by reinserting that “Home” Directory ICON on the Desktop.
The topic is about MATE, though. So whether your solution will work for the OP is anybody's guess.
Image

If your issue is solved, kindly indicate that by editing the first post in the topic, and adding [SOLVED] to the title. Thanks!
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