[SOLVED] Unknown File Type. The file "network" has no known programs associated with it.

[ronsmeyer]

Not network-manager for the internet. The Network icon on the desktop where you see the file shares.
I'd reinstalled samba and now when I click the Network icon I get this pop-up message.
It gives me a screen to select a program but I have no idea what to pick. Could someone please help?

[all41]

Provide more information regarding your Mint version and Desktop choice (Cinnamon, MATE, XFCE etc).
Most likely you will want to point this icon to your file manager (Nemo, Caja, Thunar, etc)

[ronsmeyer]

Thank you. It's cinnamon and Mint 19.1. When it asks to select a program I keyed in "nemo". But that opens the "Files" screen. Network appears on the sidebar of that screen but when you select it, it says network:/// Nemo cannot handle network. So nemo doesn't work. Where in the heck are these desktop icons defined? They're not in the menu editor.

[altair4]

Looks like a missing package to me. Install this:

Code: Select all

sudo apt install gvfs-backends

[ronsmeyer]

^^ Thank you...So that was probably it. After fiddling with this for hours, I remembered Timeshift which I had not thought about in forever. I hit the restore-button which put everything back to the day before and that has fixed the issue.

It's just the two machines at my home; desktop and laptop that I'm sharing with. Both machines are Linux. Now for some reason, on the Network screen each host is listed twice. I have no clue why. This network sharing is mystical.

[altair4]

Now for some reason, on the Network screen each host is listed twice. I have no clue why. This network sharing is mystical.

The Linux file manager ... um ... most Linux file managers will try to discover samba hosts using every way possible. There are two ways this is done:

[1] NetBIOS - which is what Windows has used forever.

[2] mDNS - which is what Linux, MacOS, and WIndows10 ( partial ) can use.

mDNS ( brought to you by avahi-daemon service ) is far more reliable than NetBIOS. Even Microsoft hates NetBIOS today.

If it bothers you you can disable it by going into the /etc/samba/smb.conf of each machine and add the following line under the workgroup = WORKGROUP line:

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disable netbios = yes

Then reboot each box.

There's a similar way to keep NetBIOS and remove mDNS by setting multicast dns register = no in smb.conf but I wouldn't do that myself.

As Klaatu once said the decision is yours.

[ronsmeyer]

Thank you. Barada Nikto.

It only bothered me because I didn't understand it. That was very helpful and I appreciate the answer. The only Windows I'm sharing with is a Virtual Box Windows 10 which I use for Quicken on one of the hosts. Virtual Box sharing takes care of what I need so I see no need for netbios then.

Thanks again.