LXDE - tried new wallpaper now have black screen with icons showing - solved

[silverbirch]

Hi

I need to stop fiddling!  Thought I'd look at different wallpapers and now have a black screen.

Not sure if inserting this screenshot has worked!

Again thanks for your time!

[Neal ManBear]

Hi

I need to stop fiddling!  Thought I'd look at different wallpapers and now have a black screen.

Not sure if inserting this screenshot has worked!

Again thanks for your time!

You can't link to images in your /home. They must be on the web to be viewable.

How did you change your wallpaper? Right click the desktop? PCManFM > Edit > Preferences > Desktop tab? Or lxdecc > Set Wallpaper? Many paths to the same end.

Have you done a log out - log in since this happened? A reboot?

Can you provide more information, please? Are you fully updated? Only one repo enabled? Have you made any tweaks to the system? What graphics card are you using?

[silverbirch]

Used LXDE and wallpaper.

Yes have logged out and in, and rebooted.

Checked /usr/share/gdm/themes/AVIO-GDM in case that was an issue.  Those files were the same, although I noticed there's now two AVIO-GDM.xml files.

Fully updated Tuesday.  Only tweaks are to wallpaper settings.

Graphics card:
82852/855 GM Integrated Graphics Device.

Until now have had that nice blue desktop background.

Many thanks.

After this am giving the machine back with no more looking at changing the appearance!

[Neal ManBear]

Used LXDE and wallpaper.

Yes have logged out and in, and rebooted.

Checked /usr/share/gdm/themes/AVIO-GDM in case that was an issue.  Those files were the same, although I noticed there's now two AVIO-GDM.xml files.

Two AVIO-GDM.xml files? Double check that to be sure.
Check them to see if one has the wrong info in it, as per previous instructions. If so, delete it. If both files have the same info, delete one of them.

Fully updated Tuesday.  Only tweaks are to wallpaper settings.

Graphics card:
82852/855 GM Integrated Graphics Device.

Until now have had that nice blue desktop background.

Many thanks.

After this am giving the machine back with no more looking at changing the appearance!

I listed three methods of changing your wallpaper. Did you use one of them? Or did you try some other method? When you changed the wallpaper, did you switch from the default directory, /usr/share/lxde/wallpapers to another directory? If so, did you set the correct path to the wallpaper you were checking out?

PCManFM handles the wallpaper display. Open it and click Edit > Preferences. When the preferences dialog opens, click the Desktop tab. Make sure the option at the top, Manage the desktop and show file icons is ticked. If it is not, no wallpaper will be displayed. Next under Wallpaper, make sure the wallpaper option is ticked and check the name of your wallpaper to its right. If the word "none" is displayed, no wallpaper will be used. Click it to open the dialog and set the wallpaper.

[silverbirch]

I had used LXDE but put in wrong path.  Using PCmanFm has solved it.

Many, many thanks.  You are so patient and knowledgeable! 

[Neal ManBear]

I had used LXDE but put in wrong path.

 
Would you elaborate, please? LXDE is the Light X11 Desktop Environment; i.e. it is the suite of applications that work together to form your desktop environment. PCManFM is one of those applications.
If you will tell me exactly what steps you took when you "used LXDE," I think we can figure out what went wrong and perhaps come up with a way to not let it happen again.

Using PCmanFm has solved it.

Many, many thanks.  You are so patient and knowledgeable! 

The community magazine has some articles on LXDE that you may find interesting and helpful.
http://pclosmag.com/html/enter.html

It is a good read.

[silverbirch]

I had used LXDE but put in wrong path.

 
Would you elaborate, please? LXDE is the Light X11 Desktop Environment; i.e. it is the suite of applications that work together to form your desktop environment. PCManFM is one of those applications.
If you will tell me exactly what steps you took when you "used LXDE," I think we can figure out what went wrong and perhaps come up with a way to not let it happen again.

I *think* that when I logged back in and saw the black desktop that I used an incorrect path.  Have just realised after following your instructions to fix it.  I clicked on the wallpaper line while it had the black icon, used GTK themes I believe.  I had been better at writing down every thing I do, but because it was appearance thought it would be simple to change it :-)

Learned my lesson - will write things down in even more detail, and for everything! 

Again - thank you so much.

[Neal ManBear]

I see. At least, I think I do.

GTK themes is a theming application. A theme is for the color scheme, style, icons and etc of the applications for your desktop. Wallpapers are handled separately in LXDE by PCManFM.

When looking to make appearance changes in LXDE, check the name of the app you are about to use for clues as to what it will do. A good way to familiarize yourself with these apps is through lxdecc (the LXDE Control Center). The article in this month's issue of the magazine can help you get started on that.