GNOME 2.0 Desktop for the Solaris Operating Environment Troubleshooting Guide

Chapter 4 General GNOME Desktop Problems

This section provides information about how to deal with general problems in the GNOME 2.0 Desktop.

4.1 Finding Out More


I am having a problem with the GNOME 2.0 Desktop. Where can I find more information? 


You can find more information about the GNOME Desktop in the following places:

4.2 Which Version of the GNOME Desktop?


How do I find which version of the GNOME Desktop is running? 


Right click on a panel and select About GNOME.

4.3 Displaying Developer Documentation in Netscape 4.x


Developer documentation located in /usr/share/gnome/devel-doc does not display correctly in Netscape 4.x


gtk-doc makes use of cascading stylesheets (CSS) which are not completely supported in Netscape 4.x. The following browsers support CSS fully:

  • Netscape 6.x, and higher versions of Netscape

  • Opera

  • Galeon

  • Mozilla

  • Internet Explorer 5, and higher versions of Internet Explorer

4.4 General Error Messages


Where do I look for error messages when an application crashes or fails to run correctly? 


Look in the following files:  

  • ~/.dt/errorlog

  • ~/.dt/errorlog.old

  • ~/.dt/errorlog.older

  • ~/.dt/sessionlogs

You can also try running the application from a command line to see if any error message appear.  

You can capture a core file from a GNOME-compliant application by running the application with the --disable-crash-dialog option or by setting the GNOME_DISABLE_CRASH_DIALOG environment variable to 1 before running the application.

4.5 No Nautilus Viewer for File Type


When I double-click on some file types in Nautilus, a dialog indicates that Nautilus has no installed viewer capable of displaying the file.


Perform the following steps:

  1. Open the Applications menu.

  2. Choose Desktop Preferences -> Advanced -> File Types and Programs.

  3. Make sure the MIME type or extension for the file is associated with an application in the File Types and Programs dialog.

  4. Make sure that the associated application is in your $PATH.

4.6 Nautilus Crashes Or Freezes


Nautilus crashes or freezes when an open browser window points to a bad NFS mount.


Run the following command: pkill nautilus

When Nautilus restarts, the bad NFS directory is not available. If you saved a session while Nautilus was pointing to a bad mount, remove your session files in ~/.dt/sessions/gnome.

4.7 Nautilus Slows the System


Nautilus slows my system or freezes when searching for Trash on an NFS mounted volume.


Perform the following actions to prevent Nautilus from searching for trash on a NFS file systems:

  1. Edit the following file:


  2. Set the following entry:

    filesystem name="nfs" _default_volume_name="NFS Network Volume" trash="no"

  3. Run the following command to restart Nautilus: pkill nautilus

4.8 TIF Files Crash Panels


My panels crash when I select a TIF image file in the panel properties background dialog. 


To resolve this problem you must ensure that /usr/sfw/lib precedes /usr/openwin/lib in your LD_LIBRARY_PATH.

4.9 Finding Out About GConf


How do I find out about the GNOME 2.0 Configuration System (GConf)?


You can find more information about GCconf at the following website: http://www.gnome.org/projects/gconf

The GNOME 2.0 Desktop for the Solaris Operating Environment System Administration Guide also has a chapter that describes GConf functionality.

4.10 Conflicts With Screensavers


My screen lock preferences contain the following screensaver displays that can conflict with some frame buffer drivers:  

  • Insecure screen distortion screensaver displays

  • Screensaver displays such as julia and penrose

These screensaver displays occasionally run when I select random screensaver. 


You have an old ~/.xscreensaver file. Perform the following steps:

  1. Remove the ~/.xscreensaver file.

  2. Log out, then log in.

You can deselect screensaver displays that you do not need in the Display Modes tab of the screensaver properties dialog.

4.11 Selected Screen Does Not Display


I can configure the screensaver displays in the configuration panel, but when I preview the screensaver display, or specify a blank screen, my chosen screensaver display does not appear.  


XScreenSaver only enables graphical screensaver displays on machines that are running DPMS (Display Power Management System). You can enable DPMS with the following command: xset +dpms

Sun RayTM clients do not run DPMS.

4.12 Solaris Removable Media Manager


Which operating environment do I need to install the Solaris Removable Media Manager?


Nautilus provides functionality similar to the Solaris Removable Media Manager. To avail of the Removable Media feature in the GNOME Desktop, the version of the operating environment must be Solaris 8 Update 1 or higher. Do not attempt to install this feature by installing a set of ad hoc patches.