[CentOS] [FIXED] Centos 5.7--desktop icons are now a blank sheet of paper with the .desktop filename and they don't work

[Larry Martell]

On Wed, Feb 15, 2012 at 11:40 AM, Daniel J Walsh <dwalsh at redhat.com> wrote:
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> On 02/15/2012 11:40 AM, fred smith wrote:
>> On Fri, Feb 10, 2012 at 09:40:13AM -0500, Daniel J Walsh wrote:
>>> On 02/09/2012 05:06 PM, fred smith wrote:
>>>>
>>>> new info, see below...
>>>>
>>>> On Wed, Nov 16, 2011 at 08:31:17PM -0500, fred smith wrote:
>>>>> On Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 08:45:48PM -0500, fred smith wrote:
>>>>>> On Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 11:22:32AM +0100, Ljubomir
>>>>>> Ljubojevic wrote:
>>>>>>> Vreme: 11/15/2011 03:25 AM, fred smith piše:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> note that the Desktop folder contains a subdirectory
>>>>>>>> named "radio stations", and that its representation on
>>>>>>>> the desktop looks correct. but when I click on it to
>>>>>>>> open up that folder, all its contents are also broken
>>>>>>>> in the same way.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Anybody got any clues?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> First remove all spaces from folder(s) and desktop
>>>>>>> files.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Next, there was some trick when you create your own
>>>>>>> desktop files, I was receiving similar warning, but I am
>>>>>>> not sure (at the moment) what was the solution. While you
>>>>>>> change names, I will later on look for a solution.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Tried removing spaces. makes no difference.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> did a reboot with forced fsck, on the off-chance that would
>>>>>> fix something. no such luck.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> created a whole new user, who CAN create working desktop
>>>>>> launchers. which tells me it's something in my own login
>>>>>> environment that's messing me up. Wonder what that might
>>>>>> be....
>>>>>
>>>>> Well, it's fixed. I know the solution, if not the cause: in
>>>>> my home directory, cd to .local/share/mime, delete (or
>>>>> rename) the "globs" file. log off, log on. voila.
>>>>>
>>>>> I note that the globs file in that location is not the same
>>>>> size as the one in /usr/share/mime globs, which is also no
>>>>> the same size as the one in /usr/local/share/mime/globs. I
>>>>> have no CLUE how it gets generated (unless
>>>>> update-mime-database does it, but I don't know when or by
>>>>> what agency it gets run.) but after rebooting it has not been
>>>>> regenerated, but at least my desktop launchers now work. I
>>>>> note that /usr/share/mime/globs contains:
>>>>>
>>>>> application/x-desktop:*.desktop
>>>>>
>>>>> and that the globs file I renamed in ~/.local/share/mime does
>>>>> not contain such a line. without doing further spelunking, I
>>>>> can only guess that it is the absence of that line that broke
>>>>> my desktop.
>>>>>
>>>>> Wonder how the file could have become broken/corrupted? is
>>>>> there a more correct method of "fixing" it?
>>>>
>>>> So, this afternoon a single update came down, a new selinux
>>>> policy file. after installing that update, the problem
>>>> (described above) recurred. So, it's some kind of
>>>> selinux(-related) issue.
>>>>
>>>> If any of you have any further thoughts on this I'd like to
>>>> hear them.
>>>>
>>>> thanks!
>>>>
>>>> Fred
>>>
>>>
>>> I would relabel your system
>>>
>>> touch /.autorelabel; reboot
>>>
>>> And I would bet that fixes your problem.
>>
>> I'm not sure that it did. I did what you suggest. rebooted then
>> reinserted the glob file (I'd saved it under a different name). it
>> immediately seemed to be still working, but the next day the
>> problem started occurring again, without having installed any other
>> updates.
>>
>> Fred
>
>
> Well you can check if SELinux is involved, by executing
>
> # ausearch -m avc -ts recent
>
> If this returns output it could still be SELinux.

Just cat /selinux/enforce - if that has a 1 in it, then selinux is enabled.