Troubleshooting

Information

If your problem concerns an application, check for a Hints & Tips or Troubleshooting section for that application.

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Sooner or later you will find that something is not working properly, so here are some general hints on troubleshooting, after which there are some links to more specific problems.

General Troubleshooting techniques

There are a few basic steps that can help in troubleshooting problems with KDE software. You should try these steps before asking on #kde or the kde general mailing list, since you'll probably be told to try them anyway

• Try creating a new user and running your KDE software with that user. If the problem doesn't occur with the new user, there's probably a problem with a file in your .kde directory. You should then try:
  • Rename the file causing the problem. To find an appropriate file, look in ~/.kde/share/apps/application-name or in ~/.kde/share/config/application-namerc where application-name is the name of the application you are having problems with.
  • Log out, then log in afresh. New default files will replace your renamed ones.

• Clean out /tmp and /var/tmp. KDE stores some temporary files which can sometimes cause problems. You will need to be root to do this. You might also like to try removing the following files. Make sure you exit KDE first though! (The easiest safe way is to choose Failsafe at bootup.):
  • ~/.kde/tmp-hostname which is normally a symlink to the next file:
  • /tmp/tmp-kde-USER
  • ~/.kde/socket-hostname which is also normally a symlink to:
  • /tmp/ksocket-USER

• If you're running an old release from KDE, try updating to the latest version - many bugs are fixed with each new version, so your problem might already be fixed.

• Try searching the Bugzilla. Many common problems have been reported and discussed there.

• If your problem is more general than just one KDE application (e.g., "sound stops working when I start my KDE desktop"), try starting X with a different window manager. Even if you haven't installed another WM, 'twm' will be available, as it ships by default with X.
  • If you start X with the 'startx' command, just put the appropriate command in the file .xinitrc in your home directory. (If it doesn't exist, create it)
  • If you start your desktop from kdm, this will not work.

Some specific problems

	Sound Problems General sound issues, when sound isn't working, or isn't working properly
	Troubleshooting Peripherals Problems Connecting printers, scanners, etc.
	Graphics Card Performance Getting the best out of your NVidia, ATi, Intel graphics card
	Network Management Troubleshoot problems with networking, wireless networks, mobile broadband and VPN connection

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