Bleachbit as root fails to launch

[SteveRiley]

The first output isn't significantly different than mine, except that I can tell you're using LightDM. I don't -- I installed KDM and removed LightDM. So one thing to investigate further is whether LightDM is creating the environment variable.

Attention, readers: how many of you here have this variable? Please check: run printenv | grep XAUTHORITY and report your findings.

Still, an error in the second one (I refreshed twice).

That's weird...works fine on my machine. The part inside the $() finds the PIDs of every program that sets the variable XAUTHORITY. I'm just sending it to ps so that we can see the actual programs. Let's just try the inside part. What do you see when you run that?

sudo grep -lsz '^XAUTHORITY=' /proc/*/environ | cut -d / -f 3

[Qqmike]

No SSD here. 2009 build, E8400, 320 GB Seagate HDD! But it got it OK, finally.

[Qqmike]

sudo grep -isR xauthority /etc /bin /sbin /lib /lib32 /lib64 /usr/bin /usr/sbin /usr/lib /usr/lib32 /usr/lib64 /opt

mike@mike-desktop14:~$ sudo grep -isR xauthority /etc /bin /sbin /lib /lib32 /lib64 /usr/bin /usr/sbin /usr/lib /usr/lib32 /usr/lib64 /opt
[sudo] password for mike: 
/etc/acpi/powerbtn.sh:                export XAUTHORITY=$userhome/.Xauthority
/etc/acpi/powerbtn.sh:                export XAUTHORITY=""
Binary file /etc/alternatives/kdesu matches
/etc/apparmor.d/abstractions/X:  # .Xauthority files required for X connections, per user
/etc/apparmor.d/abstractions/X:  owner @{HOME}/.Xauthority r,
/etc/apparmor.d/usr.lib.telepathy:    owner @{HOME}/.Xauthority r,
Binary file /bin/su matches
Binary file /lib/i386-linux-gnu/security/pam_xauth.so matches
/usr/bin/startx:    if [ x"$XAUTHORITY" = x ]; then
/usr/bin/startx:        XAUTHORITY=$HOME/.Xauthority
/usr/bin/startx:        export XAUTHORITY
Binary file /usr/bin/gpg-agent matches
Binary file /usr/bin/pkexec matches
Binary file /usr/bin/gpg2 matches
Binary file /usr/bin/symcryptrun matches
Binary file /usr/bin/kdeinit4 matches
Binary file /usr/bin/gnome-keyring-daemon matches
Binary file /usr/bin/gpgsm matches
Binary file /usr/bin/kdesudo matches
Binary file /usr/bin/gpg-connect-agent matches
Binary file /usr/sbin/lightdm matches
Binary file /usr/lib/gnupg2/gpg-protect-tool matches
Binary file /usr/lib/gnupg2/gpg-preset-passphrase matches
Binary file /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libXau.so.6 matches
Binary file /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libXp.so.6.2.0 matches
Binary file /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libbonobo-activation.so.4.0.0 matches
Binary file /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libbonobo-activation.so.4 matches
Binary file /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libXp.so.6 matches
Binary file /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libXau.so.6.0.0 matches
Binary file /usr/lib/sudo/sudoers.so matches
Binary file /usr/lib/kde4/libexec/kdesu matches
Binary file /usr/lib/kde4/libexec/kdesu_stub matches
Binary file /usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/DistUpgrade/__pycache__/DistUpgradeViewKDE.cpython-34.pyc matches
/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/DistUpgrade/DistUpgradeViewKDE.py:        #kdesu requires us to copy the xauthority file before it removes it when Adept is killed
/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/DistUpgrade/DistUpgradeViewKDE.py:        if 'XAUTHORITY' in os.environ and os.environ['XAUTHORITY'] != copyXauth:
/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/DistUpgrade/DistUpgradeViewKDE.py:            shutil.copy(os.environ['XAUTHORITY'], copyXauth)
/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/DistUpgrade/DistUpgradeViewKDE.py:            os.environ["XAUTHORITY"] = copyXauth
Binary file /usr/lib/ConsoleKit/ck-collect-session-info matches
Binary file /usr/lib/libreoffice/program/libswlo.so matches
Binary file /usr/lib/libreoffice/program/libswuilo.so matches
mike@mike-desktop14:~$

Still, an error in the second one (I refreshed twice).

mike@mike-desktop14:~$ ps $(sudo grep -lsz '^XAUTHORITY=' /proc/*/environ | cut -d / -f 3)
error: process ID list syntax error

Usage:
 ps [options]

 Try 'ps --help <simple|list|output|threads|misc|all>'
  or 'ps --help <s|l|o|t|m|a>'
 for additional help text.

For more details see ps(1).

[SteveRiley]

Yep, searching through a lot of files. Is your machine SSD? If not, prepare to wait!

[Qqmike]

OK. The first is running now--taking awhile.

[SteveRiley]

There was a typo in the second command. Please refresh the screen to get the latest.

[SteveRiley]

Sorry... run them and post the outputs here.

[Qqmike]

What do I do with those two commands?

[Qqmike]

One more data point first:
I unchecked BOTH temporary files in KDE and in System. That fixed this issue, of course (or so we would hope, based on what we knwo so far).
Now I'll look at you recent post.

[SteveRiley]

Hm. Maybe Bleachbit isn't following its own settings?

Anyway...trying to suss out what's setting XUAHTORITY could take a while. Here are couple things to try. If these don't reveal anything obvious, we can return later.

sudo grep -isR xauthority /etc /bin /sbin /lib /lib32 /lib64 /usr/bin /usr/sbin /usr/lib /usr/lib32 /usr/lib64 /opt

ps $(sudo grep -lsz '^XAUTHORITY=' /proc/[0-9]*/environ | cut -d / -f 3)

[Qqmike]

I'm not sure we can say further without knowing how Bleachbit works?
Under KDE, there is temporary files. It is checked (=> clean it)
Under System, there is temporary files. It is checked (=> clean it)
I tried unchecking (=> do NOT clean) each of these, one by one. But that didn't "fix" this issue: I still could not run as admin afterwards (and I was re-booting each time etc.).

Thinking out loud here ... Maybe mañana ... let it go tonight?

[Qqmike]

And, btw, again, this was not an issue in 12.04; only now in my 14.04. And, fwiw, whatthefunk said he has the same issue in 14.04.

[SteveRiley]

We're getting close!

You have the environment variable XAUTHORITY being set, and it contains /tmp/kde-mike/xauth-1000-_0. Even though you also have the file ~/.Xauthority, the presence of the environment variable and thus the XAuth file it points to overrides the XAuth file in your home directory. After the Bleachbit run, your XAuth file in /tmp is gone. But the variable still exists, so the system attempts to use that XAuth file rather than the one in your home directory. Since it doesn't exist, goofiness happens.

Now...what on your system is triggering the creation of that variable? I don't have it on mine. Must think...

[Qqmike]

XAUTHORITY=/tmp/kde-mike/xauth-1000-_0

Then it's gone after running Bleachbit -- as you said.

[Qqmike]

1. Reboot again.
Ctrl-Alt-Del

2. Show the output of ...

mike@mike-desktop14:~$ xauth info
Authority file:       /tmp/kde-mike/xauth-1000-_0
File new:             no
File locked:          no
Number of entries:    1
Changes honored:      yes
Changes made:         no
Current input:        (argv):1
mike@mike-desktop14:~$ printenv | grep HOME
HOME=/home/mike
PROFILEHOME=
mike@mike-desktop14:~$ printenv | grep X
XDG_VTNR=7
XDG_SESSION_ID=c8
XDG_GREETER_DATA_DIR=/var/lib/lightdm-data/mike
SELINUX_INIT=YES
XDG_SESSION_PATH=/org/freedesktop/DisplayManager/Session3
XDG_SEAT_PATH=/org/freedesktop/DisplayManager/Seat0
SSH_AUTH_SOCK=/tmp/ssh-pxr3mgXKL2e6/agent.20323
XDG_CONFIG_DIRS=/etc/xdg/xdg-kde-plasma:/usr/share/upstart/xdg:/etc/xdg
XDG_SEAT=seat0
XCURSOR_THEME=oxy-white
XDG_DATA_DIRS=/usr/share:/usr/share/kde-plasma:/usr/local/share/:/usr/share/
TEXTDOMAIN=im-config
XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000
XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=KDE
TEXTDOMAINDIR=/usr/share/locale/
XAUTHORITY=/tmp/kde-mike/xauth-1000-_0
mike@mike-desktop14:~$ ls -al ~/.X*
-rw------- 1 mike mike 59 Oct 10 21:40 /home/mike/.Xauthority
mike@mike-desktop14:~$ ls -al /tmp/kde-mike
total 12
drwx------  2 mike mike 4096 Oct 10 21:42 .
drwxrwxrwt 23 root root 4096 Oct 10 21:41 ..
-rw-rw-r--  1 mike mike   59 Oct 10 21:40 xauth-1000-_0
mike@mike-desktop14:~$

3. Do a normal user Bleachbit run (to recreate the broken condition).
--OK.

4. Repeat all the commands in #2.

mike@mike-desktop14:~$ xauth info
xauth:  file /tmp/kde-mike/xauth-1000-_0 does not exist
Authority file:       /tmp/kde-mike/xauth-1000-_0
File new:             yes
File locked:          no
Number of entries:    0
Changes honored:      yes
Changes made:         no
Current input:        (argv):1
mike@mike-desktop14:~$ printenv | grep HOME
HOME=/home/mike
PROFILEHOME=
mike@mike-desktop14:~$ printenv | grep X
XDG_VTNR=7
XDG_SESSION_ID=c8
XDG_GREETER_DATA_DIR=/var/lib/lightdm-data/mike
SELINUX_INIT=YES
XDG_SESSION_PATH=/org/freedesktop/DisplayManager/Session3
XDG_SEAT_PATH=/org/freedesktop/DisplayManager/Seat0
SSH_AUTH_SOCK=/tmp/ssh-pxr3mgXKL2e6/agent.20323
XDG_CONFIG_DIRS=/etc/xdg/xdg-kde-plasma:/usr/share/upstart/xdg:/etc/xdg
XDG_SEAT=seat0
XCURSOR_THEME=oxy-white
XDG_DATA_DIRS=/usr/share:/usr/share/kde-plasma:/usr/local/share/:/usr/share/
TEXTDOMAIN=im-config
XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000
XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=KDE
TEXTDOMAINDIR=/usr/share/locale/
XAUTHORITY=/tmp/kde-mike/xauth-1000-_0
mike@mike-desktop14:~$ ls -al ~/.X*
-rw------- 1 mike mike 59 Oct 10 21:40 /home/mike/.Xauthority
mike@mike-desktop14:~$ ls -al /tmp/kde-mike
total 8
drwx------  2 mike mike 4096 Oct 10 21:51 .
drwxrwxrwt 23 root root 4096 Oct 10 21:41 ..
mike@mike-desktop14:~$