K-Win frequently crashes when the PC starts up

[greenster]

I ran the first piece of code, then restarted Kubuntu, and Kwin still isn’t crashing.

Here’s the code from the process monitor for crashed processes:


Process Monitor output.txt

[die.boer]

I ran the first piece of code, then restarted Kubuntu, and Kwin still isn’t crashing.

do you mean this code ? mv ~/.local/share/plasma/plasmoids ~/.local/share/plasma/plasmoids.backup

if so , I'd leave the system in its current state for a few days and see whether KWin remains stable. (reboot a couple of times) .If it does, we can then work on narrowing down which widget/s is responsible without having to guess.

[die.boer]

also , when you renamed the folder, did all of your custom desktop widgets disappear, or did most of them still remain?

[greenster]

This is the programme I was referring to:






There’s nothing I miss about Windows anymore, apart from the fact that you could create a system restore point there. The idea was that, if the system became corrupted, you could revert to a restore point from when the PC was still working properly. Is there something like that in Kubuntu as well?

[greenster]

Is it possible to carry out an ‘in-place upgrade’ in Kubuntu, as you can in Windows, to repair the system?

[die.boer]

if you open Crash Process Viewer (the program in the screenshot), and it shows one of the recent KWin crashes, let me know. A screenshot or the details from that report could help confirm exactly what caused the crash

System Restore equivalent: Not built into Kubuntu in the Windows sense.
If you're using Btrfs, you can use Snapper or Timeshift to create snapshots and roll the system back.
If you're using ext4, Timeshift can still create filesystem snapshots using rsync (not as fast as Btrfs snapshots, but still useful).
In-place repair install: Not really. Ubuntu/Kubuntu doesn't have a Windows-style "repair install." Usually you fix the broken package or configuration directly, or, in severe cases, reinstall while keeping /home intact.

I don't think you need to think about restoring or repairing the system yet.
is Kwin still stable after reboots ? (after you moved all the 3rd party widgets)

[greenster]

A few updates for Kubuntu 26.04 LTS were released today. Since installing these updates, I’ve already booted Kubuntu three times without Kwin crashing.

I’ll keep an eye on it and let you know if anything changes in this regard.

[oshunluvr]

Is it possible to carry out an ‘in-place upgrade’ in Kubuntu, as you can in Windows, to repair the system?

I have no idea what ‘in-place upgrade’ means.

IMO, the easiest way to prevent damage by a bad update is to use BTRFS snapshots. Simply snapshot your system root, run update, reboot and test.

Once you're satisfied with what you have, you can delete the snapshot. Or save it until you take another later on.

If you're NOT satisfied after the update, rename (or re-snapshot) your saved snapshot and boot to it. Then you're right back to where you started.

There's a tool called "snapper" than can do this for you from the GUI but I can't recommend it as I've never used it.

[claydoh]

There are a few Snapper GUI tools out there, btrfs-assistant is probably the best.

While not based on Snapper, I personally prefer using Timeshift's btrfs option for most common setups, with only one btrfs file system (for root and home subvolumes). It is much easier to set up and use, with better snapshot browsing, and is pretty much dead simple to use in the commandline if ever necessary. But it only supports @ and @home subvolumes on the main filesystem.

[greenster]

Kwin crashes again when Kubuntu restarts. Here is the latest error log from the process monitor:

Output.txt

[die.boer]

please post outputs of these 2 next:

ls -ld ~/.local/share/plasma/plasmoids*

kpackagetool6 --list --type KWin/Script

[greenster]

The problem was that I was using the X11 session. I’ve now switched to the Wayland session and the error no longer occurs. However, Xscreensaver no longer works properly in the Wayland session.

[die.boer]

well ok try it for a few days with wayland , if kwin never crashes , the problem is specific to kwin_x11.
If you prefer X11 (or need it), then we continue investigating why kwin_x11 is crashing specifically.

XScreenSaver was designed for X11. Under Wayland, it can't function the same way because Wayland deliberately prevents applications from taking over the screen or monitoring input in the way XScreenSaver expects.KDE's built-in screen locking (kscreenlocker) is the supported solution.

[greenster]

[QUOTEKDE's built-in screen locking (kscreenlocker) is the supported solution.[/QUOTE]


Good to know,

and how do I install kscreenlocker?

[die.boer]

it's already installed , to use it go to System Settings - Security & Privacy - Screen Locking
Enable Lock screen automatically and configure the timeout.
(it's not as flashy ,option wise ,as xscreensaver though...)
PS: if you plan to stay on wayland it will be a good idea to remove xscreensaver