Cannot enter some folders

[wtb32141]

When I click on the Files item in Ubuntu’s Activities column, a column of items appears next to the Activities column. Those items include “Music”, “Pictures”, “Videos”, and “Downloads”. Each of those 4 items has a red x inside a square box just to the left of each of those quoted items. When I click on any of those 4 quoted items (say “Pictures”, for example), I get this message: “Sorry, could not display all of the contents of ‘Pictures’: Error opening directory ‘/home/myname/Pictures’:too many levels of symbolic links.” That note re “symbolic links” mystifies me because I have created no links at all. The “Pictures” and “Downloads” folders contain some very important files, but I cannot access them.

Have you any thoughts about the problem and its solution?


Addendum: I have used LibreOffice mainly to write books. I never have needed to create a link of any sort; so I am telling the truth when I say that I never have even tried to create a link. And I live alone; so no one but I ever uses my laptop! Maybe my computer has been hacked!

[claydoh]

the Files item in Ubuntu’s Activities column, a column of items appears next to the Activities column

A screenshot, maybe? I myself have no idea what this is.

Error opening directory ‘/home/myname/Pictures’:too many levels of symbolic links.”

This can sometimes be from a linked directory somehow looping back to itself somehow. How? I don't know.
Links are common, even if you didn't make them yourself.
Those items in the column you mention are links to actual directories, for example.
Those folders in Dolphin's left sidebar are links.

Maybe my computer has been hacked!

Highly and extremely unlikely

Something is amiss, but more info (screenshot?) will be helpful.

[wtb32141]

Claydoh, here is the screenshot you requested. It has 3 sections. Section 1 is the column with a black background. Section 2 is the column next to column 1. Section 3 is the rows and columns of files. This section 3 has 4 rows and 17 columns. Notice that in section 2, 4 items (Music, Pictures, Videos, and Downloads) have a red X next to them. Surely each red x is saying, "Something is wrong with this folder." When I click on any of those 4 folders, I get the same message. “If I click on the Downloads folder, I get this message, "Sorry, could not display all of the contents of ‘Downloads’: Error opening directory ‘/home/myname/Downloads’:too many levels of symbolic links.” So I cannot access any of those 4 folders. How do I eliminate "too many levels of symbolic links"?

[claydoh]

The image(s) is (are) missing
If uploading files is problematic, you can also use something like Imgur or other image posting sites, and just post the link here.
(You might be able to do this directly from the screenshot tool , using the "share" options - it will give you a link after it uploads it for you)


What tool or application do you mean when you mention "Ubuntu’s Activities column?"
Are you able to view your folders (“Music”, “Pictures”, “Videos”, and “Downloads”) using Dolphin?

[wtb32141]

You say, “The image(s) is (are) missing.”

I ask: What images(s) are missing? Image(s) of what?



You ask, ‘What tool or application do you mean when you mention "Ubuntu’s Activities column?" ‘

My answer: Ubuntu calls the column with the black background “Activities”.



You ask, ‘Are you able to view your folders (“Music”, “Pictures”, “Videos”, and “Downloads”) using Dolphin?’

My answer: No.

[claydoh]

You say, “The image(s) is (are) missing.”

I ask: What images(s) are missing? Image(s) of what?

there is no screenshot image in post #4

Ubuntu calls the column with the black background “Activities”.

column in what? an app, the desktop? (I myself an not overly familiar with Gnome)

You ask, ‘Are you able to view your folders (“Music”, “Pictures”, “Videos”, and “Downloads”) using Dolphin?’

My answer: No.

so....what happens, or what do you see?

I don't have an Ubuntu/Gnome system to check with atm, nor enough resources on my current setup to use a virtual machine, maybe someone who is using Ubuntu proper can chime in?

Is this Ubuntu system your usual computer? Is it a dual boot with Kubuntu, or did you add Ubuntu to your existing Kubuntu or what?

[claydoh]

show us the contents of the file ~/.config/user-dirs.dirs - that is a hidden file.
A quick way to see it:
hit alt-f2, and paste this into the "run" box to open it in a text editor:

kate ~/.config/user-dirs.dirs

If that doesn't work, replace kate with kwrite.
If THAT doesn't work (if you are using Ubuntu and don't have KDE apps installed), replace it with gedit

The file will show what folders are set to be used as your default locations for certain things (Downloads is usually /home/your-username/Downloads, but can be se to be someplace else) , and I wonder if the this has been gummed up by something.

This is what it should contain (unless you have changed things) - they may be in different order than what you have, and yours probably has different or missing content on the right side of the equals sign for each one:

XDG_DESKTOP_DIR="$HOME/Desktop"
XDG_DOWNLOAD_DIR="$HOME/Downloads"
XDG_TEMPLATES_DIR="$HOME/Templates"
XDG_PUBLICSHARE_DIR="$HOME/Public"
XDG_DOCUMENTS_DIR="$HOME/Documents"
XDG_MUSIC_DIR="$HOME/Music"
XDG_PICTURES_DIR="$HOME/Pictures"
XDG_VIDEOS_DIR="$HOME/Videos"​

[wtb32141]

My computer, which is running Ubuntu, is my usual computer. It’s not a dual-boot system. The images for the screenshots are not missing; they are in the Pictures folder, but I cannot access any of these 4 folders: Music, Pictures, Videos, and Downloads. For example, when I try to access the Pictures folder, I get this message: "Sorry, could not display all of the contents of ‘Pictures’: Error opening directory ‘/home/billbailey/Pictures’:too many levels of symbolic links.”

You ask, ‘Are you able to view your folders (“Music”, “Pictures”, “Videos”, and “Downloads”) using Dolphin?’ My answer was and is: No. You then ask, “so....what happens, or what do you see?” My answer: I just tried to open the Downloads folder, and Dolphin responded with this message: “Failed to open file:///home/billbailey/Downloads”.

The contents of the hidden file are:

# This file is written by xdg-user-dirs-update

# If you want to change or add directories, just edit the line you're

# interested in. All local changes will be retained on the next run.

# Format is XDG_xxx_DIR="$HOME/yyy", where yyy is a shell-escaped

# homedir-relative path, or XDG_xxx_DIR="/yyy", where /yyy is an

# absolute path. No other format is supported.

#

XDG_DESKTOP_DIR="$HOME/"

XDG_DOWNLOAD_DIR="$HOME/"

XDG_TEMPLATES_DIR="$HOME/"

XDG_PUBLICSHARE_DIR="$HOME/"

XDG_DOCUMENTS_DIR="$HOME/Documents"

XDG_MUSIC_DIR="$HOME/"

XDG_PICTURES_DIR="$HOME/"

XDG_VIDEOS_DIR="$HOME/"

[claydoh]

My computer, which is running Ubuntu, is my usual computer

So, you are not using Kubuntu?
Not a problem, but the desktop, applications, and settings locations , as well as basic usage are quite a bit different in Gnome than they are in Kubuntu's Plasma. It will take a small bit of extra effort to make sure we are all on the same page sometimes.

The images for the screenshots are not missing;

But you never shared any screenshots *here* of what you are seeing, so we can't see what you see. But, yes, of course, it is hard, if you can't get at them. Sorry.
They can be saved somewhere you *can* access, though, or accessed from the main file manager, but without using the shortcuts on the side panel

BUT that won't be necessary, to fix your issue, you just need to edit the file to have each line match the identical lines from my example;
So:
make XDG_DESKTOP_DIR="$HOME/" to be XDG_DESKTOP_DIR="$HOME/Desktop"
and so on. You probably need to log out to have these corrected settings take effect.

XDG_DESKTOP_DIR="$HOME/Desktop"
XDG_DOCUMENTS_DIR="$HOME/Documents"
XDG_DOWNLOAD_DIR="$HOME/Downloads"
XDG_MUSIC_DIR="$HOME/Music"
XDG_PICTURES_DIR="$HOME/Pictures"
XDG_PUBLICSHARE_DIR="/mnt/public"
XDG_TEMPLATES_DIR="$HOME"
XDG_VIDEOS_DIR="$HOME/Videos"

[wtb32141]

Claydoh, I need more help. That hidden file now seems to be empty. I say so because I have tried many times to get the file’s contents to appear in gedit, and nothing appears. As far as I can tell, that hidden file is now empty. I’m 83 years old, and it has been years since I fooled around with Linux’s file structure; so I have no idea where that hidden file may be. Your guidance would help me greatly right now.

[claydoh]

alt-f2 to open the "run" box
enter this to open the file in gedit (copy and paste) :

gedit ~/.config/user-dirs.dirs

If the file is empty, then copy the text I provided earlier into it:

XDG_DESKTOP_DIR="$HOME/Desktop"
XDG_DOCUMENTS_DIR="$HOME/Documents"
XDG_DOWNLOAD_DIR="$HOME/Downloads"
XDG_MUSIC_DIR="$HOME/Music"
XDG_PICTURES_DIR="$HOME/Pictures"
XDG_PUBLICSHARE_DIR="/mnt/public"
XDG_TEMPLATES_DIR="$HOME"
XDG_VIDEOS_DIR="$HOME/Videos"​

If there is text there, just make sure it matches what is above - edit each line as necessary, or delete it all and copy the above into it.

Save the file.

[wtb32141]

Claydoh, please excuse the delay in this message, but I fell from a ladder, and I hurt myself (fractured rib, torn skin from my left wrist and lower right leg). I followed your instructions, but it did not work. Upon saving Gedit’s contents (the 8 XDG statements), Gedit issues this message:

could not find the file "/home/billbailey/~/.config/user-dirs.dirs".

So I went into the hidden file myself, and I edited each of the 8 XDG lines of text. Then I saved the file. But those edits have not solved the problem. I still get the same error message when I try to open the Music, Pictures, Downloads, and Videos folders. That error message (assuming I’m trying to open the Downloads folder) is: “Sorry, could not display all of the contents of ‘Downloads’: Error opening directory ‘/home/billbailey/Downloads’:too many levels of symbolic links.” I'm open for suggestions.

[claydoh]

Oh my!
I hope you are healing well and not in too much pain!


We may need to see more details the "hard" way
Paste the contents of the edited user-dirs.dirs file, just so we can take a look to verify things.

next, open a terminal and use this command to list the contents of your $HOME, with some extra details:

$ ls -la ~

"~" is a shortcut that means "/home/your-username"


In KDE's Krunner, ~/.config/user-dirs.dirs is read as expected, but for you on Gnome, the similar "run" tool it has wants to tack on /home/your-username to the string