KDE-Forum.org

I put this tip in our newsletter but since our newsletter does not get indexed and can not be searched by Google or other search sites I am also posting it here. I thought the technique and error message problem that it solved was important enough to make public.
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Preventing the error message "KDEInit could not launch kdesu"

This error appears when you create a duplicate desktop icon for an application so it will run as root in KDE. Sometimes you have a configuration file or some other file that requires root access to edit or run. It is a pain to log in and out as root and dangerous too. This method only requires you to give the root password after you click on the icon. I am going to use the Kate editor in this example but most KDE applications should work equally as well.

Click on the icon in the menu bar that brings up the menu of available programs (usually the one on the far left). Go to » Utilities » Editor » Advanced Text Editor (Kate) and drag it to the desktop "twice" (assuming one is not already there). The second time you drag it to the desktop, it will say a copy exist and ask if you want to rename it. I usually click on "Suggest New Name" and click OK, but you can rename it to whatever you want.

After both of the Kate icons are on the desktop, pick one of them and right click while the cursor is over that icon and then click on "Properties". Change the name to something else (I used KATE) and then click on the icon to the left and choose a new icon image so both versions won't have the same icon on the desktop.

Then select the "Application" tab, and then the "Advanced Options" button at the bottom. Check "Run as a different user" (you can put root in the text box but it still uses root if you leave it blank) in the Startup box make sure the "DCOP registration:" drop down menu says "None". Click the OK button until you are out of the "Preferences" window.

This should work with all KDE application icons that you want to run as root and should prevent the "KDEInit could not launch kdesu" error message from appearing after you try to run it. Sometimes, with some versions of KDE and different KDE applications, that error message will only appear when you close the application -- but while the Application is running, clicking on other programs in the menu bar does not work and the error message only appears when you close the Application.

You now have two versions of Kate icons on the desktop and clicking on the one for root access will allow you to open "any" file on the computer and edit it -- Be Careful....