2

When I try to access System Settings, clicking on the icon doesn't do anything.

I try from the CLI but nothing either.

I get this error from the CLI:

GLib-GIO-Message: 21:57:12.783: Using the 'memory' GSettings backend.  
Your settings will not be saved or shared with other applications.
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/share/cinnamon/cinnamon-settings/cinnamon-settings.py", line 619, in <module>
window = MainWindow()
  File "/usr/share/cinnamon/cinnamon-settings/cinnamon-settings.py", line 247, in __init__
    for module in modules:
  File "/usr/share/cinnamon/cinnamon-settings/modules/cs_backgrounds.py", line 5, in <module>
    import imtools
  File "/usr/share/cinnamon/cinnamon-settings/bin/imtools.py", line 623, in <module>
    if Image.VERSION == '1.1.7':
AttributeError: module 'PIL.Image' has no attribute 'VERSION'

Has that already happened to you ? What did you do to fix it ?

Best,

4
  • What errors do you get in terminal? Please edit the question to add them.
    – user931000
    May 1, 2019 at 19:56
  • here you go, using the cinnamon-settings command
    – TLP
    May 1, 2019 at 19:59
  • 1
    It sounds like something got corrupted. If you set up Timeshift, you can try rolling things back to an earlier point. Otherwise, the most reliable fix might be to reinstall Mint.
    – fixer1234
    May 1, 2019 at 20:27
  • Yes, I agree @fixer1234 . All the mentions to the error in the last line I could find point to some outdated "pillow" or whatever.
    – user931000
    May 1, 2019 at 21:10

1 Answer 1

3

There is a problem with PIL, it should be fixed soon, but in the meantime, you can fix it according to this issue:

sudo vim /usr/share/cinnamon/cinnamon-settings/bin/imtools.py

Go to line 623, and change

if Image.VERSION == '1.1.7':

to

if getattr(Image, 'VERSION', None) == '1.1.7':

Than cinnamon-settings should start normally.

4
  • It really bothers me that all I have to do is update my software and a core function of the OS just disables completely. Don't they test?
    – Andrew
    Jun 7, 2019 at 21:09
  • Heyyyyy, it worked...
    – Andrew
    Jun 8, 2019 at 15:32
  • seriously, it worked. Jul 23, 2020 at 22:07
  • This problem appeared for me today (more than one year and half later). I tried to update all packages thinking that they finally fixed but that did not work. I finally resigned to manually fix it but I wonder how this could have happened...
    – Jean Paul
    Nov 9, 2020 at 14:12

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