I am running with ubuntu 24.04 (wish there was a way to automatically post this with every post)
Anyway, my discs program will no longer start. My system also tells me that the discs program has a problem. I am tempted to delete and reinstall but want to make sure I should.
Thank you…
I’ll get you started, not a lot of info though from your Post.
Please show us the return from this in the terminal:
gnome-disks
This is gnome disks
Unless your speaking about: baobab AKA Disk Usage Analyzer
Is this it?
gnome-disks got me a blank screen…
That dose very little to help us…sigh!
Define Blank Screen! Copy the out put and show me…
Never Mind, I would just try to re-install it:
sudo apt install --reinstall gnome-disk-utility
Thank you for the reply. This time I did it and just left it while I was going to print it and send it to you - suddenly this popped up:
greg@greg-OptiPlex-790:~$ gnome-disks
(gnome-disks:38260): GNOME-Disks-ERROR **: 12:19:22.641: Error getting udisks client: Error calling StartServiceByName for org.freedesktop.UDisks2: Failed to activate service ‘org.freedesktop.UDisks2’: timed out (service_start_timeout=25000ms)
Trace/breakpoint trap (core dumped)
greg@greg-OptiPlex-790:~$
I should also add that its been working just fine until today.
Here is another thing I tried:
greg@greg-OptiPlex-790:~$ apt list --upgradable
Listing… Done
ubuntu-drivers-common/noble-updates 1:0.9.7.6ubuntu3.2 amd64 [upgradable from: 1:0.9.7.6ubuntu3.1]
N: There are 2 additional versions. Please use the ‘-a’ switch to see them.
greg@greg-OptiPlex-790:~$ -a
-a did nothing is there a secret here?
Failed to activate service" indicates that the GNOME Disks application is unable to communicate with the UDisks2 service, which is responsible for managing storage devices.
This issue can occur for various reasons, such as a timeout while trying to start the UDisks2 service or problems with the underlying system configuration.
Please check or show me this first:
systemctl status udisks2.service
And this too:
systemctl status polkit
I forgot this one too:
Please check or show me this first:
systemctl status udisks2.service
And this too:
systemctl status polkit
I forgot this one
systemctl status dbus
I tried the remove and re-install. It did stuff and quit and then I tried to run discs and, again, nuthin.
Then I did the two things and got:
polkit.service - Authorization Manager
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/polkit.service; static)
Active: active (running) since Sat 2025-06-14 08:44:13 PDT; 4h 12min ago
Docs: man:polkit(8)
Main PID: 914 (polkitd)
Tasks: 4 (limit: 11788)
Memory: 8.3M (peak: 9.3M)
CPU: 1.254s
CGroup: /system.slice/polkit.service
└─914 /usr/lib/polkit-1/polkitd --no-debug
Jun 14 08:44:12 greg-OptiPlex-790 polkitd[914]: Started polkitd version 124
Jun 14 08:44:12 greg-OptiPlex-790 polkitd[914]: Loading rules from directory /etc/polkit-1/rules.d
Jun 14 08:44:12 greg-OptiPlex-790 polkitd[914]: Loading rules from directory /usr/share/polkit-1/rules.d
Jun 14 08:44:13 greg-OptiPlex-790 polkitd[914]: Finished loading, compiling and executing 16 rules
Jun 14 08:44:13 greg-OptiPlex-790 polkitd[914]: Acquired the name org.freedesktop.PolicyKit1 on the system bus
Jun 14 08:44:12 greg-OptiPlex-790 systemd[1]: Starting polkit.service - Authorization Manager…
Jun 14 08:44:13 greg-OptiPlex-790 systemd[1]: Started polkit.service - Authorization Manager.
Jun 14 08:44:53 greg-OptiPlex-790 polkitd[914]: Registered Authentication Agent for unix-session:1 (system bus name :1.58 [/usr/bin/g>
Jun 14 09:35:18 greg-OptiPlex-790 polkitd[914]: Identity `unix-group:admin’ is not valid, ignoring: No UNIX group with name admin: No>
Jun 14 09:35:23 greg-OptiPlex-790 polkitd[914]: Operator of unix-session:1 successfully authenticated as unix-user:greg to gain ONE-S>
~
lines 1-21/21 (END)
greg@greg-OptiPlex-790:~$ systemctl status dbus
● dbus.service - D-Bus System Message Bus
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/dbus.service; static)
Active: active (running) since Sat 2025-06-14 08:44:12 PDT; 4h 15min ago
TriggeredBy: ● dbus.socket
Docs: man:dbus-daemon(1)
Main PID: 902 (dbus-daemon)
Tasks: 1 (limit: 11788)
Memory: 5.3M (peak: 8.6M)
CPU: 4.907s
CGroup: /system.slice/dbus.service
└─902 @dbus-daemon --system --address=systemd: --nofork --nopidfil>
Jun 14 12:44:17 greg-OptiPlex-790 dbus-daemon[902]: [system] Activating via sys>
Jun 14 12:44:17 greg-OptiPlex-790 dbus-daemon[902]: [system] Successfully activ>
Jun 14 12:53:50 greg-OptiPlex-790 dbus-daemon[902]: [system] Activating via sys>
Jun 14 12:53:50 greg-OptiPlex-790 dbus-daemon[902]: [system] Successfully activ>
Jun 14 12:53:55 greg-OptiPlex-790 dbus-daemon[902]: [system] Activating via sys>
Jun 14 12:54:20 greg-OptiPlex-790 dbus-daemon[902]: [system] Failed to activate>
Jun 14 12:54:21 greg-OptiPlex-790 dbus-daemon[902]: [system] Activating via sys>
Jun 14 12:54:46 greg-OptiPlex-790 dbus-daemon[902]: [system] Failed to activate>
Jun 14 12:56:19 greg-OptiPlex-790 dbus-daemon[902]: [system] Activating via sys>
Jun 14 12:56:19 greg-OptiPlex-790 dbus-daemon[902]: [system] Successfully activ>
lines 1-22/22 (END)
I will now try and remove discs and see what happens - Interesting times!
Thanks for the effort but some text was cut short, so do this for me please:
systemctl status dbus | grep Failed >dbus.txt
That will print it to a file in your home directory (Named dbus.txt), now copy all that and place all that
with the forum tool </> your text here</>
then paste the text file here, Hopefully it wont chop off anything I need to see
I tried to purge Discs - couldn’t find it
I tried to remove from snap - same
then I went to app center and tried to find it - nope
then I went to show aps and tried to open it and that did nothing but its still in apps
I tried to send the dbus.txt but told me that I could not upload it.
I think I can email it but really, below is everything that was in dbus.txt:
Jun 14 13:20:55 greg-OptiPlex-790 dbus-daemon[884]: [system] Failed to activate service ‘org.freedesktop.UDisks2’: timed out (service_start_timeout=25000ms)
Jun 14 13:21:28 greg-OptiPlex-790 dbus-daemon[884]: [system] Failed to activate service ‘org.freedesktop.UDisks2’: timed out (service_start_timeout=25000ms)
Jun 14 13:22:22 greg-OptiPlex-790 dbus-daemon[884]: [system] Failed to activate service ‘org.freedesktop.UDisks2’: timed out (service_start_timeout=25000ms)
This might end up going down a rabbit hole, but is there any thing jumping out in
journalctl | grep udisks
Something went sideways on your machine.
The tools I speak of are in picture below
I tried. I put the file in </> before I moved it. I also tried to move it from home to this place - nope. I failed both times. I also have not been able to get rid of Discs - system thinks its there, I think but maybe not. Again - interesting times…
All that being said I thought I also sent the results of system status dbus | grep Failed >dbus.txt . On my system its above this one (I have no idea why or how). That being said here they are again:
Jun 14 13:20:55 greg-OptiPlex-790 dbus-daemon[884]: [system] Failed to activate service ‘org.freedesktop.UDisks2’: timed out (service_start_timeout=25000ms)
Jun 14 13:21:28 greg-OptiPlex-790 dbus-daemon[884]: [system] Failed to activate service ‘org.freedesktop.UDisks2’: timed out (service_start_timeout=25000ms)
Jun 14 13:22:22 greg-OptiPlex-790 dbus-daemon[884]: [system] Failed to activate service ‘org.freedesktop.UDisks2’: timed out (service_start_timeout=25000ms)
I ran that one again. I went back to see what was happening. WOW! This time it has a LOT of stuff in it. I am going to try and send the file again .
This whole thing is very strange…
This is out of my wheel house now, but I would be curious what shows here:
busctl | grep udisk
:1.208 263080 gvfs-udisks2-vo me :1.208 user@1000.service - -
:1.9 2012 udisksd root :1.9 udisks2.service - -
org.freedesktop.UDisks2 2012 udisksd root :1.9 udisks2.service - -
┌───────────────────>
Try pasting it to https://pastebin.ubuntu.com/ and post the link back here to view
I couldn’t send the file but I posted all the stuff. Let me know if you have found it. Hopefully I did it right!!
I just took a look. It stopped at Jun 12 but what I have went to Jun 14 - what do you want me to do? (I AM trying (and, obviously, screwing up - sorry))
I just sent a second posting there with the stuff that was missing. Hope I did good and I think you now have it ALL!
I just went through the App Center. Discs is a Part of the Gnome thing and not separate from that so I am not even sure how to delete the damned thing.
I also wonder. I came across this in my adventure and wonder if I should do it if my machine is screwed:
You can install Ubuntu Cleaner - a software designed exactly for the job of cleaning up a system so it becomes more like a freshly installed one.
This can be achieved by following these simple steps in Terminal.
$ sudo apt install software-properties-common
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gerardpuig/ppa
$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install ubuntu-cleaner
Thoughts? Sorry (again) couldn’t hold back…
I know nothing about it sorry, but it dose look like it’s mantained for the most part.
I’ll have to rely on your thoughts if you go that route! 
Good Luck in any case.
Thanks for the reply! (I feared you gave up on me)
I assume that you got the two posts of the thing you wanted (there was a lot)
Be interested if it told you anything of interest.
I also found that discs is a “gnome-disk-utility” put in among a bunch of other gnome stuff. I have no idea how to get rid of that one without messing with the rest or whether is actually possible to get rid of all the gnome stuff.
Just saying… Thanks again!
I just don’t see any links posted?
See my link after hitting Submit. 
https://pastebin.ubuntu.com/p/mhm8Z8FRMn/
Your system might indeed be “screwed.”
You seem to encounter many unusual and subtle problems that others do not.
You are welcome to try Ubuntu Cleaner …or any other non-Ubuntu software… with the normal Open Source caveat that if you encounter problems with it, you are on your own. We do not provide support for Ubuntu Cleaner. Our only advice will be to reinstall Ubuntu.
For most users, the usual (and fully-supported) way to return to a freshly-installed system is to boot their installer and actually reinstall. You recall that an install doesn’t take long.
Reminder: A reinstall using default settings will destroy ALL data. If you value it, preserve it to some other storage media first.
I posted two things. They gave me a name, ie: drufus2002 and said that my posts were good for a year. I wonder if that screwed things. How does one look up these things? I also checked my passwords and found that I had signed up on it. It said that my last post was two years ago and my name was jwhitt12.
I still have the file with all the stuff in it if you can figure a way for me to get it to you I will!
I just went back to pastebin.com I was greeted and they wanted to know if I wanted to post another posting. What can I say? Seems I have screwed up. Give me a minute and I will close this I want to try something. I just went to pastebin with your: https://pastebin.ubuntu.com/p/mhm8Z8FRMn/%201help and was told it didn’t exist (but it did!)
I just went back into App Center and looked up Gnome packages. There are a pile of them but App Center has that screwed up so I can’t even get to Disks and have no idea how to get rid of it.
Again, if you are interested I have the file and I can email it anyplace.
I now have no clue as what to do next. Later…
Thoughts?
Please read @ian-weisser post, it’s the best we can offer you currently
