How to Turn Background and Startup Services On and Off

JQAdams · 2026-05-19 01:08:24

Running Devuan Version 6 with KDE on an ASUS desktop computer.

In the System Settings of Ubuntu/KDE, there is a section enabling the user to choose which background services and applications automatically start during boot-up. This is missing in my Devuan/KDE installation. (I assume that it has something to do with not using Systemd.)

Do Devuan users rely on the Systemctl command to find out which services are running and to turn off undesired background services, or is there some other method that can be used?

I am asking because I ran into a minor glitch, and I found a work-around. However, the best solution, I believe, would be to restart one of the background services.

After adding and then removing one of the optional KDE Services from the Dolphin Context Menu, I lost the Dolphin Menubar, the Ctrl+M feature (which brings the Menubar back), and Settings > Show Menubar option in the Application Menu of the Dolphin Titlebar.

After doing some research online, I found that many Ubuntu/KDE users had experienced this, and they solved it in either of two ways:
(1) Turn off the Application Menu daemon, which is one of the Background Services. Then restart the computer. The service will start up again, and the problem should be cleared up.

(2) Under System Setting > Colors & Themes > Window Decorations, remove the Application Menu in the Titlebar. This menu seems to interact with the Menubar--- at least, it does when the Application Menu Daemon is malfunctioning (and needs to restart).

Getting rid of the System Menu in the Titlebar seems to have brought back the Dolphin Menubar. However, I am still curious about how to turn off and restart background services that have stopped working properly.

I have tried to use the Systemctl command--- just to see what software modules are loaded and running. Unfortunately, the command doesn't seem to be working as expected. It doesn't accept my command syntax. See the terminal dialog below:

[b]martin@homepc:~$ sudo systemctl --type=service --state=running
[sudo] password for martin: [/b]
/usr/bin/systemctl:1541: SyntaxWarning: invalid escape sequence '\w'
  expanded = re.sub("[$](\w+)", lambda m: get_env1(m), cmd.replace("\\\n",""))
/usr/bin/systemctl:1543: SyntaxWarning: invalid escape sequence '\w'
  new_text = re.sub("[$][{](\w+)[}]", lambda m: get_env2(m), expanded)
/usr/bin/systemctl:1628: SyntaxWarning: invalid escape sequence '\w'
  cmd3 = re.sub("[$](\w+)", lambda m: get_env1(m), cmd2)
/usr/bin/systemctl:1631: SyntaxWarning: invalid escape sequence '\w'
  newcmd += [ re.sub("[$][{](\w+)[}]", lambda m: get_env2(m), part) ]

0 loaded units listed.
To show all installed unit files use 'systemctl list-unit-files'.

[b]martin@homepc:~$ sudo systemctl list-unit-files[/b]
/usr/bin/systemctl:1541: SyntaxWarning: invalid escape sequence '\w'
  expanded = re.sub("[$](\w+)", lambda m: get_env1(m), cmd.replace("\\\n",""))
/usr/bin/systemctl:1543: SyntaxWarning: invalid escape sequence '\w'
  new_text = re.sub("[$][{](\w+)[}]", lambda m: get_env2(m), expanded)
/usr/bin/systemctl:1628: SyntaxWarning: invalid escape sequence '\w'
  cmd3 = re.sub("[$](\w+)", lambda m: get_env1(m), cmd2)
/usr/bin/systemctl:1631: SyntaxWarning: invalid escape sequence '\w'
  newcmd += [ re.sub("[$][{](\w+)[}]", lambda m: get_env2(m), part) ]
[b]
UNIT FILE       STATE[/b]
basic.target    static
default.target  enabled
graphical.target        disabled
local-fs.target static
multi-user.target       enabled
network.target  static
nfs-client.target       disabled
poweroff.target static
reboot.target   static
remote-fs.target        enabled
rescue.target   static
sysinit.target  static
timers.target   static
.depend.boot.service    disabled
.depend.start.service   disabled
.depend.stop.service    disabled
ModemManager.service    enabled
NetworkManager-dispatcher.service       static
NetworkManager-wait-online.service      enabled
NetworkManager.service  enabled
README.service  disabled
accounts-daemon.service enabled
alsa-restore.service    static
alsa-state.service      static
alsa-utils.service      masked
anacron.service enabled
anacron.timer   enabled
apparmor.service        enabled
apt-listchanges.service static
apt-listchanges.timer   enabled
avahi-daemon.service    enabled
avahi-daemon.socket     enabled
binfmt-support.service  enabled
bluetooth.service       enabled
bolt.service    static
bootlogd.service        masked
bootlogs.service        masked
bootmisc.service        masked
bootmisc.sh.service     disabled
brightness.service      masked
checkfs.service masked
checkfs.sh.service      disabled
checkroot-bootclean.service     masked
checkroot-bootclean.sh.service  disabled
checkroot.service       masked
checkroot.sh.service    disabled
clamav-freshclam-once.service   disabled
clamav-freshclam-once.timer     disabled
clamav-freshclam.service        disabled
configure-printer@.service      static
console-setup.service   enabled
console-setup.sh.service        disabled
cron.service    enabled
cups-browsed.service    enabled
cups.path       enabled
cups.service    disabled
cups.socket     enabled
dbus-fi.w1.wpa_supplicant1.service      disabled
dbus-org.bluez.service  disabled
dbus-org.freedesktop.Avahi.service      disabled
dbus-org.freedesktop.ModemManager1.service      disabled
dbus-org.freedesktop.nm-dispatcher.service      static
dbus.service    disabled
deepin-boot-maker.service       enabled
display-manager.service static
dpkg-db-backup.service  static
dpkg-db-backup.timer    enabled
drkonqi-coredump-processor@.service     enabled
e2scrub@.service        static
e2scrub_all.service     static
e2scrub_all.timer       enabled
e2scrub_fail@.service   static
e2scrub_reap.service    enabled
elogind.service disabled
eudev.service   disabled
exim4-base.service      static
exim4-base.timer        enabled
exim4.service   enabled
fprintd.service static
fwupd-refresh.service   static
fwupd-refresh.timer     enabled
fwupd.service   static
gdomap.service  disabled
geoclue.service static
grub-common.service     disabled
halt.service    masked
hostname.service        masked
hostname.sh.service     disabled
hwclock.service masked
hwclock.sh.service      disabled
ifup@.service   static
ifupdown-pre.service    static
ifupdown-wait-online.service    disabled
iio-sensor-proxy.service        static
ipp-usb.service static
keyboard-setup.service  enabled
keyboard-setup.sh.service       disabled
killprocs.service       masked
kmod.service    masked
lm-sensors.service      enabled
logrotate.service       static
logrotate.timer enabled
man-db.service  static
man-db.timer    enabled
mount-configfs.service  masked
mountall-bootclean.service      masked
mountall-bootclean.sh.service   disabled
mountall.service        masked
mountall.sh.service     disabled
mountdevsubfs.service   masked
mountdevsubfs.sh.service        disabled
mountkernfs.service     masked
mountkernfs.sh.service  disabled
mountnfs-bootclean.service      masked
mountnfs-bootclean.sh.service   disabled
mountnfs.service        masked
mountnfs.sh.service     disabled
network-manager.service disabled
networking.service      enabled
nftables.service        disabled
nm-priv-helper.service  static
openntpd.service        enabled
pam_namespace.service   static
polkit.service  static
power-profiles-daemon.service   enabled
ppp@.service    disabled
procps.service  disabled
rc.local.service        masked
rc.service      disabled
rcS.service     disabled
reboot.service  masked
rmnologin.service       masked
rsync.service   disabled
rsyslog.service enabled
rtkit-daemon.service    disabled
saned.service   masked
saned.socket    disabled
saned@.service  static
sddm.service    static
seatd.service   enabled
sendsigs.service        masked
single.service  masked
smartd.service  disabled
smartmontools.service   enabled
speech-dispatcher.service       disabled
speech-dispatcherd.service      disabled
stop-bootlogd-single.service    masked
stop-bootlogd.service   masked
sudo.service    masked
switcheroo-control.service      enabled
syslog.service  disabled
udev.service    masked
umountfs.service        masked
umountnfs.service       masked
umountnfs.sh.service    disabled
umountroot.service      masked
upower.service  disabled
urandom.service masked
usb_modeswitch@.service static
usbmuxd.service static
wacom-inputattach@.service      static
wpa_supplicant-nl80211@.service disabled
wpa_supplicant-wired@.service   disabled
wpa_supplicant.service  enabled
wpa_supplicant@.service disabled
wtmpdb-update-boot.service      enabled
x11-common.service      disabled

167 unit files listed.
martin@homepc:~$

I don't see the Application Menu daemon anywhere in this list.

Last edited by JQAdams (2026-05-19 01:29:40)

ralph.ronnquist · 2026-05-19 01:24:11

Please use code tags around code and other terminal output.

steve_v · 2026-05-19 03:38:36

This is missing in my Devuan/KDE installation. (I assume that it has something to do with not using Systemd.)

It does.

Do Devuan users rely on the Systemctl command to find out which services are running and to turn off undesired background services

No, that's a systemd tool for interacting with systemd. It won't work as expected on Devuan, because (assuming it exists at all) it's just a "shim" translating (a limited subset of) commands to sysvinit equivalents.
Since sysvinit has no notion of "user services" (which KDE uses to manage it's background components when systemd is present), only system services will show up and only root will be able to mess with them.

is there some other method that can be used

For system services:
man init
man service
man insserv
man update-rc.d

For user services:
There are no user services, it's up to you (or KDE's KDED) to manage user-context daemons and all that.

optional KDE Services

e.g.

Application Menu daemon

Are user services and have nothing to do with init or system service managers when not using systemd, they're managed by KDE itself via KDED.
I don't know what version of KDE/Plasma you're running, but if you can't find "Background Services" in KDE's "System Settings"... It's likely because the developers childishly hid it, on account of people disabling kscreen to work around an otherwise crippling bug (aka corrosive but all-too-common "users are idiots, hide all the sharp tools" mentality).
If that's the case, you should be able to launch it manually with kcmshell6 kcm_kded.

Last edited by steve_v (2026-05-19 03:54:10)

JQAdams · 2026-05-19 03:53:32

That kcmshell6 command is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Now, if the Dolphin menu system has any more problems, all I need to do (I think) is to turn off Startup Services > Application Menus Daemon and restart.

All I needed was a way to locate and control that setting, and now I have it.

Thanks.

steve_v · 2026-05-19 03:58:31

Removing the launcher for that module was an especially asinine move, in a growing list of asinine moves from KDE of late. The justification apparently being to "get people to report bugs instead of working around them, we'll tell them how to find it if they need it"...
I recommend making a .desktop file / application menu entry for it for the future.
Other "hidden" kde things that may be of interest:
kdebugsettings
kcmshell6 kcm_qtquicksettings
kcmshell6 --list in general
qdbus6 org.kde.KWin /KWin org.kde.KWin.showDebugConsole (kwin debug console)

Last edited by steve_v (2026-05-19 04:04:07)

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#1 2026-05-19 01:08:24

How to Turn Background and Startup Services On and Off

#2 2026-05-19 01:24:11

Re: How to Turn Background and Startup Services On and Off

#3 2026-05-19 03:38:36

Re: How to Turn Background and Startup Services On and Off

#4 2026-05-19 03:53:32

Re: How to Turn Background and Startup Services On and Off

#5 2026-05-19 03:58:31

Re: How to Turn Background and Startup Services On and Off

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