Moving from Linux to Windows - little annoying issues

So far in the move from Windows to Ubuntu things are going okay, but there have been several small annoying issues.


Problem: An external hard drive used on the previous Windows PC, worked once or twice in Ubuntu and then failed to mount with the following error.
"Error mounting /dev/sdb1 at /media/user/disk name: wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/sdb1, missing codepage or helper program, or other error"

Solution: Open up the Disks app, select the device from the list of disks, click the cog icon, and then click Edit Mount Options from the pop-up menu. Then turn User Session Defaults to off and press OK.




Problem: An external hard drive used on the previous Windows PC, will not mount after having been incorrectly removed, and showing error "Failed to Mount... Error mounting system-managed device... Unknown error when mounting...".

Solution: Make note of the device shown in the error message, for example "sdb1" and open up a terminal and type the following (replace sdb1 with your device name/partition number) and then press enter. Enter your password if requested.
sudo ntfsfix /dev/sdb1
If this doesn't work you could also try running "Repair File System" from the "Disks" application (follow the instructions in the previous problem to find the app and access the device settings).


Problem: Folders in Home folder became locked as indicated by a red padlock symbol at the top right corner of each folder. This may have happened as a result of copying some folders from another storage device into the Home folder.

Solution: Right-click each folder and then click Properties. In the next window click Permissions at the bottom. In each section (Owner, Group and Others), if access has changed to Access Files, change it to Create and Delete Files. The change is immediate so you can close the window. This applies to the Documents, Photos, Music and Video folders. Desktop only has the Create and Delete Files access as Access Files by default for the first section, Owner.


Problem: Ubuntu does not allow selection of the monitor's native resolution of 1920x1080.

Solution: Currently unsolved. The PC will show 1920x1080 on other monitors but not one specific monitor. I have tried suggestions found online but none worked so far.


Problem: Skype has two icons on the dash. When first installed, the Skype icon on the dash was correct and worked normally. After a Skype update, a second but incorrect icon appeared for Skype. The original icon still opens Skype when clicked but does not indicate when Skype is open. The second cog-style icon now indicates when Skype is open.

Solution: Currently unsolved.