Maybe there’s two polkits that are running at the same time? Xfce and gnome polkits. I don’t know if it’s possible but with window managers like sway/Hyprland it’s something you need to put in your config file. I’ve used gnome-polkit and kde-polkit but not at the same time because they conflict. Maybe it’s same with your xfce/gnome?
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Had to lookup what a polkit is. Well I don’t know how to check if they’re running at the same time or if for Thunar too one has to change the config file.
Could uninstalling and reinstalling GNOME DE fix it? And why did so many GNOME DE variations install? (GNOME, GNOME Classic, GNOME on Wayland, GNOME on Xorg etc. etc.)
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If you try to open let’s say gparted do you need to enter your password? That’s what polkit is doing. It’s like the same if you open a terminal and “sudo gparted” and then you need your password.
Don’t uninstall anything yet.
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Use ps ax | grep polkit
to see if 2 daemons are running
I think @ihasama is right… two DE’s installed together can conflict… I once had problems with Xfce mixed with KDE.
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The output of that command is this:
$ ps ax | grep polkit
955 ? Ssl 0:00 /usr/lib/polkit-1/polkitd --no-debug
3836 pts/0 S+ 0:00 grep polkit
…and I don’t know what it means.
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ps ax
shows all processes running and with
| grep polkit
it only shows “polkit” related things of the first command.
You only have one polkit which is good. So my theory wasn’t right.
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Maybe there is some interference in the polkit configuration between the two DE’s ?
I dont know how to test that idea?
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My next step would be to try GNOME on X, not with Wayland. If the polkit works with Xfce on X GNOME should also
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Seems strange to see that syntax - I’m so used to "ps -ef | grep ___ " on Solaris and Linux - sometimes stumps me when I try that on e.g. BSD (FreeBSD / TrueNAS)… and have to remember “ps ax | grep ___”… I seem to remember SunOS 1.x (i.e. BSD) before Solaris and DG-UX also used “ps ax” syntax…
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I never realised there was something more modern
Always use ps ax
Tar is like it too … options without a minus sign
Its called backwards compatability I think?
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I always use tar without the dash - and I ALWAYS run it first with the “t” switch BEFORE a second run with the “x” switch so I can know what’s going to get extracted and where - too many times I’ve accidentally untar’d an archive in “/” by accident 
… But so used to “ps -ef” I always use the dash…
Muscle memory…
The man page for tar has separate sections at the top for UNIX-style and GNU-style :
TAR(1) GNU TAR Manual TAR(1)
NAME
tar - an archiving utility
SYNOPSIS
Traditional usage
tar {A|c|d|r|t|u|x}[GnSkUWOmpsMBiajJzZhPlRvwo] [ARG...]
UNIX-style usage
tar -A [OPTIONS] ARCHIVE ARCHIVE
tar -c [-f ARCHIVE] [OPTIONS] [FILE...]
tar -d [-f ARCHIVE] [OPTIONS] [FILE...]
tar -t [-f ARCHIVE] [OPTIONS] [MEMBER...]
tar -r [-f ARCHIVE] [OPTIONS] [FILE...]
tar -u [-f ARCHIVE] [OPTIONS] [FILE...]
tar -x [-f ARCHIVE] [OPTIONS] [MEMBER...]
GNU-style usage
tar {--catenate|--concatenate} [OPTIONS] ARCHIVE ARCHIVE
tar --create [--file ARCHIVE] [OPTIONS] [FILE...]
tar {--diff|--compare} [--file ARCHIVE] [OPTIONS] [FILE...]
tar --delete [--file ARCHIVE] [OPTIONS] [MEMBER...]
tar --append [-f ARCHIVE] [OPTIONS] [FILE...]
tar --list [-f ARCHIVE] [OPTIONS] [MEMBER...]
tar --test-label [--file ARCHIVE] [OPTIONS] [LABEL...]
tar --update [--file ARCHIVE] [OPTIONS] [FILE...]
tar --update [-f ARCHIVE] [OPTIONS] [FILE...]
tar {--extract|--get} [-f ARCHIVE] [OPTIONS] [MEMBER...]
I kinda like that - it shows neither method is wrong (even though it defaults to showing a “dash”)… There’s NO WAY I’d use those convoluted GNU style arguments : tar --create archive.tar - way too much typing!
I use the “traditional” - i.e. no dashes… e.g. tar tvf archive.tar, or to create tar tar czvpf archive.tar.gz (I’ve discovered the “tar” in busybox [or some versions thereof - there are differences across Debian and RPM distros) is fussy about where you put the “p” for permissions - I used to “default” to “czvfp” - but that’s wrong in some implementations - the “f” must always go last - so I do this everywhere else…
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Want a history trip. Try Chimera Linux with all BSD core utilities. I actually felt at home there. Maybe I will go back to BSD… I have been itching to try Netbsd… this may be an excuse.
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@nevj @ihasama So…what do I do gentlemen? Run the same command while logged into GNOME on X, and see the output? Right…?
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When on GNOME with X can you access/open your drive? We like to know if its Wayland issue or gnome
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Can’t access the drive on GNOME, GNOME on Wayland and GNOME on Xorg. Neither opens it.
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Ok. So gnome is the one to blaim. Keyring issue? Can you mount/open it from terminal? I’m not familiar with encrypted partitions but maybe someone can give you the cli commands to try.
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Have you done this?
“To decrypt a partition in GNOME, you can use the GNOME Disks utility, navigate to the desired partition, and select the “Unlock” or “Decrypt” option, then enter the necessary password or key”
I agree with @ihasama , it is most likely a Gnome problem
So, are you using Gnome properly? It may be a learning issue.
" Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
- Locate GNOME Disks:
Open the GNOME Disks utility (often found in the Applications menu).
- Select the Partition:
Identify the encrypted partition you want to decrypt within the Disks utility.
- Unlock/Decrypt:
Look for an “Unlock” or “Decrypt” option, usually found in the toolbar or a right-click menu.
- Enter Password/Key:
You’ll be prompted to enter the password or key used to encrypt the partition.
- Mount the Partition:
Once decrypted, the partition should be automatically mounted and accessible in the file system."
Maybe you know all of that, but we have to check?
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Many thanks for the solution Neville.
So I tried to look up te disks utility. It didn’t exist by default (there was Disk Manager, Disk Usage Analyzer, Gsmartcontrol and gparted). I did a quick online search. Disk Utility is now simply known as “Disks”. Installed it. Then did what you’ve listed. And after entering the bitlocker password, I can now access the disk.
And no, I didn’t already know this.
To test more, I restarted the system, logged in to GNOME and tried to access the same disk. Now, just like in Xfce, it asks for encryption password, followed by admin/root password and I can access the drive.
So the solution was to have “Disks” app/program (which by default was not part of the GNOME DE).
Many thanks again. There is the other problem of not being able to lock the system (Windows + L), though I can live with that. No risk/danger at my place.
GNOME has the lovely nightlight feature (which is easier to use/configure compared to Xfce’s redshift), hence my insistence. KDE has it too, but it feels heavier/slower compared to GNOME.
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Neither did I… I cheated and looked it up.
Hi Rohit,
That surprises me. Gnome disks is widely used app… even some
non-gnome distros have it.
GNOME has the lovely nightlight feature
(which is easier to use/configure compared
to Xfce’s redshift),
I use redshift, because I work a lot at night.
OK lets celebrate
Neville
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May be only installing the DE wont give you that; or perhaps some conflict with Xfce. The last time I installed 3 DEs, I had to eventually clean install the OS 
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