Log In Problem

English Install/Boot/Login
1

I’ve looked through the forums and haven’t seen a problem mentioned like I’m having so if this post is repetitive I apologize.

I’m a Linux Noob, first of all. I’m trying to learn, but I guess I’m just old and slow. I have a little experience with PCLinuxOS and Mepis, but that’s just a little.

I’m dual booting openSUSE with Windows Vista. I got it installed fine and have had no issues for about a week now. Not sure how I did it, but it was auto logging the user account I made during the install. Early this morning, YaST I believe the program is called, told me there were a bunch of security updates available so I said OK and allowed the install process, that went fine with no issue’s that I noticed, after the install was done, I rebooted.

I get to the log in screen, which is the first time I’ve seen it as I mentioned it was auto logging me in, I click on my user account, enter the password, the screen kinda blinks, that’s the best way I can describe it, and comes right back to the log in screen. If I enter the wrong password I get an error message telling me it was an invalid log in, I enter the correct password and the screen blinks again and right back to the log in screen I go.

Any ideas?

If it helps, I can log in as root. I’ve tried doing that and, sorry for the nontechnical jargon here but, going into the program that lets you edit user and groups and such. I tried changing my user account password, logged out then tried again, but the same thing happens.

I’ll check back often to see if anyone has any idea’s. Thanks!

Ghost

2

I’ve looked through the forums and haven’t seen a problem mentioned like I’m having so if this post is repetitive I apologize.

I’m a Linux Noob, first of all. I’m trying to learn, but I guess I’m just old and slow. I have a little experience with PCLinuxOS and Mepis, but that’s just a little.

I’m dual booting openSUSE with Windows Vista. I got it installed fine and have had no issues for about a week now. Not sure how I did it, but it was auto logging the user account I made during the install. Early this morning, YaST I believe the program is called, told me there were a bunch of security updates available so I said OK and allowed the install process, that went fine with no issue’s that I noticed, after the install was done, I rebooted.

I get to the log in screen, which is the first time I’ve seen it as I mentioned it was auto logging me in, I click on my user account, enter the password, the screen kinda blinks, that’s the best way I can describe it, and comes right back to the log in screen. If I enter the wrong password I get an error message telling me it was an invalid log in, I enter the correct password and the screen blinks again and right back to the log in screen I go.

Any ideas?

If it helps, I can log in as root. I’ve tried doing that and, sorry for the nontechnical jargon here but, going into the program that lets you edit user and groups and such. I tried changing my user account password, logged out then tried again, but the same thing happens.

I’ll check back often to see if anyone has any idea’s. Thanks!

Ghost
If you can login as root, then I would do that, go to YaST / Security and Users / User and Group Management and Delete your old self and/or create a new user name and login. There is more to the problem that just the password. If a new user has the same problem, then the desktop you are loading only works as root. If you create a new user, login as this new user and all works OK, then something in your old user setup is corrupted somehow. If you can not create a new user and log into that account as this new user and you can not get your Desktop to work, then it might be time to select a different desktop session during login and try to repair that desktop. Did you mention which desktop that you are using? For instance, I use KDE, which is the default at present.

Thank You,

3

jdmcdaniel3 wrote:
> If you can login as root, then I would do that,

i would not.
i would never log into kde/gnome/etc as root…

he can do all you ask him to without loging-in into a GUI desktop as
root…

just type a 3 when the first green screen comes up, which will take
the system to runlevel three, where THEN sign in as root, open the
non-gui Yast just by typing


yast

then, follow your instructions…

ymmv

–
DenverD
CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD [posted via NNTP w/openSUSE 10.3]

4

i would not.
i would never log into kde/gnome/etc as root…

he can do all you ask him to without loging-in into a GUI desktop as
root…

just type a 3 when the first green screen comes up, which will take
the system to runlevel three, where THEN sign in as root, open the
non-gui Yast just by typing

 Code:
 yast

then, follow your instructions…

ymmv
DenverD, I just knew you would pipe in here. In this one area I must disagree that logging in as root long enough to create a new user is a really big problem. However, I have no issue with your talking them through a different method. Since they already figured out how to log in as root, any issues this would cause has already occurred. The fact of the matter is, most such tasks must be done as a root user, you must get to that level some how or another. I for one never log in as root to start with, but I surely must run YaST as root. If you don’t have the GUI as a normal user, whats the difference in logging as root to doing a su- at the terminal prompt as a normal user? Again, each to their own, and you surely may use the advice that you deem most appropriate, which is only right and I do wish you the best of luck with it.

Thank You,

5

On 2010-11-23 23:36, SilverGhost511 wrote:
> Any ideas?
>
> If it helps, I can log in as root.

Full disk.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.2 x86_64 “Emerald” at Telcontar)

6

On 2010-11-23 23:36, SilverGhost511 wrote:
> Any ideas?
>
> If it helps, I can log in as root.

Full disk.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.2 x86_64 “Emerald” at Telcontar)
You know Carlos, I think you came up with the best possibility I have heard so far. No way to know at the moment, but running out of disk space, with the reserved space for root would explain being able to log in as root. Now, if you can only log in as root, how would you delete the extraneous stuff the user needs to get rid of as a standard user? Anyway Carlos, that is a good call on running out of disk space.

Thank You,

7

On 2010-11-24 03:06, jdmcdaniel3 wrote:

> You know Carlos, I think you came up with the best possibility I have
> heard so far.

Xtal ball >:-p

> No way to know at the moment, but running out of disk
> space, with the reserved space for root would explain being able to log
> in as root. Now, if you can only log in as root, how would you delete
> the extraneous stuff the user needs to get rid of as a standard user?

I guess that you can still log in as user in text mode.

But I would probably work as root, and check if it is true that the disk is
full, and then find out where, and then why. My pet tool for all that is
Midnight Commander (mc), because one of the tools is “show directory size”.
Find which directory is much bigger than expected, get in that one, find
what subdirectory is too big, etc.

If the directory that is too big is the user home, then I’d switch to that
user login (text mode all the time).

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.2 x86_64 “Emerald” at Telcontar)

8

perhaps i misunderstood what the OP said: i understood that he got to
the green log in screen and tried to log into KDE/Gnome/etc as
himself, and could not…but when he tries at that screen to log in as
root he is successful…

and you wrote that “If you can login as root, then I would do that”
but now you say “I for one never log in as root to start with” but you
just said you would do that and advised him to…

which practice is it that you do, and tell others they can too?

well, you go on to say “…but I surely must run YaST as root.” and, i
agree which is why it asks for the root pass when launched by a normal
user in KDE/etc…but, the entire KDE environment does not shift to
root…

–
DenverD
CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD [posted via NNTP w/openSUSE 10.3]

9

I’ll try to answer back with info as I read through these answers. And thanks bunches by the way!

First of all the disk space issue…I have about 1.5 TB, Yes Terabytes, of FREE space so when I did the original install of the Linux partition I gave it lots of room.

When i first started using computers I got a fairly good handle on DOS command line. For some reason I have not been able to come to terms with Linux command line and that’s has been one of the big reasons for not dumping Windows all together. So entering into a Linux command line environment makes me rather uncomfortable. Mr Gates must have altered my mind when I was learning DOS, I don’t know, I just have not been able to make that change.

Why is logging in as root a bad idea? Just asking because I really don’t know. The machine I’m working with, while it is my “production” machine, if I end up hosing it it’s no big deal, I end up ghosting over the C: drive 2 or 3 times a year anyway.

For now, I’ll give jdmcdaniel3’s idea a shot and check back to see if DenverD wants to hand hold me through doing it command line. I’m not apposed to command line, I just haven’t managed to learn it.

Oh and the Desktop is KDE. I like KDE, probably because it’s the most like Windows. But I also like, oh what is it…LXCE…LXFE…Old and slow and my memory is shot as well, LOL! The Enlightenment desktop is real pretty as well, but it’s kinda resource intensive from my point of view, but I use KDE most often. Gnome makes me feel lonely so I stay away from it, LOL.

Ghost

10

On 2010-11-24 21:06, SilverGhost511 wrote:
>
> I’ll try to answer back with info as I read through these answers. And
> thanks bunches by the way!
>
> First of all the disk space issue…I have about 1.5 TB, Yes Terabytes,
> of FREE space so when I did the original install of the Linux partition
> I gave it lots of room.

The question is whether there is free space now in the linux
partition(s), because that is one cause of your symptoms I have seen in the
past. Check it, please.

Command line:

df -h

> When i first started using computers I got a fairly good handle on DOS
> command line. For some reason I have not been able to come to terms
> with Linux command line and that’s has been one of the big reasons for
> not dumping Windows all together. So entering into a Linux command line
> environment makes me rather uncomfortable. Mr Gates must have altered
> my mind when I was learning DOS, I don’t know, I just have not been able
> to make that change.

I also had a good grip on MsDos command line, and I like the Linux command
line so much because it has all that the Dos command line could have and
never did.

It is wonderful!

It is not that different from the MsDos command line, it is very similar.
There are some differences, of course. The easiest to spot is the character
that separates directory names is the wrong one! :-p

The other important difference, this time hidden, is that when you write:

command *

in MsDos “command” gets an asterisk, but in Linux it gets the entire list
of files in the current directory: the asterisk is expanded before calling
“command”.

> Why is logging in as root a bad idea? Just asking because I really
> don’t know.

When you log into something as complex as kde or gnome as root, many things
happen. You can do many things. For example, you might be tempted to do
something to your user’s home, an action that will change permissions so
that when you log in as user things do not work.

You might be tempted to browse internet, while you are root; now, if there
is a hole, your entire system can be hosed.

It is safer to log in text mode, but in graphical mode things could go wrong.

> The machine I’m working with, while it is my “production”
> machine, if I end up hosing it it’s no big deal, I end up ghosting over
> the C: drive 2 or 3 times a year anyway.

Notice that the danger is not only of losing data or having to reinstall
it, but that of having a zombi. Ie, that your machine could be used to
atack others. Linux is very powerful.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.2 x86_64 “Emerald” at Telcontar)

11

The question is whether there is free space now in the linux
partition(s), because that is one cause of your symptoms I have seen in the
past. Check it, please.

Thank you so much sir, this as it turns out was the problem. I have corrected it, probably the hard way, and here I am. It’s funny, and I am constantly amazed, I get used to looking at things a certain way and when I actually stop and open y eyes and really look at something… Well if I had done that I most likely would not have had to ask in the first place. I’m really not as dumb as I seem to be sometimes, LOL!

The logging in as root. Gotcha, makes sense. I also understand what your saying about DOS and Linux command line and it’s something I’ve looked at for a very long time now. In this regard I’m beginning to feel like I am as dumb as I appear, but I’m not giving up on it. I really do hope to be able to one day soon, dump Windows completely and replace it with Linux. The more I look, the more I’m beginning to like SUSE, and I actually have the install disks laying around here from what ever the version was that was out around the time Windows 95 was released, the first time, but I’m still partial to PCLinuxOS actually, it’s just not supporting all my hardware yet, or I’m just not in the know enough to be able to configure my hardware yet.

Anyway, Thank You again to you and everyone for the help. It is very much appreciated. While I’m asking, any good reading or resources for a noob to check out?

Ghost

12

SilverGhost511 wrote:
> released, the first time, but I’m still partial to PCLinuxOS actually,
> it’s just not supporting all my hardware yet, or I’m just not in the
> know enough to be able to configure my hardware yet.

my motto: use what works (for you)…might be openSUSE today, and
PCLinux tomorrow…no harm, no foul…

> While I’m asking, any good reading or resources for a noob to check out?

heh, the real problem is that there is SO much available it is hard to
know where to start, what to learn next, and which is “the best” for YOU…

and, there are three ways to search (at least):

  1. distro specific and inside this community: imHO the best way to
    search for and find authoritative (kinda) answers to openSUSE
    problems/questions is to use google and their “site specifier” switch,
    like this as an example querry:

site:opensuse.org [search string]

such a string will look ONLY in the designated site…

  1. distro specific: use google and include SUSE in the search string

  2. generic linux: begin here http://www.google.com/linux

READING (this is GENERIC linux reading, there ARE variations between
flavors):

get started on command line here: “Rute User’s Tutorial
and Exposition” http://rute.2038bug.com/

learn more here:
Beginners Bash Guide http://tldp.org/LDP/Bash-Beginners-Guide/html/

Bash Guide for Beginners http://tille.garrels.be/training/bash/

Advanced Bash-Scripting Guide http://tldp.org/guides.html

Linux Knowledge Base and Tutorial http://www.linux-tutorial.info/index.php

Filesystem Hierarchy Standard
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filesystem_Hierarchy_Standard

The Easiest Linux Guide You’ll Ever Read
http://www.letslearnlinux.com/suseblog/easiest_linux_guide_ever.pdf

that should keep you busy a couple of days…if not, there is more
extensive (but dated, with now broken links) list at one of my old
postings, here: http://tinyurl.com/3a5rong

[dated and broken because in the last year ‘they’ decided to “upgrade”
both the wiki and these fora and in so doing removed links that used
to be on the forum pages and so changed the wiki i still can’t find
stuff…]

oh, and btw: welcome to freedom.

–
DenverD
CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD [posted via NNTP w/openSUSE 10.3]

13

I guess I got some reading to do. Thanks goodness I actually like reading this kind of stuff. Ever read a Cisco routing book, talk about dry…

Happy turkey day and thanks again.

Ghost