Linux Mint Forums

For those that are irritated by Ubuntu's decision to have users names show at login there is a fix. Read on...

How to Remove (Hide) Users list at login Screen in Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic)
source: http://www.ubuntugeek.com/how-to-remove ... armic.html

One of the new features in Ubuntu 9.10 is it show the currently available users list at login screen if you want to hide this just follow one of the following method

Method 1
Open the terminal and enter the following comamnd

sudo gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory --type Boolean --set /apps/gdm/simple-greeter/disable_user_list True

Method 2
1. Logout of your current session and return to the GDM

2. Switch to the tty command line prompt using Ctrl-Alt-F1

3. Login using your normal login/password

4. at the command line prompt type: export DISPLAY=:0.0

5. then type: sudo -u gdm gconf-editor

6. Switch back to the gdm screen using ALT-F7

7. Then navigate to /apps/gdm/simple-greeter and tick disable user list

8. Restart gdm

sudo /etc/init.d/gdm restart

I've been using debian for a long time in my pc. i just bought a new one and install mint8 x64. everything else is ok, but this login screen does not.
i cant change it as i want.
even if i did as above mentioned it does not work for my damn thing.
why is it?
how do i change the gdm theme. debian is easier than this.
please help me, how to put a gdm theme in cli or gui

Thanks, Lantesh, I was wondering about that.

If you prefer a GUI method of changing this setting, try the gdm2setup utility, available from the repositories under the package name python-gdm2setup.

However python-gdm2setup is not there for LMDE!
I had this same requirement and it is a mission figuring out for Debian... you need to edit and not as one might have been inclined to do. In a clean Debian installation that would've been the case... but we're using Mint and the sysdevs have for the time being added "adjustments" to the system.

http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=141&t=62823 for more details

Hey thanks, I've been wanting to do that for a while now. Nice step by step instructions

Not to offend anybody here. Why would you mind seeing users list at login screen in the first place?. Actually, it's good thing that you can see which user(s) is currently using the computer.

tks

paladin_knight wrote:Not to offend anybody here. Why would you mind seeing users list at login screen in the first place?. Actually, it's good thing that you can see which user(s) is currently using the computer.

So I'm a no-good-nick and find myself sitting at your computer.

One way, I need guess two things -- a username and a password.

One way, I need to guess only one thing -- a password.

Which is more secure? For my money, the one without the list of usenames on display for all to see.

~~~ 0;-Dan

For me the issue isn't so much one of security as of purpose. I want a way to determine which users are displayed and which aren't because some users are created to perform automated tasks and don't need to be an option. Root isn't displayed so there must be some sort of filtering, but I haven't found out where it is yet.

Edit: There are two things that I have found that might be useful to others with the same question. First, go to Control Center and open Login Screen. Unlock it and you can uncheck the box for "Show list of users." Second, if you want to exclude specific users, you can add them to the exclusion list found in: /etc/gdm/gdm.schemas (search for root)
Disclaimer: Done with Julia (Linux Mint 10) before an upgrade

ancientt wrote:For me the issue isn't so much one of security as of purpose. I want a way to determine which users are displayed and which aren't because some users are created to perform automated tasks and don't need to be an option. Root isn't displayed so there must be some sort of filtering, but I haven't found out where it is yet.

Edit: There are two things that I have found that might be useful to others with the same question. First, go to Control Center and open Login Screen. Unlock it and you can uncheck the box for "Show list of users." Second, if you want to exclude specific users, you can add them to the exclusion list found in: /etc/gdm/gdm.schemas (search for root)
Disclaimer: Done with Julia (Linux Mint 10) before an upgrade

It appears that the cold-start list of names is part of the desktop theme or something because
I don't find any ways to alter how it works.

Running Mint-12 (I don't know the Mint names yet) there is no similar "Login Screen" setting.
There is a folder /etc/gdm/... but it is empty. Even the folders within that folder are empty.
If I access Menu --> Preferences --> User Accounts, all I can manipulate are usernames, passwords,
and auto login.



Follow-up:
It seems that Mint-12 is using lightdm or the light display manager along with something called Account Services. The only account-anything that I find running is the goa-daemon.
That, however, appears to be the keyring service.

I also find /var/lib/AccountsService/... but its contents seem to be per-account details and nothing to do with the login screen.

Why has this become so difficult and confusing? We call this "progress?" I think not.



Really wanting this to go away,
~~~ 8d;-/ Dan

bump

I still have not found out how to get Mint-12 with Cinnamon to login like I want.
What I prefer to happen is:

• cold start (or log out)
• some background image
• dialog where one enters a username without any list or guide of existing users
• dialog where one enters a password -- same as username panel preferred, but two separate dialogs is fine if I get rid of the "try to hack these users" list.
• blue sky ~ wish list able to use the fingerprint scanner to accomplish login
  (This latter is off topic for this thread, but I announced it was wishes.)

There must be some theme or config item to get rid of the user list.
Will someone please tell me where it is?

~~~ 8d;-< Dan

I edited the file /etc/lightdm/users.conf and set a high value for the users to display UID.
It had no effect on my login display even though all of the config files appear to say that
my workstation uses lightdm for login.

Cinnamon on Mint-12 with Mint-Z theme.

Stumped,
~~~ 0;-/ Dan

YES! Thanks for this info. I've been searching for this answer to google. Thanks a lot sir.