No control panel, mint update will not run, etc

[PLC]

I boot up this morning and decided to go to control panel, it will not launch, I check updates and refresh it tells me there are 10 updates I click but mintinstall will not launch.
I sudo nautilus and get /etc/sudoers is mode 0660, should be 0440
I try recovery mode.. insert system disc and enter rescue... etc, etc it checks and tells me all is ok carry on booting.
I have no grub boot screen and esc does not invoke it.
Looks like a complete re-install (the 17th in 8 days) unless there is a guardian angel who can save the day.
Help appreciated.

p.s. I also notice that on checking my file permissions EVERY file or folder (that I checked) is set to root: read and write, user shown as me: read and write, others: none.
Surely this isn't right.
I am the only user on this machine

[Husse]

Looks like a complete re-install (the 17th in 8 days)

If that's the case and you know you install the right way there's something seriously wrong (needless to say)
Did you check the md5sum of the ISO and burned slowly?
If yes to both questions I strongly suspect hardware failure
Memory, hard drive and power supply (in a desktop) are the main things to check

[PLC]

Husse thanks for your reply. I ask you note all was fine and then this occurred. Mint 64 bit is the only OS I have installed that is giving this problem.
The 32 bit has no problems. neither does Debian or Windows but I can guarantee 64 bit will exhibit something wrong within a few hours of install.
I installed on a different machine and tried to retrace my steps as best I can remember and I think I may have found the root of the problem and it is ALL
my fault (oops sorry!) but any way of correcting it would be appreciated.
I went, via nautilus into /etc/sudoers and wanted to change an entry so I opened up permissions to make it easy to cut and paste, but I changed my mind and left the file as it was but closed down without resetting permissions to default.
sudoers reads as below: ........ is SMB4K the problem as it now gives an error on boot? : "The process crashed (error code 1)" even though it still works fine.
# /etc/sudoers
#
# This file MUST be edited with the 'visudo' command as root.
#
# See the man page for details on how to write a sudoers file.
#

Defaults env_reset

# Host alias specification

# User alias specification

# Cmnd alias specification

# User privilege specification
root ALL=(ALL) ALL

# Uncomment to allow members of group sudo to not need a password
# (Note that later entries override this, so you might need to move
# it further down)
# %sudo ALL=NOPASSWD: ALL

# Members of the admin group may gain root privileges
%admin ALL=(ALL) ALL

# Entries for Smb4K users.
# Generated by Smb4K. Please do not modify!
User_Alias SMB4KUSERS = plc
Defaults:SMB4KUSERS env_keep += "PASSWD USER"
SMB4KUSERS Upstairs = NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/smb4k_kill
SMB4KUSERS Upstairs = NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/smb4k_umount
SMB4KUSERS Upstairs = NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/smb4k_mount
# End of Smb4K user entries.

[Husse]

One of the more important rules (although not written in large flashy letters) is - never, ever touch the sudoers file
If you have to do it because something has gone wrong only do it with visudo
Never ever edit the sudoers file "to make it easy to cut and paste"
Don't add Smb4K entries - I can understand the reason but don't
Leave the sudoers file alone or you'll have problems - this file affects the entire system and edited the wrong way consequences are unpredictable and severe

[PLC]

With a smile I note your comments, I did actually try Visudo but for some reason it would not save the "modification".
I didn't add the SMB4K entries they must be entered via the program itself I think.
The question is, is there any way to undo the damage or is it re-install........ again?
.......... and to ask a terrible question is there any way of rolling back the system like Windows?

[Husse]

Code: Select all

# /etc/sudoers
#
# This file MUST be edited with the 'visudo' command as root.
#
# See the man page for details on how to write a sudoers file.
#

Defaults   env_reset

# Host alias specification

# User alias specification

# Cmnd alias specification

# User privilege specification
root   ALL=(ALL) ALL

# Uncomment to allow members of group sudo to not need a password
# (Note that later entries override this, so you might need to move
# it further down)
# %sudo ALL=NOPASSWD: ALL

# Members of the admin group may gain root privileges
%admin ALL=(ALL) ALL

That is a default sudoers file
Owner and group is to be root and read only
You should be able to copy that from the live CD
I don't think the sudoers file on the live CD is like that

[PLC]

Thing is how do I get to sudoers? Even with visudo I get the message:
"sudo: /etc/sudoers is mode 0660, should be 0440" so I just cannot correct the thing.
More importantly how can I force the permissions to default for the sudoers file?
Thanks

[Husse]

If that is the right file, and it seems so with that error message, you have to correct the situation
From the system, not the live CD, run

Code: Select all

sudo chmod 0440 /etc/sudoers

Then use sudo visudo to copy the content to sudoers
From the live CD you can just copy into it (I think)

[PLC]

with sudo visudo I get the error .. "sudo: /etc/sudoers is mode 0660, should be 0440"
I think it is tied to the "faulty" permissions mentioned earlier.

[Husse]

Did you chmod first?
If so I fear a new install

[PLC]

Husse yes I tried sudo chmod 0440 /etc/sudoers same message............ oh well back to Windows I guess
Thanks for the help

[mick55]

oh well back to Windows I guess

Why

You said

Mint 64 bit is the only OS I have installed that is giving this problem.
The 32 bit has no problems. neither does Debian

So why not go back to a 32 bit version of Linux if your machine cannot handle 64 bit OS?

Is your Windows version 64bit?

If you were completely satisfied with Windows you would not
be trying out Linux, so why not try and work through
these issues.There are plenty of people here that will help you.

However I do recommend only installing programs through the
package manager until you are more familiar with Linux,
and try not to run as root or chmod files randomly.

mick

[PLC]

mick55 I thank you for your comments, yes I was running Windows 64 bit professional, but my hard drive failed and I decided to try a Linux flavour. Of all those I tried, that I could get to install and work which wasn't many, I preferred Mint. My main complaints are the silly little things: The taskbar stops autohiding every few minutes, the desktop cube will not rotate (with wheel click) every hour or so, the powersave with the screensaver doesn't work (sometimes) .. etc., etc. I LIKE MINT I find it well designed and well suited to my needs (presentations and graphic work) but it IS very annoying when the little thing do not work. BUT I am giving it another try. So I am rebuilding my system and will be back with future problems, but it sure would make things easier if there were a system restore feature and if you could update to a new release in a fashion similar to Windows service packs.
By the way my other distro tries were Fedora; couldn't find mouse. Gentoo, freeze on install. Mandriva lost screen, no display
a couple of others with TTY errors (whatever that is) ........... in fact the only other "clean" installs were Debian and OpenSuse.
Again thank you.