login manager
Forum rules
Before you post read how to get help. Topics in this forum are automatically closed 6 months after creation.
Before you post read how to get help. Topics in this forum are automatically closed 6 months after creation.
login manager
I can't find the login manager; I looked in the system settings and it's not there. In the System folder is something called Login Window Preferences, I click that and am asked for the root password, then nothing happens.
When I installed Mint I set it up to log in automatically. Now I want it to ask for a user name, which you can also select the session type. I have installed the xfce desktop and would like to try it out but I need the ability to select it, and later to select to go back to KDE.
Any ideas?
When I installed Mint I set it up to log in automatically. Now I want it to ask for a user name, which you can also select the session type. I have installed the xfce desktop and would like to try it out but I need the ability to select it, and later to select to go back to KDE.
Any ideas?
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Re: login manager
Ahem no, you get asked for your own password. Can you please open a terminal and enter this command:locutus wrote:In the System folder is something called Login Window Preferences, I click that and am asked for the root password,
Code: Select all
sudo gdmsetup
The terminal says:
Failed to connect to socket, sleep 1 second and retry
Trying failed command again. Try 2 of 5.
...
[after 5 tries]
Could not access GDM configuration file.
[back to command prompt]
For what it's worth, I checked Synaptic, there is no gdmsetup available to install. GDM is installed though.
Failed to connect to socket, sleep 1 second and retry
Trying failed command again. Try 2 of 5.
...
[after 5 tries]
Could not access GDM configuration file.
[back to command prompt]
For what it's worth, I checked Synaptic, there is no gdmsetup available to install. GDM is installed though.
What does this command return?
And this one?
gdmsetup is part of package gdm ... If you have gdm, you should also have gdmsetup ...
Code: Select all
which gdmsetup
Code: Select all
ls -al /etc/gdm/
which gdmsetup result:
/usr/sbin/gdmsetup
ls -al .etc/gdm result:
total 124
drwxr-xr-x 7 root root 4096 2006-12-27 00:36 .
drwxr-xr-x 114 root root 8192 2007-01-07 14:52 ..
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 28240 2006-12-13 16:49 factory-gdm.conf
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 28240 2006-10-20 19:36 gdm.conf
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 231 2006-11-29 12:19 gdm.conf-custom
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 164 2006-11-29 12:17 gdm.conf-custom.orig
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1564 2006-10-20 19:36 gdmprefetchlist
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 2006-12-27 00:36 Init
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 10739 2006-10-20 19:35 locale.conf
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 2006-12-27 00:36 modules
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 2007-01-07 14:49 PostLogin
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 2006-12-27 00:36 PostSession
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 2006-12-27 00:36 PreSession
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 4003 2006-10-20 19:36 XKeepsCrashing
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 6534 2006-10-20 19:36 Xsession
/usr/sbin/gdmsetup
ls -al .etc/gdm result:
total 124
drwxr-xr-x 7 root root 4096 2006-12-27 00:36 .
drwxr-xr-x 114 root root 8192 2007-01-07 14:52 ..
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 28240 2006-12-13 16:49 factory-gdm.conf
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 28240 2006-10-20 19:36 gdm.conf
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 231 2006-11-29 12:19 gdm.conf-custom
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 164 2006-11-29 12:17 gdm.conf-custom.orig
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1564 2006-10-20 19:36 gdmprefetchlist
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 2006-12-27 00:36 Init
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 10739 2006-10-20 19:35 locale.conf
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 2006-12-27 00:36 modules
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 2007-01-07 14:49 PostLogin
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 2006-12-27 00:36 PostSession
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 2006-12-27 00:36 PreSession
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 4003 2006-10-20 19:36 XKeepsCrashing
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 6534 2006-10-20 19:36 Xsession
And what happens if you try this command:
If this doesn't help, you may try to force a reconfiguration:
Code: Select all
gksu gdmsetup
Code: Select all
dpkg-reconfigure gdm
I apparently have no root password set up. I've run across this before with other distros but I can't remember how to set up root user & password. (this is necessary because the reconfigure command you asked me to do requires it; my own password and sudo won't do). I entered User Management and tried to add root user there (using administrator mode) but it wouldn't accept it. Said "sorry already..." and the rest was cut off.
So, please remind me how to set up a root password and then I'll try your terminal command.
So, please remind me how to set up a root password and then I'll try your terminal command.
Yeah right I already told you: You have to use your own password (it's a security measure present on Ubuntu and Ubuntu-derived distros such as Mint; but also on Mac OS X: direct access to root is blocked; the first user on the system must use his own password!). And if there were no root account your system wouldn't even bootlocutus wrote: I apparently have no root password set up.
Good! You'd probably only mess up your system.locutus wrote: I've run across this before with other distros but I can't remember how to set up root user & password.
Are you sure you're using the correct password?locutus wrote: (this is necessary because the reconfigure command you asked me to do requires it; my own password and sudo won't do)
Sorry, but this is soooo funny Again: Your system wouldn't even boot if there were no root user!! So better not touch this!locutus wrote: . I entered User Management and tried to add root user there (using administrator mode) but it wouldn't accept it.
Use your own password! e.g. when using sudo <== you become root, but you have to use your own password!
Code: Select all
sudo dpkg-reconfigure gdm
Glad I can brighten your day! ;~)
Anyway, when I ran the command the first time it wanted me to enter a password, which I did and it said invalid password. That is why I wanted to add root.
Today it accepted it (?) and everything now works. I tried xfce, not impressed, but at least it worked. I tried it on Mepis and got nothing. No menus, nothing. Just a blank green screen and no way to log out. Asking in their forums they said xfce can break the system and to avoid it.
Anyway, when I ran the command the first time it wanted me to enter a password, which I did and it said invalid password. That is why I wanted to add root.
Today it accepted it (?) and everything now works. I tried xfce, not impressed, but at least it worked. I tried it on Mepis and got nothing. No menus, nothing. Just a blank green screen and no way to log out. Asking in their forums they said xfce can break the system and to avoid it.
Glad you didn't get me wrong.locutus wrote: Glad I can brighten your day! ;~)
You probably just mistyped it before. Can happen.locutus wrote:Today it accepted it (?) and everything now works
Ctrl+Alt+Backspace ... this kills the current GUI session and should take you back to the login manager.locutus wrote: no way to log out.
Just a quick precision on the root account.
- There is a root account.
- It has a root password.
- You don't know that password and nobody does (it's set randomly during the install)
- The first user account you create is a sudoer. This means he can run anything "as root" without "being root" by just prefixing his commands with "sudo ".
So to be precise the root account is not blocked as such, but the OS tends to push you to use sudo instead of using the root account itself. Good practice that's all.
The reason behind this is that it's more easy to forget that you're root and run normal user stuff under the root account, than to forget not to type sudo ... since typing sudo is a bit of a pain
Of course, if you want to do things the stupid way... or if you need to access some env stuff and can't do it through sudo, you can become root :
sudo su -
or even set a new root password:
sudo passwd root
and then become root:
su -
(then root password).
Clem
- There is a root account.
- It has a root password.
- You don't know that password and nobody does (it's set randomly during the install)
- The first user account you create is a sudoer. This means he can run anything "as root" without "being root" by just prefixing his commands with "sudo ".
So to be precise the root account is not blocked as such, but the OS tends to push you to use sudo instead of using the root account itself. Good practice that's all.
The reason behind this is that it's more easy to forget that you're root and run normal user stuff under the root account, than to forget not to type sudo ... since typing sudo is a bit of a pain
Of course, if you want to do things the stupid way... or if you need to access some env stuff and can't do it through sudo, you can become root :
sudo su -
or even set a new root password:
sudo passwd root
and then become root:
su -
(then root password).
Clem