[SOLVED] Installing LM19 Tara and retaining users from LM18.3 /home

[minty19user]

Hi.

A few months ago I installed Linux Mint 19 Tara on a new desktop and love it.

The Linux Mint 18.3 install on a laptop was in need of a fresh start; and in a fit of spontaneous Saturday energy decided to upgrade.

LM19 USB Live disk -> Install -> "something else" disk partitioning -> format the EXT4 / root partition; identify the EXT4 /home partition (but no format). next next next.

At the 'setup a user screen' - I decided to add a new user name. (in 18.3 I use two users; a 'work' and a 'personal').

[install completes][reboot to next desktop] at the login screen only the new user name shows (not the other two).

I logged in with the new user, and opened an root file explorer, and navigated to /home/ - I saw folders for the other users, and they had the "Access-Your-Private-Data.desktop" file system README.

What do I do next to login as my other accounts?

Thank you!

[minty19user]

Code: Select all

$  inxi -Fxz
System:    Host: host Kernel: 4.15.0-20-generic x86_64 bits: 64 gcc: 7.3.0
           Desktop: Cinnamon 3.8.6 (Gtk 3.22.30-1ubuntu1)
           Distro: Linux Mint 19 Tara
Machine:   Device: laptop System: ASUSTeK product: UX31A v: 1.0 serial: N/A
           Mobo: ASUSTeK model: UX31A v: 1.0 serial: N/A
           UEFI: American Megatrends v: UX31A.219 date: 06/14/2013
Battery    BAT0: charge: 34.9 Wh 88.5% condition: 39.4/50.6 Wh (78%)
           model: ASUSTeK UX31-35 status: Charging
CPU:       Dual core Intel Core i5-3317U (-MT-MCP-) 
           arch: Ivy Bridge rev.9 cache: 3072 KB
           flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx) bmips: 6784
           clock speeds: max: 2600 MHz 1: 864 MHz 2: 881 MHz 3: 921 MHz
           4: 902 MHz
Graphics:  Card: Intel 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller
           bus-ID: 00:02.0
           Display Server: x11 (X.Org 1.19.6 )
           drivers: modesetting (unloaded: fbdev,vesa)
           Resolution: 1920x1080@60.00hz
           OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel Ivybridge Mobile
           version: 4.2 Mesa 18.0.0-rc5 Direct Render: Yes
Audio:     Card Intel 7 Series/C216 Family High Def. Audio Controller
           driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:1b.0
           Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k4.15.0-20-generic
Network:   Card: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235
           driver: iwlwifi bus-ID: 02:00.0
           IF: wlp2s0 state: up mac: <filter>
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 124.0GB (70.1% used)
           ID-1: /dev/sda model: SanDisk_SSD_U100 size: 124.0GB
Partition: ID-1: / size: 9.2G used: 5.4G (62%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda6
           ID-2: /home size: 81G used: 73G (94%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda7
           ID-3: swap-1 size: 4.00GB used: 0.00GB (0%)
           fs: swap dev: /dev/dm-0
RAID:      No RAID devices: /proc/mdstat, md_mod kernel module present
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 61.0C mobo: N/A
           Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: 3500
Info:      Processes: 219 Uptime: 31 min Memory: 1166.0/3769.4MB
           Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Gcc sys: 7.3.0
           Client: Shell (bash 4.4.191) inxi: 2.3.56 

[karlchen]

Hello, minty19user.

By installing Mint 19 over Mint 18.3, you have deleted any user account information of the Mint 18.3 users.
The reason is simple:
The user credentials and some more details are stored in the files /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, /etc/group and /etc/gshadow.
The installer created these files from scratch when installing Mint 19 and only added the new account to these files, which you named, when asked to specify a username and a password.

But, no panic, nothing is lost really:
As your old /home directory has been preserved, you can see the names of the previous 2 user accounts, which existed on Mint 18.3.
As you told the 2 directories are named work and personal.

So the steps you have to do are these:

• Use the menu item "Users & Groups" and re-create the users work and personal.
• Then give back /home/work to the re-created user work.
  Commandline: sudo chown -R work:work /home/work
• Then give back /home/personal to the re-created user personal.
  Commandline: sudo chown -R personal:personal /home/personal

Best regards,
Karl

[minty19user]

Hello, minty19user.

By installing Mint 19 over Mint 18.3, you have deleted any user account information of the Mint 18.3 users.
The reason is simple:
The user credentials and some more details are stored in the files /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, /etc/group and /etc/gshadow.
The installer created these files from scratch when installing Mint 19 and only add the new account to these files, which you named, when asked to specify a username and a password.

But, no panic, nothing is lost really:
As your old /home directory has been preserved, you can see the names of the previous 2 user accounts, which existed on Mint 18.3.
As you told the 2 directories are named work and personal.

So the steps you have to do are these:

• Use the menu item "Users & Groups" and re-create the users work and personal.
• Then give back /home/work to the re-created user work.
  Commandline: sudo chown -R work:work /home/work
• Then give back /home/personal to the re-created user personal.
  Commandline: sudo chown -R personal:personal /home/personal

Best rgeards,
Karl

Hello, Karl,

Thank you for helping me! I followed your steps and I all is now right in the world!

The first account, 'work', went smooth; I used "Users and Groups" to add the same user name, and the same password. Then used the chown command.

The second account was "encrypted home directory" as well as the previous system administrator account. In "Users and Groups" the Password field is greyed out and says "No Password Set", and was assigned to the group "nopasswdlogin". I used sudo passwd personal to set the password. Then I used sudo chown -R personal:personal /home/.ecryptfs/personal to assign ownership to the encrypted file system (used ls -la /home/ to see that name).

Thanks again!

[karlchen]

Hi, minty19user.
Glad to learn that my advice was helpful and that you achieved your goal.
Cheers,
Karl

[AZgl1800]

Karl,
don't want to hijack the thread, just a simple question.
Will the same commands work in LMDE3 Cindy to be able to access 18.3 /home folders on the same computer, just different partitions. /home is in its' own partition

[BG405]

Will the same commands work in LMDE3 Cindy to be able to access 18.3 /home folders on the same computer, just different partitions.

Belated response but I don't see why not. I've done this several times with both Mint & Manjaro, preserving the /home partition & setting up with the same username & password; adding in other users later. Didn't need to run the chown command in these cases, either.

[karlchen]

Hello, BG405.

Let me add this detail:
Whether you have to use chown on the existing old home directories or not, does not depend on the usernames, but on their UIDs. Provided you create the same users and they have the same usernames and the same UIDs as on the old system, then you will not have to give back the old home directories to the new users via chown. In case the UIDs are different, you will have to use chown.

Best regards,
Karl

[BG405]

Thanks very much for that important clarification, Karl. I'd been setting up the same users in the same order, which is why I haven't encountered issues.