Cannot go beyond the login screen
 

Hi,

I have updated the system via

sudo apt-get update && apt-get upgrade

Then, I installed LibreOffice 6.1

After rebooting, the system does not go beyond the login screen. It does not say that the password is wrong.

Any idea if this is fixable or I need to format the disc and perform a clean installation?

If I need to re-install the system, what is the Bodhi 5.0 final ETA?

It is not the end of the world but not the best thing to start a nice sunny Thursday in August.

Thank you in advance for any advices.

BM

Have you tried logging in at a text console? If you can do that, the problem is with the display manager (I don't know which one Bodhi uses). If you can't, you have a password problem.

You can get to a text console by pressing ctrl+alt+F1. You will see a login prompt. Log in (your password will be completely invisible) and see what happens.

Hi, Hazel,

Thank you for the advice. I will try to login at a text console.

BM

Hi, hazel,

Ctrl+alt+F1 did not work. It took me into the BIOS instead.

Are there any other combinations to get into the text console?

Thank you,

BM

You have a very eccentric computer! Most BIOS's are accessed with a single key, not a combination.

On most distros, any of the function keys from F1 to F6 with ctrl+alt will give you a console.

An alternative method is to press 'e' key when the grub menu shows and your bhodi entry is highlighted. Find the line beginning 'linux...' and add a '3' (no quotes) to the end of that line. Now press f10.
That should do it.

For future reference, to upgrade you should use the command:
sudo apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade
(note the dist).

The command you used may create problems.

Is this true of apt in general or is it only a problem in Bodhi? As a Debian user, I was always told that dist-upgrade is only required if you are upgrading the entire distro to a new release.

@BaronMunchausen

Your login is stuck in an infinite loop. This is a lightdm issue, a simple one.

What you need to do is enter recovery mode.
After you seed the bios screen if grub doesn't immediately popup pres ESC.
Select Advanced and pick your desired kernel, but in recovery mode.
BTW, if you somehow end in a "grub" terminal type exit, and now you will be in a "shell" terminal type exit
Once in recovery mode, select root.
Now you may see all kinds of errors and BS the key is the press ESC and Control-D alternatively many times until you arrive @ root. Once you arrive at root, all you need to do is to reconfigure lightdm (this is your display and login).
Try this command: dpkg-reconfigure lightdm
and reboot the system with reboot or alt-control-delete...whatever works but not a hard shutdown.

Hazel - so far as I know, this is recommended because Bodhi is based on Ubuntu, not Debian. If the orginal Bodhi Forum were still available, you would find a number of posts recommending dist-upgrade rather than upgrade.

Update on the problem.

Hello, everyone who was helping me with this problem,

This is how the problem looked:

1. I start the computer and safely get to the window to enter my password for decrypting the HDD
2. the HDD decryption password is accepted and I get to the login screen
3. the login screen flickered once upon opening, and each time I entered the password it just flickered

I tried several different approaches and still could not get behind that problem. I test the HDD from the BIOS - no problems found.

Then, I created a bootable KNOPPIX 8.2 USB jump drive and booted from it. I found the HDD. The label showed that it was encrypted. I entered the password, and the HDD correctly opened.

Using KNOPPIX I tried to extract the data for from the disc with the intent to re-install the system once the data are recovered. While moving files to the external disc, I noticed that I had zero empty space on the internal HDD.

After I cleared a couple GB of data from the internal HDD, the problem with the login screen resolved.

So, the the problem is solved.

After I was able to login into the computer, I tried to install LibreOffice 6.1 via downloading the package and using sudo dpkg -1.deb

Installation proceeded with no problems but it messed up the "Office" menu - no programs showing up there.

I removed LibreOffice completely via the -- purge command, and re-installed LibreOffice via spa. The problem with menus resolved, and I have LibreOffice 6.0.6

The bottom line:

1. the login problem was due to lack of space at HDD
2. LibreOffice 6.1 is not compatible with Bodhi Linux 4.5.5 as yet for the unknown to me reason

I still need to learn how to get into the text console mode. Do I need to press "Enter" or ctrl+alt+F1 buttons before I decrypt the disc or after?

Anyway, big thank you to everyone who was helping me with solving this problem.

Have a good weekend guys,

BP