can't log in as root

David Rogers · 06-25-2004, 02:48 PM

I have just installed Debian. When I boot the system, it automatically loads into a graphical login. From here I can't find a way of logging in as root. Is there a way of interrupting the boot sequence to load a command-line login or can this be done from GNOME or indeed the graphical login? My video card is not set up properly which may be obscuring options from my view???

sterrenkijker · 06-25-2004, 03:04 PM

Several ways:
- You can grab a terminal (which you can find in the menu, apps, system), and type su, when it asks for a password it's your rootpassword.
- You can leave the x-server by Ctrl-Alt-F1, you'll get a console. You can go back to X by Alt-F7
- You can configure gdm with the program gdmsetup (so you can login as root with the graphical login), but you must be root to configure it.
- If you don't want X to start at boottime, delete the symlink S99gdm from /etc/rc2.d, but you must be root to do that

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Qzukk · 06-25-2004, 08:46 PM

You can also log in as a normal user, then use "su" to switch to root. You won't be able to execute X programs like that though, (unless you do "xauth merge ~user/.Xauthority" as root to get the Xauth magic cookie for permission to display).