[SOLVED] Unable to login to Ubuntu 16.04

fellow2w · 03-10-2017, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BW-userx

I have Luckily have never had to deal with that mode. So I have no idea. did you try that other stuff first in regular multiuser mode yet? if you can login cli on multiuser mode then you can just copy your home onto a external hdd. if all else fails. Or wait and see what someone else says on recovery mode --

I can't follow your instructions cos I'm a newb could u clearly and slowly outline what I need to do

fellow2w · 03-10-2017, 04:50 PM

I tried recovery mode but it wouldn't allow me to log in

Jjanel · 03-11-2017, 06:35 AM

Hi again... Good that you haven't 'given up' and erased/lost/reinstalled everything.
Sorry to hear the problems of accessing the system (after ?install updates?).
Since you were able to ?somehow? (Ctrl+Alt+F1?) login & do commands (like runlevel),
then -I- don't think you need to DIG down deep into 'recovery mode'.
(WHAT does "it wouldn't allow me to log in" mean? Exact&complete details!)
I believe 'recovery mode' only/just gets you a CLI terminal command prompt
(which you ALREADY have/had, in your #17/18 screenshots!)
(in /boot/grub/grub.cfg, it appears to just omit gfxmode &change "quiet splash $vt_handoff" to "recovery nomodeset")

Let me ask 2 conceptual things: 1) Can you get to that screen you posted in #5?
(Yes OR No? I keep asking this!) IF yes, does clicking on 'anything' do 'anything'?
Sorry I'm having difficulty understanding how you -formerly- got to the GUI.

2) At that $ CLIprompt (in #17/18, where runlevel worked, reporting: N 5 ),
do some commands to look for your files:

Code:

id; pwd; df . /
ls

Mine: (My /home is on /, so I omit pwd;df .) Please DO the: df space dot space slash!

Code:

user@ubuntu:~$ id;sudo id
uid=1000(user) gid=1000(user) groups=1000(user),4(adm),24(cdrom),27(sudo),30(dip),46(plugdev),114(lpadmin),115(sambashare)
[sudo] password for user:
uid=0(root) gid=0(root) groups=0(root)
user@ubuntu:~$ df /
Filesystem     1K-blocks    Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda1        3545824 1623112   1722880  49% /

What things do you want to save? (in case you reinstall; then/next/later we can think about how to maybe save them somewhere somehow)

Can you find anything useful from that link I posted?
("no" is ok; it's very technical; maybe you can TRY a few of these commands below)

Code:

find / /home -xdev -name Xorg\*.log -exec grep EE {} \; 2>/dev/null

(capital X in Xorg, backslash asterisk, curly-braces, backslash NOspace semicolon

)

sudo apt update
sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg
sudo dpkg-reconfigure gnome
sudo dpkg-reconfigure gdm
sudo dpkg-reconfigure lightdm
(Sorry, -I- am not sure about these; hopefully an LQ'er who knows Ubuntu GUI will reply!)
sudo apt-get install --reinstall ubuntu-desktop && sudo apt-get install -f install

But, #1, my 1) question: can you get back to the screenshot you posted in #5 ?????
IF yes, does clicking on anything do anything?

fellow2w · 03-12-2017, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jjanel

Hi again... Good that you haven't 'given up' and erased/lost/reinstalled everything.
Sorry to hear the problems of accessing the system (after ?install updates?).
Since you were able to ?somehow? (Ctrl+Alt+F1?) login & do commands (like runlevel),
then -I- don't think you need to DIG down deep into 'recovery mode'.
(WHAT does "it wouldn't allow me to log in" mean? Exact&complete details!)
I believe 'recovery mode' only/just gets you a CLI terminal command prompt
(which you ALREADY have/had, in your #17/18 screenshots!)
(in /boot/grub/grub.cfg, it appears to just omit gfxmode &change "quiet splash $vt_handoff" to "recovery nomodeset")

Let me ask 2 conceptual things: 1) Can you get to that screen you posted in #5?
(Yes OR No? I keep asking this!) IF yes, does clicking on 'anything' do 'anything'?
Sorry I'm having difficulty understanding how you -formerly- got to the GUI.

2) At that $ CLIprompt (in #17/18, where runlevel worked, reporting: N 5 ),
do some commands to look for your files:

Code:

id; pwd; df . /
ls

Mine: (My /home is on /, so I omit pwd;df .) Please DO the: df space dot space slash!

Code:

user@ubuntu:~$ id;sudo id
uid=1000(user) gid=1000(user) groups=1000(user),4(adm),24(cdrom),27(sudo),30(dip),46(plugdev),114(lpadmin),115(sambashare)
[sudo] password for user:
uid=0(root) gid=0(root) groups=0(root)
user@ubuntu:~$ df /
Filesystem     1K-blocks    Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda1        3545824 1623112   1722880  49% /

What things do you want to save? (in case you reinstall; then/next/later we can think about how to maybe save them somewhere somehow)

Can you find anything useful from that link I posted?
("no" is ok; it's very technical; maybe you can TRY a few of these commands below)

Code:

find / /home -xdev -name Xorg\*.log -exec grep EE {} \; 2>/dev/null

(capital X in Xorg, backslash asterisk, curly-braces, backslash NOspace semicolon

)

sudo apt update
sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg
sudo dpkg-reconfigure gnome
sudo dpkg-reconfigure gdm
sudo dpkg-reconfigure lightdm
(Sorry, -I- am not sure about these; hopefully an LQ'er who knows Ubuntu GUI will reply!)
sudo apt-get install --reinstall ubuntu-desktop && sudo apt-get install -f install

But, #1, my 1) question: can you get back to the screenshot you posted in #5 ?????
IF yes, does clicking on anything do anything?

I cannot get to the screen posted in #5. When I boot in it come to a black screen where it asks me for my credentials. Bu it won't allow me to enter my credentials and the screen is blinking on and off.

Ztcoracat · 03-12-2017, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fellow2w

I cannot get to the screen posted in #5. When I boot in it come to a black screen where it asks me for my credentials. Bu it won't allow me to enter my credentials and the screen is blinking on and off.

Looking over the whole thread.....

I really think your best option is to perform a fresh installtion.

-::-If that doesn't work your pc might be having hardware failure.-::-

fellow2w · 03-12-2017, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ztcoracat

Looking over the whole thread.....

I really think your best option is to perform a fresh installtion.

-::-If that doesn't work your pc might be having hardware failure.-::-

I'm beginning to think that also cat. If I can't enter my credentials at command line I can't see any way around it unless the other poster can come up with a solution that's what I'm going to do. I'll give it two more days.

Ztcoracat · 03-12-2017, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fellow2w

I'm beginning to think that also cat. If I can't enter my credentials at command line I can't see any way around it unless the other poster can come up with a solution that's what I'm going to do. I'll give it two more days.

Ok:-

BW-userx · 03-12-2017, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fellow2w

I'm beginning to think that also cat. If I can't enter my credentials at command line I can't see any way around it unless the other poster can come up with a solution that's what I'm going to do. I'll give it two more days.

you can boot up log in on a different tty under your user name.

do you use a password to get in that login? yes|no
do you have sudo with that user? yes|no

if yes, depending on distro to add a user.

Code:

sudo adduser userName
or
sudo useradd userName
sudo passwd userName

you can either logout now or just change to a different tty, Ctrl + alt + F[2-6x] to get a different login screen. login with the new user. If you have startx installed, edit your ~/.xinitrc file, put the start command for whatever wm you want in it on the very bottom line.

Code:

exec WhichEver Wm/DT

save then try startx.
if you got internet access in that box, install something less gui intense like fluxbox, then add that to your last line in the ~/.xinitrc file -- it should eliminate the credentials situation.

Jjanel · 03-12-2017, 06:33 PM

Hi... Sorry I get so 'theoretical', plus wrongly kept thinking the #5GUI was still there.

I mis-read #22, (from my lack of GUI experience!), Alt+F7, where X now dies (can't boot to #5 pic).

>"I'll give it [LQ

] two more days."

One more 'concept':
does any [Ctrl]+Alt+F1 thru F6 do anything,
to get you any prompt?

>BW's#38:"...log in on a different [Alt+F#] tty...":
Can you get [Ctrl+Alt+F1 or -then- Alt+F2]
to anything like #17/18, to do my above ideas:

Code:

id; sudo id; pwd; df [SPACE] . [SPACE] / ; pgrep gdm

IF you can get to a $ or # prompt, THEN a UbuntuXwinGUI'specialist'LQer

can come along with ?UbuXwin/pkg? commands to try to help,
withOUT the -frustration- of getting just a "NOthing works." reply!

What exactly did you upgrade? (nvidia?) Any error messages?
This websearch: ubuntu gnome login 16.04 intitle:after update|upgrade
Wild-guess: rm .Xauthority ; reboot

Do you have a way to download (&'burn'/usb &boot) this (or your install .iso)?

Yea, it's a tradeoff of 'digging' as deep as 'recovery mode' vs erase&re-begin.
(I believe, 'theoretically', it could be fixed, given enough CLI 'magic'!)
And yes, the real-world prefers normal-functionality (vs. my forensics-fun!)
A 'dream-puzzle' for me, may be 'nightmare-broken' for typical users.

ondoho · 03-13-2017, 01:26 AM

fellow2w, please refrain from always quoting the complete previous message when you reply.

fellow2w · 03-13-2017, 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BW-userx

you can boot up log in on a different tty under your user name.

do you use a password to get in that login? yes|no
do you have sudo with that user? yes|no.

To get in what login?

I don't know if I have sudo

BW-userx · 03-13-2017, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fellow2w

To get in what login?

I don't know if I have sudo

crtl alt F[1-12] are different tty (connections) that you can use to login not just ctrl alt F1

If this is ubuntutu then 98% chance you get sudo because they hid root.

to get into a login. Simply means you are able to login with that particular user.

fellow2w · 03-15-2017, 04:08 AM

Ctrl alt f2 brings me to tty1 login as well but it won't allow me to enter my credentials just like ctrl alt f1

Jjanel · 03-15-2017, 05:03 AM

Oh Hi! (Glad you haven't 'given up', tho I imagine this must be frustrating/disappointing/...)

So, now it's not possible to get back to #17/18 (login as max)?
(I wonder what happened...)

Do you get a "login: " prompt, like in #17?
Does ANYthing 'appear', when you try to typein max?

(technically, Alt+F2 gets tty2; I'm guessing your hostname and username are both max)

>"it won't allow[? error msg?] me to enter my credentials [name then password]"
I might be misunderstanding what all is happening, but here's a 'recovery' technique,
(with good screenshots!). Can you get there? ??

http://adriankoshka.gitbooks.io/lite..._password.html (it's Ubu 14.xx but still good)
(in 16.xx, this is on the "Advanced options" second screen, but
doing the "e" on simply the first "Ubuntu" line is ok. -I- get to "linux...ro..."
by lots of downarrows, then 1 up, then 1 leftarrow [then 27 backspaces]!)
The 'hard' parts are getting to where you (quoting from that webpage 'arrow around', to):
"Press the backspace key repeatedly until you remove: ro splash quiet $vt_handoff
Replace that text with: rw init=/bin/bash so that it looks like the picture" ... F10

Here's a couple cmds to check a couple things, if you want, Before you try passwd max
# grep max /etc/passwd
(see IF 'you' are 'in there')
# head -1 /etc/shadow
(I think you will get like: root:!:.....#s or root:*:...#s, a clue about 'sudo')
# which sudo
(you could give root a password, which might help -if- you
want to instead use the more basic 'recovery mode'
on 'advanced' 2nd grub menu [instead of "e" ...], but...)

Anyway, best wishes always....

p.s. IF you get a # prompt, you -might try- (then reboot):
rm /home/max/.Xauthority
ls -AF /home/max

Jjanel · 03-15-2017, 07:23 AM

A new simpler idea, on getting to that "Recovery Mode" screen (above):

#1 'secret' is to -hold down- the [left] Shift key, **before and as** it boots.
Then, you 'should' get a choice of (see attached here):
Ubuntu
Advanced options

BUT, you might only have 5 seconds! to hit a downarrow, to the "Advanced options" choice!

Then Enter, to select "Advanced options".
Then, on next screen, a downarrow will get "....(Recovery mode)"
Hit Enter.
Then, on next screen, see above post, third picture.