Linux - NewbieThis Linux forum is for members that are new to Linux.
Just starting out and have a question?
If it is not in the man pages or the how-to's this is the place!
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
I have Fedora 10 and has root password, but does not know root user name.
If I give user name as "root" and provide password, fedora is giving error "Unable to authenticate user". This password works well for "su" !!
I tried user name "su", "master" and "root".
I tried seeing the "User and groups", and the root user name is "root" itself.
You need to be able to su to root in the CLI to do certain things (leaving aside sudo), whereas sitting as root in the GUI is unnecessary in any case and presents a security risk.
I think the main reason is not so much 'corrupted files' but security.
You will probably run extra programs when you login as root in a gui (e.g. firefox, ooo). A vulnerability in one of these programs or a script (javascript, macros) exposes the whole system instead of only the user's files.
Last edited by Wim Sturkenboom; 06-25-2009 at 12:45 AM.
you could use KDM and not GDM ( if KDE is installed ) to login as root .
or ( NOT VERY RECOMMENDED DO NOT GET INTO THE HABIT OF DOING THIS )
start nautilus as root from the terminal
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.