Can't change directories in Linux Mint

wildad1 · 10-10-2016, 11:03 PM

I want to do a simple CD and this is what I get. I can't change into any directory, which should be straightforward.
alan@alan-Inspiron-5537 ~ $ pwd
/home/alan
alan@alan-Inspiron-5537 ~ $ ls
Desktop Documents Downloads Music Pictures Public Templates Videos
alan@alan-Inspiron-5537 ~ $ su root
Password:
alan-Inspiron-5537 alan # pwd
/home/alan
alan-Inspiron-5537 alan # ls
Desktop Documents Downloads Music Pictures Public Templates Videos
alan-Inspiron-5537 alan # cd /Downloads
bash: cd: /Downloads: No such file or directory
alan-Inspiron-5537 alan # cd /music
bash: cd: /music: No such file or directory
alan-Inspiron-5537 alan # cd /Music
bash: cd: /Music: No such file or directory
alan-Inspiron-5537 alan #

Ztcoracat · 10-10-2016, 11:42 PM

Try changing directory 'without' the forward slash:-

Code:

cd Downloads

https://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/244

Ztcoracat · 10-10-2016, 11:50 PM

IF the above doesn't work;;;;;
Use 'reset' to reset your terminal when it gets messed up by control sequences.

aragorn2101 · 10-11-2016, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildad1

alan-Inspiron-5537 alan # cd /Downloads
bash: cd: /Downloads: No such file or directory
alan-Inspiron-5537 alan # cd /music
bash: cd: /music: No such file or directory
alan-Inspiron-5537 alan # cd /Music
bash: cd: /Music: No such file or directory
alan-Inspiron-5537 alan #

Hi,

The pwd command gives you your Present Working Directory. As you saw, it was /home/alan.

Now you should understand the Linux filesystem standard a little bit. The root of the filesystem is /. "/" actually is a directory. And if you do

Code:

cd /

you get into the directory /. If you do ls in the directory / you will see the content of your root filesystem.

When you are doing

Code:

cd /Downloads

Bash is understanding that you are seeking the directory Downloads under directory /. And if you tried the above ls command, you will understand that there is no Downloads or Music under directory /.

The directories you are looking for are under /home/alan. So, you should either be in /home/alan and do

Code:

cd Downloads

or from anywhere else you can do

Code:

cd /home/alan/Downloads
OR
cd ~/Downloads

The "~" means "my home directory". It is contained in the variable HOME, which you can check with

Code:

echo $HOME

If you are user alan, it should give you /home/alan. If you are user root, it will give you /root.

wildad1 · 10-11-2016, 07:03 AM

Thanks. I got into the directory and got the program installed.

Jjanel · 10-11-2016, 06:00 PM

Welcome! It's easy for a new-user to fall into something like this.

The 'trick' is to 'craft' a sufficiently-precise web-search.
Someone here! fell into SAME...

Best wishes! ENJOY your Linux journey! (A ton of links here )

p.s. don't forget to mark this Thread as "Solved" (Thread Tools, at top).

Ztcoracat · 10-11-2016, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildad1

Thanks. I got into the directory and got the program installed.

Your Welcome:-

Glad it worked for you. Don't forget to mark your thread SOLVED.

BW-userx · 10-12-2016, 08:19 AM

if your in the base dir to me meaning that if you ls and get the reading such as this.

Code:

userx@Voided.1 & ~ >> $ls
Desktop        Music     Templates     freebsd         
Documents        Pictures  Videos        
Downloads    Public    blender-temp  testdisk.log

your current directories are already there to do not add the /

Code:

userx@Voided.1 & ~ >> $cd Documents
userx@Voided.1 & Documents >> $pwd
/home/userx/Documents

if you are in root login from a user then issue a cd that will take you into the root home dir, opps maybe that is not where you wanted to be. now you have to do absolute path to get back to that users environment.

Code:

userx@Voided.1 & Documents >> $su
Password: 
sh-4.3# pwd
/home/userx/Documents

sh-4.3# cd
sh-4.3# pwd
/root

sh-4.3# cd /home/userx/Documents
sh-4.3# pwd
/home/userx/Documents
sh-4.3#

if you just want to get back to the users environment in a hurry then do this

Code:

sh-4.3# cd
sh-4.3# pwd
/root
sh-4.3# exit
exit
userx@Voided.1 & Documents >> $

Red Squirrel · 10-12-2016, 07:10 PM

When you start a path with the forward slash it implies it is a full path and not relative, so it was actually looking for a folder right in / called Downloads. What you probably wanted to do is ../ which means "go back one folder" So say you are in Documents and Downloads is in the same folder as Documents, you would do cd ../Downloads to move to that folder in one command. Alternatively you can do cd .. to go back one folder then cd to Downloads (no slashes).