LinuxQuestions.org - Error msg when trying to use KUser

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- - Error msg when trying to use KUser (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/error-msg-when-trying-to-use-kuser-872656/)

Error msg when trying to use KUser

Slack 13.1 This is what I get when I go to KUser. Error opening /etc/shadow for reading. Can't save group settings.

Unless you are root when you run KUser, you won't able to change /etc/shadow. Or /etc/passwd. Or /etc/group

Code:

$ ls -l /etc/shadow*

-rw-r----- 1 root shadow 760 2011-02-26 01:43 /etc/shadow

-rw------- 1 root root  821 2011-02-25 22:06 /etc/shadow-

More specifically: If you run "kuser" from the system menu in KDE, you will be asked for the root password. If you run "kuser" from XFCE (or another WM and/or DE) you will get the error opening /etc/shadow for reading. In KDE, kdesu is used to ask for authentication; however, another DE or WM (such as Xfce) doen't know about kdesu. A workaround, to use KDE system apps in Xfce, is to change kuser.desktop to use kdesu:

Code:

Exec=kdesu kuser %i -caption "%c"

or you can just run "kdesu kuser" from the command line (using "su -c" doesn't work).

Now, if you are using KDE, and you get the same message, then you did something to corrupt your KDE installation. I have 3 clean slackware-current installations running either in a VM, or natively, and no special effort is needed when running kuser.

@kingbeowulf
Hi there, I have read your answer about using kuser with other than kde like Xfce. I am running on Xfce, but what you have suggested doesn't work. In "/usr/share/applications/kde4/kuser.desktop" the line you have proposed is already set, but always I get the error message.
I don't know if Xfce have worked around this issue, but that is.

@Paolopd:

Here typing from another WM "kdesu kuser" works
But this is on a Slackware derivative. This maybe does not apply to Debian (I really do not know)
This thread is 6 years old. Better open a new thread, preferably in the Debian forum if you still use Debian.

Good luck, anyway.