On Wed, 12 May 2004 11:41:15 -0600 Robin Laing <Robin.Laing@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Karl L wrote: > > On Wed, 12 May 2004 07:54:04 -0400 > > Bob Chiodini <chiodr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > > > > >>On Wed, 2004-05-12 at 02:53, Karl L wrote: > >> > > > Thanks for your reply. I apologize for not providing more information. > > My main problem is that I don't get an error message and can't find anything in the logs that reflects the situation. But, here's what happens when I try to login as root (and I've tried this with both the smp and non-smp version of 2188 as well as with the previous kernel release with the same result): I get a username prompt, I enter the username 'root'; I then get a password prompt, I enter the correct root password and then -- a BSOD! (though the mouse cursor is still 'alive'). > > > > So, the first thing I tried after this had happened twice was to login as my 'emergency user' (an ALL access sudoer) and entered 'sudo passwd root', got the password change prompt, entered a new password, confirmed it (and it seemed to be accepted normally). Then I checked /etc/passwd > > visually (it seemed OK) but then I checked it with 'sudo /usr/sbin/pwck' > > (which should examine both /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow for syntax problems) and, though both files appeared to be intact, there was no return code from pwck that I could find in any log (even 'sudo /usr/sbin/pwck > pwcktest.txt' produced an empty file). After this, I tried another root login with the "new" password but got the same Blue Screen of Death as before. BTW, my very first examination of /etc with > > ls did turn up a 6-byte password.lock file (which I simply renamed password.lock.problem and left there) > > > > So, as a sudoer, I read thru all the logs in /var/log looking for some indication of the problem but could find nothing that struck my eye (which I hasten to add did not really know what to be looking for, truth be told). > > > > What I'd like to do is follow the sequence of scripts and modules that are called after a successful login but I don't know enough about this system to identify that sequence. Any guidance here would be much appreciated. > > > > Thanks > > > > Karl L > > > > > > Is the root home directory intact? > > Maybe something in the /root/ directory is trying to start and > crashing the system. > > What happens if you just try to su (not su -)in a terminal window? > If you can login this way, the password is working. I think it is > because of the BSOD that you are getting. It looks like X isn't > starting for root. Possibly a corrupted config file in /root/ . > > > -- > Robin Laing > Good thinking! I'm logged into X as a sudoer (user911). I enter 'su' and rootpass (at prompt) ==> pwd reveals that I'm in /home/user911 but when logged in as sudoer (user911) and I enter 'su -' and rootpass (at prompt) ==> then pwd reveals that I'm in /root and have full root privs. So, the rootpass is working! Progress for which I thank you. The /root directory appears to be intact and since I can operate as root (without the sudo qualifier) once I'm in as user911 and issue su - (with the current password), I'd say it is intact. Still I've just checked /root/.xsession-errors visually and there are a LOT of them. I don't know the meaning of many (maybe, all) of them but I think that's where the trail is leading. However, it is true that I can use apps in X (such as gedit) after 'su -' even if selectively (for example, I can use gedit to create a text file but I cannot save it to /root but can save it to /home/user911 so that seems to imply that X is function`ing at some level. Karl L
