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  3. This makes zero sense - entering passwords

This makes zero sense - entering passwords

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  • D dandy72

    This can no longer be a coincidence. I've lost count of the number of times where I've installed a Linux distribution on this old laptop of mine (which I primarily keep to tinker with different Linux distributions), I create my login username/password, everything's fine, then upon the first reboot...my password is rejected as if I've made a typo. Yet if I type it into the username field, just to be able to view the individual characters (and ensure it's not a caps-lock type of thing), I can confirm I'm entering it correctly. This has happened with multiple versions of multiple distributions. Yet I've never had this happen with Windows. I always use the same password so I can type it reliably with muscle memory. The laptop I'm installing Linux on isn't being used for anything particularly important and doesn't contain any important data, so my workaround, when this happens, is to reinstall (!) and then to simply set the password as 'password'. Pretty lame, but I swear, if I use a combination of uppercase/lowercase, digits, symbols, etc then any login attempt after the initial OS install fails to recognize it. It makes absolutely no sense, and I feel crazy just writing this down to ask if anyone's ever seen this. It has happened so many times to me it *cannot* be mere coincidence. Am I losing my mind?

    Richard DeemingR Offline
    Richard DeemingR Offline
    Richard Deeming
    wrote on last edited by
    #2

    Could it be the keyboard layout? If it defaults to US layout for installation, and then changes to another layout when you reboot, the symbols may have moved. :~ (Or have you already tried the "type it in the username box" trick both at creation and login?)


    "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

    "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined" - Homer

    D H 2 Replies Last reply
    0
    • D dandy72

      This can no longer be a coincidence. I've lost count of the number of times where I've installed a Linux distribution on this old laptop of mine (which I primarily keep to tinker with different Linux distributions), I create my login username/password, everything's fine, then upon the first reboot...my password is rejected as if I've made a typo. Yet if I type it into the username field, just to be able to view the individual characters (and ensure it's not a caps-lock type of thing), I can confirm I'm entering it correctly. This has happened with multiple versions of multiple distributions. Yet I've never had this happen with Windows. I always use the same password so I can type it reliably with muscle memory. The laptop I'm installing Linux on isn't being used for anything particularly important and doesn't contain any important data, so my workaround, when this happens, is to reinstall (!) and then to simply set the password as 'password'. Pretty lame, but I swear, if I use a combination of uppercase/lowercase, digits, symbols, etc then any login attempt after the initial OS install fails to recognize it. It makes absolutely no sense, and I feel crazy just writing this down to ask if anyone's ever seen this. It has happened so many times to me it *cannot* be mere coincidence. Am I losing my mind?

      pkfoxP Offline
      pkfoxP Offline
      pkfox
      wrote on last edited by
      #3

      Are you trying to logon as root ?

      Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!" - Hunter S Thompson - RIP

      D 1 Reply Last reply
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      • Richard DeemingR Richard Deeming

        Could it be the keyboard layout? If it defaults to US layout for installation, and then changes to another layout when you reboot, the symbols may have moved. :~ (Or have you already tried the "type it in the username box" trick both at creation and login?)


        "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

        D Offline
        D Offline
        dandy72
        wrote on last edited by
        #4

        I thought about that, but I don't change the keyboard layout. And yes, I did try temporarily entering the password in a field so it's visible both during the setup, and after. Like I said - zero sense.

        1 Reply Last reply
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        • pkfoxP pkfox

          Are you trying to logon as root ?

          Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!" - Hunter S Thompson - RIP

          D Offline
          D Offline
          dandy72
          wrote on last edited by
          #5

          I'm trying to login using the credentials I've supplied during the OS setup.

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • D dandy72

            This can no longer be a coincidence. I've lost count of the number of times where I've installed a Linux distribution on this old laptop of mine (which I primarily keep to tinker with different Linux distributions), I create my login username/password, everything's fine, then upon the first reboot...my password is rejected as if I've made a typo. Yet if I type it into the username field, just to be able to view the individual characters (and ensure it's not a caps-lock type of thing), I can confirm I'm entering it correctly. This has happened with multiple versions of multiple distributions. Yet I've never had this happen with Windows. I always use the same password so I can type it reliably with muscle memory. The laptop I'm installing Linux on isn't being used for anything particularly important and doesn't contain any important data, so my workaround, when this happens, is to reinstall (!) and then to simply set the password as 'password'. Pretty lame, but I swear, if I use a combination of uppercase/lowercase, digits, symbols, etc then any login attempt after the initial OS install fails to recognize it. It makes absolutely no sense, and I feel crazy just writing this down to ask if anyone's ever seen this. It has happened so many times to me it *cannot* be mere coincidence. Am I losing my mind?

            L Offline
            L Offline
            Lost User
            wrote on last edited by
            #6

            Check your keyboard-settings and the keyboard itself; I've had the same problem, a few times. One that always gets me is a Norwegian laptop I have, with the keyboard set to EN-US. Most of the characters are then where I expect them to be. Very confusing at the time I worked in Germany, where z and y are swapped. Another time it happened simply because the keyboard needed cleaning. Sometimes an "e" came when typed, sometimes no "e", sometimes two or three. That's the downside of smoking behind your computer.

            Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: "If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.

            1 Reply Last reply
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            • Richard DeemingR Richard Deeming

              Could it be the keyboard layout? If it defaults to US layout for installation, and then changes to another layout when you reboot, the symbols may have moved. :~ (Or have you already tried the "type it in the username box" trick both at creation and login?)


              "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

              H Offline
              H Offline
              Heyemjay
              wrote on last edited by
              #7

              Zero login essentially refers to the idea that we will never again have to recall complex passwords or provide documentation to identify ourselves. Our devices will be smart and secure enough to instantly recognise us by our features, our voice, and our movements and other unique identifiable traitsHeyemjay | Buy Cannabis Strains Online | Official Marijuana Strains Store[^].

              1 Reply Last reply
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              • D dandy72

                This can no longer be a coincidence. I've lost count of the number of times where I've installed a Linux distribution on this old laptop of mine (which I primarily keep to tinker with different Linux distributions), I create my login username/password, everything's fine, then upon the first reboot...my password is rejected as if I've made a typo. Yet if I type it into the username field, just to be able to view the individual characters (and ensure it's not a caps-lock type of thing), I can confirm I'm entering it correctly. This has happened with multiple versions of multiple distributions. Yet I've never had this happen with Windows. I always use the same password so I can type it reliably with muscle memory. The laptop I'm installing Linux on isn't being used for anything particularly important and doesn't contain any important data, so my workaround, when this happens, is to reinstall (!) and then to simply set the password as 'password'. Pretty lame, but I swear, if I use a combination of uppercase/lowercase, digits, symbols, etc then any login attempt after the initial OS install fails to recognize it. It makes absolutely no sense, and I feel crazy just writing this down to ask if anyone's ever seen this. It has happened so many times to me it *cannot* be mere coincidence. Am I losing my mind?

                E Offline
                E Offline
                englebart
                wrote on last edited by
                #8

                Are you using any special characters like < > | etc? That might mess up a shell command/sed/regexp etc? The setup might be collecting info into a template that barfs when it tries to read it back.

                D 1 Reply Last reply
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                • D dandy72

                  This can no longer be a coincidence. I've lost count of the number of times where I've installed a Linux distribution on this old laptop of mine (which I primarily keep to tinker with different Linux distributions), I create my login username/password, everything's fine, then upon the first reboot...my password is rejected as if I've made a typo. Yet if I type it into the username field, just to be able to view the individual characters (and ensure it's not a caps-lock type of thing), I can confirm I'm entering it correctly. This has happened with multiple versions of multiple distributions. Yet I've never had this happen with Windows. I always use the same password so I can type it reliably with muscle memory. The laptop I'm installing Linux on isn't being used for anything particularly important and doesn't contain any important data, so my workaround, when this happens, is to reinstall (!) and then to simply set the password as 'password'. Pretty lame, but I swear, if I use a combination of uppercase/lowercase, digits, symbols, etc then any login attempt after the initial OS install fails to recognize it. It makes absolutely no sense, and I feel crazy just writing this down to ask if anyone's ever seen this. It has happened so many times to me it *cannot* be mere coincidence. Am I losing my mind?

                  J Offline
                  J Offline
                  Jeremy Falcon
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #9

                  dandy72 wrote:

                  Am I losing my mind?

                  Yes

                  Jeremy Falcon

                  D 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • D dandy72

                    This can no longer be a coincidence. I've lost count of the number of times where I've installed a Linux distribution on this old laptop of mine (which I primarily keep to tinker with different Linux distributions), I create my login username/password, everything's fine, then upon the first reboot...my password is rejected as if I've made a typo. Yet if I type it into the username field, just to be able to view the individual characters (and ensure it's not a caps-lock type of thing), I can confirm I'm entering it correctly. This has happened with multiple versions of multiple distributions. Yet I've never had this happen with Windows. I always use the same password so I can type it reliably with muscle memory. The laptop I'm installing Linux on isn't being used for anything particularly important and doesn't contain any important data, so my workaround, when this happens, is to reinstall (!) and then to simply set the password as 'password'. Pretty lame, but I swear, if I use a combination of uppercase/lowercase, digits, symbols, etc then any login attempt after the initial OS install fails to recognize it. It makes absolutely no sense, and I feel crazy just writing this down to ask if anyone's ever seen this. It has happened so many times to me it *cannot* be mere coincidence. Am I losing my mind?

                    J Offline
                    J Offline
                    Jeremy Falcon
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #10

                    Ok, for a real reply. Just assuming you're installing a distro that gets a GUI going by default. If that's the case, then reboot into the console or single user mode if you know the root password. The switch user (su) command can be use for more than just root access. So, try something like this:

                    Quote:

                    su - user2

                    If you can't login that way, there's a problem with your password. And if that's the case, what you can do to make sure it's not the install process is create a second user after a fresh install and before you reboot. See if you can login with that user instead afterwards. If you can, then maybe the install process messed something up.

                    Jeremy Falcon

                    D 1 Reply Last reply
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                    • E englebart

                      Are you using any special characters like < > | etc? That might mess up a shell command/sed/regexp etc? The setup might be collecting info into a template that barfs when it tries to read it back.

                      D Offline
                      D Offline
                      dandy72
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #11

                      Not those characters specifically, but I do have some non-alphanumeric characters...but nothing that would even be rejected as part of a filename.

                      englebart wrote:

                      The setup might be collecting info into a template that barfs when it tries to read it back.

                      I suppose if the installer is using one validation routine, but the login code uses something that's not 100% identical...that *could* mess things up? But you'd think this sort of thing would've been found/fixed - my password isn't that sophisticated...but who knows.

                      1 Reply Last reply
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                      • J Jeremy Falcon

                        Ok, for a real reply. Just assuming you're installing a distro that gets a GUI going by default. If that's the case, then reboot into the console or single user mode if you know the root password. The switch user (su) command can be use for more than just root access. So, try something like this:

                        Quote:

                        su - user2

                        If you can't login that way, there's a problem with your password. And if that's the case, what you can do to make sure it's not the install process is create a second user after a fresh install and before you reboot. See if you can login with that user instead afterwards. If you can, then maybe the install process messed something up.

                        Jeremy Falcon

                        D Offline
                        D Offline
                        dandy72
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #12

                        The problem is that the distro doesn't *prompt* you to create a root account and doesn't document what the default root password might be. Going through the entire installation process, I'm only ever prompted to create one set of credentials. Since those are no good, after a reboot...I'm basically completely locked out.

                        J 1 Reply Last reply
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                        • J Jeremy Falcon

                          dandy72 wrote:

                          Am I losing my mind?

                          Yes

                          Jeremy Falcon

                          D Offline
                          D Offline
                          dandy72
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #13

                          Well...that was a rhetorical question. And I kinda already knew the answer to it. :-)

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • D dandy72

                            The problem is that the distro doesn't *prompt* you to create a root account and doesn't document what the default root password might be. Going through the entire installation process, I'm only ever prompted to create one set of credentials. Since those are no good, after a reboot...I'm basically completely locked out.

                            J Offline
                            J Offline
                            Jeremy Falcon
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #14

                            If that's the case, I'm willing to bet (hoping to bet) the install puts the default account as a sudoer. So, you should be able to run sudo su without needing the root password, to gain root access.

                            Jeremy Falcon

                            D 1 Reply Last reply
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                            • J Jeremy Falcon

                              If that's the case, I'm willing to bet (hoping to bet) the install puts the default account as a sudoer. So, you should be able to run sudo su without needing the root password, to gain root access.

                              Jeremy Falcon

                              D Offline
                              D Offline
                              dandy72
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #15

                              ...right? But if I can't even reach a command prompt (because I have to login), how would I run sudo su at all?

                              J 1 Reply Last reply
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                              • D dandy72

                                ...right? But if I can't even reach a command prompt (because I have to login), how would I run sudo su at all?

                                J Offline
                                J Offline
                                Jeremy Falcon
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #16

                                You don't have access to the machine before the reboot? What distro is this?

                                Jeremy Falcon

                                D 1 Reply Last reply
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                                • J Jeremy Falcon

                                  You don't have access to the machine before the reboot? What distro is this?

                                  Jeremy Falcon

                                  D Offline
                                  D Offline
                                  dandy72
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #17

                                  Jeremy Falcon wrote:

                                  You don't have access to the machine before the reboot? What distro is this?

                                  Not sure if I've explained this right. Clean hard drive, I boot from an ISO, and run the distro's installer. At some point, it'll ask you for credentials, and it creates that account. You're not prompted to supply a password for the root account. That means the distro creates the account you've just supplied credentials for as part of the sudoers list. Finish the install, reboot, you have to supply credentials to login. That's when the password I had initially supplied is simply not recognized. Can't reach a command prompt to run sudo or anything else. The laptop I was tinkering with was running some instance of Fedora at one point. Then it was running Zorin. Then (and this is where I did my tinkering last week) I installed Lubuntu. They all had the same problem.

                                  J 1 Reply Last reply
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                                  • D dandy72

                                    Jeremy Falcon wrote:

                                    You don't have access to the machine before the reboot? What distro is this?

                                    Not sure if I've explained this right. Clean hard drive, I boot from an ISO, and run the distro's installer. At some point, it'll ask you for credentials, and it creates that account. You're not prompted to supply a password for the root account. That means the distro creates the account you've just supplied credentials for as part of the sudoers list. Finish the install, reboot, you have to supply credentials to login. That's when the password I had initially supplied is simply not recognized. Can't reach a command prompt to run sudo or anything else. The laptop I was tinkering with was running some instance of Fedora at one point. Then it was running Zorin. Then (and this is where I did my tinkering last week) I installed Lubuntu. They all had the same problem.

                                    J Offline
                                    J Offline
                                    Jeremy Falcon
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #18

                                    I don't use any Ubuntu variants, but what happens if you install Debian directly without the GUI installer, using the ncurses installer? Never once ran into that issue with Debian, so if you do then there's gotta be another reason than the install process.

                                    Jeremy Falcon

                                    D 1 Reply Last reply
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                                    • J Jeremy Falcon

                                      I don't use any Ubuntu variants, but what happens if you install Debian directly without the GUI installer, using the ncurses installer? Never once ran into that issue with Debian, so if you do then there's gotta be another reason than the install process.

                                      Jeremy Falcon

                                      D Offline
                                      D Offline
                                      dandy72
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #19

                                      Jeremy Falcon wrote:

                                      if you install Debian directly without the GUI installer, using the ncurses installer?

                                      I'm just a guy who happens to tinker with Linux every once in a while, by booting from the ISO and following the prompts on the pretty wizard screens. If I have to get my hands more dirty than this, this early in the process, it's not likely to be a distribution I'll be spending time with. :-) I mean, I've installed plenty of Debian versions, and derivates of it, but "without the GUI installer, using the ncurses installer", is mostly gobbledygook to me. :-) I'm not that dedicates to it, and I'm happy for now with my solution... I do appreciate the suggestions however.

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