Authentication

Shivaree

Hi there, I'm french and a newbie in Linux/Solus, so I'll try to be clear.

I don't know my password which is required for new downloads or updates. The only password indicated during the installation (yesterday) is my session password, which is correct, as I can open my session. When I try to modify the password in the user account, I can't as the password I type (= my session password) is false (I suppose it's the same needed for the updates...).
I found a similar problem here https://openclassrooms.com/forum/sujet/ubuntu-mot-de-passe-d-authentification-95648 (in french) but it needs to go in the grub (wtf is that) by typing ESC during the boot. But nothing happens when I do so...

Before I make a big mistake, I prefer to ask...

Many thanks for your help

davidjharder

Hello, and welcome to the forum.

If you created only one password during setup, then that is the password you must use for updates.

Grub is a bootloader. You might have it on your system.

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_GRUB

You probably do not need to use GRUB to fix this problem.

Can you please explain when you made passwords during setup? Maybe you created an encrypted partition also?

Shivaree

Oh thanks for your quick answer.

The installation was a basic one, on a new device, blank SSD, I do not chose the LVM option. When I created my account, only one password was asked, indicated at the same time that my Name and alias. This password is OK I suppose, as I can open a session with it, but it does not work for authentication 🙁 I thought maybe it was a problem with the keyboard in azerty in France, but my password is qwerty friendly, so I'm lost... Maybe I should reinstall, but it's frustrating !

Lucien_Lachance

if i remember correctly during installation, when you create your username and password there is a small box where you can uncheck 'this user has admin rights' or something like that. maybe you unchecked that, if thats even possible. i could be very wrong though as i dont remember the installation process very clearly

Shivaree

You're right, but I didn't uncheck the box 🙁
I'm surprised that I can't modify the password in the user account, it should be my session password there, didn't it ? It's correct as I can open the session but incorrect there... strange

OK it gets stranger. The PC was sleeping, it asks my password then : false. I shut down, come back on, password OK.

zeseb

Hello, does your password contains numeric characters ? If so, did you checked the numlock is correcty activated on the keyboard ?
Did you checked if your keyboard layout is OK (Menu Outils Système > Paramètres > Pays et Langue > Sources de saisie) ? Does it correspond with the layout displayed on the login screen ?

Shivaree

Yes it does, and yes I checked the numlock.
I just checked and on the login screen, the keyboard is french, ok with the layout (France, french). My password is qwerty friendly anyway.
Again, when the session come back after sleep, the password does not work. But when I restart, it's ok.
That's crazy

Lucien_Lachance

i dont know if related but i once had a problem that was a bit similar, from what i can remember it was sort of the opposite, i couldnt log in but once i was logged in (via figuring out what a US keyboard looked like and pressing the keys on my norwegian keyboard as if it was american) everytyhing worked

so after that i looked up US keyboard layout and made sure i only used characters that were the same on my NO keyboard as on the US keyboard.

for example on both keyboads shift + 3 produces a #
on my keyboard shift + 6 produces a &
on US keyboard it produces something else

so i made a list of keys i can use and cant use
if this makes sense
as i said not sure if this is related to your problem

Shivaree

Thanks for your help, but I don't think my problem is related, my password contains only numbers and letters qwerty friendly 🙁 if no one can help, I'll try to reinstall this week end, I must have done something wrong during install

dbarron

You could certainly try the simple expediency of 1) changing your password to something trivial 2) attempt to use sudo to validate you have admin authority with your password, I think that would be of interest (to me at least).

And see if #1 changes anything.

Lucien_Lachance

is keyboard layout set up correctly in gnome-control-center > region and language?

Shivaree

Lucien_Lachance yes it is, checked above 😉 I also tried not to use my numeric pad, doesn't change anything

Shivaree

I can't change my password as it requires my actual password which is considered as false, except when I log in at the start of the computer. Every other use of this password is considered as false (authentication, log in after sleep...). Thanks anyway, I'm a newbie, so I don't understand the sudo part, sorry

Lucien_Lachance

sudo is short for i think 'superuser do', a way of gaining admin privileges

if you open a terminal and type 'sudo gedit' for example you will be asked to type your password. just see if that works, and then close gedit (gedit is a text editor)

Shivaree

Thanks : password incorrect

zeseb

To change your password without reinstalling the OS, maybe you can try to modify it directly via the console tty:
1- When your PC is booted on the login screen, you can type Ctrl+Alt+F1 to display the console (you can go back to graphical interface via Ctrl+Alt+F7).
2- Then enter your username and password. By default it is a qwerty layout.
3- If your password is accepted then type the command : sudo localectl set-keymap --no-convert fr to set the french layout azerty in this console. You will have to enter your password again.
4- Then type the command : passwd to change your password.
5- Then type exit and Ctrl+Alt+F7 to come back on the graphical login screen, and you can try your new password.

rare

try writing it in gedit (or whatever textfield you want) so you can be sure the password is correct and then copy and paste it.

Shivaree

Despite your help, I didn't succeed. I have reinstalled Solus, with a different password, without numerics. It works... So I suppose that the problem was there, despite my many trys. Again many thanks. Have a nice day

rare

Shivaree Since it was virtually a fresh install I hope you didn't lose much besides your time.
Anyway, have fun using Solus! 🙂

dbarron

I am virtually certain that your previous installation was salvageable, however, re-install was perhaps easier than trying to guide you to fix it.