For questions related to users, user accounts, user permissions or guest accounts.
35
votes
5answers
62k views
How to manage users and groups?
Just switched from 10.04 to 11.10. I'm wondering about the limited options in the GUI for managing users and groups. Where is the old GUI to change groups, id's, etc. I know that I can do this from ...
54
votes
17answers
5k views
Why is it bad to run as root?
I've often come across posts on forums or other websites where you see people joking in such a manner about running/logging in as root as if it's something awful and everyone ought to know about it. ...
85
votes
4answers
187k views
How can I add a new user as sudoer using the command line?
After I add a user using adduser, I can't see it via System->Administration->Users and Groups unless I logout then login again. Is that normal?
Also, can I set a newly added user as a sudoer or ...
16
votes
6answers
13k views
How to enable root login?
I would like to enable the root account on my Ubuntu installation.
I realize the security implications of this.
12
votes
5answers
14k views
Move home folder to second drive
I have 2 HDD drives in my computer. At the moment second drive is mounted as /media/storage.
How can I move my user data from /home to /media/storage/home?
Can I just move the data over there and ...
11
votes
3answers
2k views
How do I change the guest session defaults
I have a quite tunned up gnome desktop and I would like for the guest session to share most of the user settings, this includes:
Gtk and Metacity themes.
Number of panels, placement and applets.
...
2
votes
2answers
809 views
How can I give admin permissions to my account? [duplicate]
11.10 has allowed me to (stupidly) remove my admin level login leaving me with only my standard log in. I am no longer able to modify any software, update etc.
How can I 'uprate' my user login back ...
10
votes
5answers
6k views
Simplest & Easy Way To Jail Users
I Need Simplest & Easy Way To Jail Users in there home directories
simple configuration to jailing users (with full help or some good web links )
6
votes
1answer
3k views
How do I give multiple users access to a Windows NTFS partition?
I have USB hard-drive connected to my Ubuntu (11.04) machine. Every time I reboot the computer and login it mounts the hard-drive. Since the disk has NTFS on it, Linux assigns some user to be the ...
2
votes
1answer
735 views
User Accounts not listed in System Settings User Accounts
I'm running 12.04 on PPC (IMAC G5) - but have a problem with creating/editing user accounts with the System Preferences User Accounts tool. All updates have been downloaded and installed.
When I ...
23
votes
5answers
2k views
How to NOT become a root user? Are administrators root?
I installed Ubuntu on my PC. To log in, I use the username and password I created during installation. Does this mean I am a root user? If yes, then how do I become non-root? It looks like non-root ...
18
votes
2answers
22k views
Create an administrator user in command line
I want to create a user with administrative privileges and all the regular setups like home directory.
Is there a adduser parameter to give the user sudo powers automatically?
What are the default ...
13
votes
2answers
1k views
How do I set up new users with skel
i have on my server a settings i use for all my users. every time i create a new user i have to copy all the settings over and over.
for example:
.vimrc.
.profile
.bashrc
firefox homepage to our ...
10
votes
4answers
4k views
Why can other users see the files in my home folder?
I just added a new, underprivileged "desktop user," and I was surprised to discover that it can see the files in my home folder.
What is the rational for setting up such lax permissions?
9
votes
1answer
10k views
Can you unencrypt / remove encryption from a user home folder? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How to stop using built-in home directory encryption?
During installation I have chosen to encrypt my user's home folder.
Can I un-encrypt it? How would I do that? I ...
8
votes
3answers
3k views
I deleted the “/etc/passwd” file and cannot log in
I was trying to change my username and also my home directory (/home/username) and my system started to crash. I deleted the passwd file but I had a backup named passwd_bkp. I tried to rename this ...
2
votes
2answers
439 views
what happens if all users are set as standard while root password not set
I don't dare to do as in the title.
So I set root password first with sudo passwd root, and then I change all other users to be standard user, none administrator, so no user can sudo.
If I want to set ...
4
votes
2answers
1k views
I unexpetedly deleted administrator account and the other accounts are asking root password
I unexpectedly deleted my user account (the only administrator for the machine). I have another account which is standard account now i cant access my hard disk or anything with that standard account ...
9
votes
5answers
2k views
Why does Ubuntu force users to create a password upon installation?
There's been one problem I've had since I installed Ubuntu to run alongside Windows, I assume this would also be the same if it was installed to replace the other operating system as well, the ...
3
votes
2answers
4k views
How can I restrict program access to other users?
I'm setting up a new user account, and I want to allow access to only certain programs for just that account. How would I go around doing that?
2
votes
2answers
3k views
How to add user without useradd command?
Is it possible to add a user in ubuntu linux without useradd command I think its possible by adding the entries in /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow but i don't know the exact steps to do it and the user ...
1
vote
1answer
9k views
Create a new user in 12.04?
I tried to create a new user in 12.04 using the "Users menu", but although the user guest has been created, I never got asked a password. So when I logout and try to login as guest, I get asked a ...
4
votes
2answers
595 views
How to restrict access to a NTFS partition to a standard (non-admin) user?
I am using Ubuntu 12.04. I have 4 NTFS partitions. I have made 2 users: One for myself (Admin) and one for family (standard/non-admin).
I successfully restricted the access to my home folder from ...
0
votes
1answer
2k views
Users and Groups Administration tool - What do the options in User Privileges tab of Advanced Settings do?
How does the "User Privileges" tab in the Advanced Settings of Users and Groups GUI work? I mean this window:
Does it simply add or remove the user from certain groups, or is there something else? ...
5
votes
1answer
119 views
Setting A System For Public Use
I am setting a system up for public use
I want to set some rules on the usage of computer so that the users are restricted to some particular areas of the system and they don't play with sensitive ...
4
votes
2answers
1k views
How to restrict user's access to the internet for time intervals?
I want that one of the users (not in the sudoers list) have Internet access from 14:00 until 16:00 and from 17:00 until 18:30. Is it possible? Can I set different time intervals for different week ...
8
votes
2answers
8k views
Disable sudo permission to user from command line
I have activated root user in ubuntu and want to use ubuntu as server with no DE. For this I want to disable sudo privilege given to first user. How can I do this from command line ? I know I can use ...
7
votes
3answers
3k views
How to run multiple user X sessions on the same computer, at the same time?
I want to have more than one user logged on at the same time, on the same computer.
Each user should have a full GUI X session...
It's easy enough to log in to multiple concurrent non-X linux ...
2
votes
3answers
2k views
enabling a user (created with adduser command) for lightdm graphical login
I just installed Ubuntu 12.04 AMD64 on a new (empty) hard disk (because the previous crashed)
Since I am quite familiar with Debian, I created two accounts with the adduser command.
Since I am also ...
6
votes
4answers
8k views
Getting an “Authentication token manipulation” error when trying to change my user password
I am logging in to my Ubuntu Server using my username. Once I am logged in I am typing passwd command. Entering a new password but a second after getting following error messages:
passwd: ...
3
votes
5answers
6k views
How to install subversion server
I'd like to install a Subversion server on my Ubuntu machine.
What packages to I need? How do I create a repository and set a new user?
2
votes
1answer
3k views
How to rename a user safely?
I've misspelled user name when installing (XUbuntu 11.10) and would like to rename if possible. How can it be done safely?
17
votes
1answer
468 views
Is it possible to obtain an e-mail address like myname.surname@ubuntu.com
Being an Ubuntu user for about 3 years, is it possible to obtain an e-mail address like myname.surname@ubuntu.com ?
5
votes
2answers
3k views
Unity greeter background not changing for users automatically after upgrade
I have recently upgraded from 11.10 to 12.04. Normal upgrade, no new installation. In 11.10 I was using Simple LightDM Manager tool to set a custom wallpaper on the login screen. This tool ...
4
votes
1answer
2k views
How do I restrict users?
I'm using Ubuntu 10.04. I would like to create a new account, for other people using my computer. I would like my guest to have access to Internet, text editor and other application installed on my ...
2
votes
5answers
7k views
Authenticate user that has no password?
I've set up my user account so that no password is required to login and I need to install some updates. However when prompted for the password, it says authentication failed if I leave the box ...
2
votes
1answer
2k views
how to copy old user account to new user account?
my old user account is not working at all some corrupted files i guess...
the other 2 accounts are working normal.
so i create a new admin account and i wonder how can i copy all my settings, ...
1
vote
3answers
2k views
How to permanently disable user switching in Gnome 3?
I have six boys, and they tend to ask another parent when wanting to use one of the computers, but don't bother asking the logged in user if they're finished. All four machines are running Ubuntu ...
1
vote
2answers
1k views
useradd seems to have failed in Lubuntu 12.04 [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How to add user without useradd command?
I am trying to add users in Lubuntu 12.04. I have followed the instructions here which amounts to:
$ useradd username
$ passwd ...
1
vote
2answers
6k views
Change user password while password is empty
I have a realy strange problem in Ubuntu 11.10. I have by accident my password set to empty. If I wan't to install software now the system asks for a password, but I haven't one anymore. If I enter my ...
0
votes
1answer
26 views
Unable to recover admin account ubuntu 11.10
i had accidentally deleted the admin account. i am using the system from standard how to recover the administrator account which i had deleted, please do favour me in resolving this isssue.
3
votes
1answer
4k views
Granting a sftp user access to a /var/www directory
I've created a user and made his home directory /var/www/mysite/ftpdir
I've also added a Match user entry for this user in sshd_config with a ChrootDirectory that points to /var/www/mysite
I've ...
3
votes
4answers
4k views
Deleted Myself from Admin Group - Now Getting Error usermod: cannot lock /etc/passwd; try again later [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Cannot lock '/etc/group' in recovery mode
I have a laptop with Ubuntu 11.10 that is shared between myself and two other family members. My user id was setup as ...
9
votes
4answers
10k views
Change owner of internal hard drive partition from root to user
I have a number of drives internal and external. Some are partitioned. Most mount automatically at boot (all did at one point).
One partition is owned by root and therefore does not mount ...
8
votes
3answers
555 views
When Ubuntu asks for an admin user's password, how does it decide which administrative user to ask for?
I am setting up an Ubuntu (10.10) machine that will be used by several people. It is a shared machine in a small office. Its primary roles are hosting virtual machines with VirtualBox and serving ...
6
votes
5answers
509 views
Single administrator computer for systems with only regular account on network
How can I have systems with only a regular account with administrative tasks managed by a single computer?
EDIT
I simply want be able to add/remove software on all computers from a single system. ...
3
votes
2answers
3k views
What does Ctrl + Alt + F11 do and why can't i log into my account with unity anymore?
I was just happily typing away, trying out some android dev on my ubuntu machine, i pressed Ctrl + Alt + F11 instead of Ctrl + F11 to run the program in eclipse. This made the screen go blank with a ...
2
votes
2answers
556 views
Users Restriction ( Limit On Executing Files )
I want to create a user in such a way that he/she cannot execute any file
i don't want users to have " x " permissions of any file they create
i m using Ubuntu 11.10
UPDATE
i tryed chmod 700 ...
7
votes
2answers
3k views
What are the criteria for a user background to become login background on user selection?
What are the criteria for a user background to become login background on user selection?
I'm using 12.04 (beta) having jumped from 10.04, so I don't know whether it's the same with 11.10.
Basically ...
4
votes
1answer
2k views
How do I fine-tune user privileges?
In previous versions of Ubuntu, I was able to fine-tune user privileges easily via a tool. However, the present version apparently only allows two levels: standard or administrator. How do I e.g. give ...
