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After upgrading from 16.04 to 18.04 (keeping home directories, formating root) I cannot log in. After the password is accepted, gdm silently goes back to the login screen.

I can change run levels and log in there. In /var/log/syslog I find:

Fatal server error:  
Cannot open log file "/home/myuser/.local/share/xort/Xorg.pid-1768.log"  
...  
Unable to run X server

How is that even possible?

Checking the home folder, I note that there's a readme and some Access-Your-Private-Data.desktop; I can access neither. What happened here?

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    @RoVo I don't think this is a duplicate since that one starts out knowing what the problem will be. I posted this one so people facing the same problem as I (not thinking about home folder encryption before installing 18.04 over 16.04) can get help diagnosing it in the first place. The answer(s) from there apply here, though; linking in my answer.
    – Raphael
    May 8, 2018 at 9:33
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    Sure. The question is still helpful for others. They can still find it and see the duplicate.
    – pLumo
    May 8, 2018 at 9:45
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    I hope that the reviewers can see the duplicate without automatically close voting this question with it. This question isn't going to help anyone if it gets closed for the wrong reason.
    – karel
    May 8, 2018 at 10:23

1 Answer 1

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I chose to encrypt my home folder back in 16.04 but this option is gone in 18.04. The default install doesn't contain the tools to deal with encrypted home folders anymore, so what we have here is an inaccessible home folder. (See here and here.)

While it seems possible to get access back (potential sources: this, this, and this), if you have a backup of your data there's an easier workaround.

Warning: Destructive commands follow!

  1. Log in in a different run level (e.g. Ctrl-Alt-F5) with the credentials you chose during setup.
  2. sudo rm -rf all content of your home directory (check the hidden files).
  3. sudo rm -rf /home/.ecryptfs
  4. sudo chmod 700 /home/myuser

Now there's no trace of the encrypted home folder left, and the home folder is writeable again.

Note: Unless encryption was enabled for the whole /home partition, the home folder is no longer encrypted.

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