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This has never happened to me before. I changed my password, set for No Password on login, and, noticing that I wasn't an administrator, I made myself one, though I'm the only user and the only one with access to the box. I then closed the lid to my laptop thinking that would effect the change, but then neither the new nor the old password was accepted. I even wrote down the new one (and I never write down passwords). I tried various spellings, no dice.

After reading some other posts, I realized I hadn't logged out and re-booted. So since I couldn't logout, I forced the computer off. When it came up, it prompted for a password again.

I saw a post about Recovery Mode, so I tried that. Not sure it worked - I never saw a grub prompt (don't know what it looks like and didn't see any kind of prompt). But the laptop booted without a password prompt. When I tried to create an additional user (as the backup I shudda done in the first place), I couldn't authenticate with either new or old password, or an alternate spelling of the new one, in case I misremembered it. Still no dice.

But at least I had access to the GUI. After being idle for a while, screen went blank and on awakening, the password prompt was back.

My last resort, I guess, is to re-install. The installation is only about a week old and I haven't loaded much yet, but it's still a pisserbummer.

Or does anyone have any other ideas? : (

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  • Providing release details may help us understand, also being specific with details too. A Xubuntu install will create by default a single user who has admin privileges; so your not having one implies a non-standard system of unstated release. A login loop can be the result of lack of disk space in $HOME (user directory) which won't stop a text login - did you check? though as stated your issue is unclear to me. Other causes for login-loop are usually package changed made by user with sudo rights (admins) in last session but you don't give any details.
    – guiverc
    Commented Jan 27, 2022 at 1:13
  • Don't know that I didn't have admin rights. Am over my head, getting discouraged. Don't know how to find release details, nor do I know what version of Xubuntu I have. Did a fair amt of DOS command line 25-30 yrs ago & some command line Unix (PDP-11? SUN?), not since. Thought Linux was user friendly enough for me now, but have to look up nearly every tech term and still don't know what to do with it. Like how to get to a Grub boot prompt: Pressing Esc didn't work, nor Shift on booting. Perhaps I can't escape Microslop - yet? Or is there a more user friendly flavor of Linux than Xubuntu?
    – Hulda
    Commented Jan 27, 2022 at 2:56
  • Does this answer your question? How do I reset a lost administrative password?
    – Archisman Panigrahi
    Commented Jan 27, 2022 at 4:18
  • Thanks for responding. I can't even login. By forcing the laptop to turn off (is that really a shutdown?) I was able to get to the GUI, I think by pressing Esc - or Shift - on booting. Got to command line, but not to Root, which I used to do. So I have no rights to modify the system. I think the kiss of death was giving myself admin rights. And changing my password, esp. without having another user with admin rights as backup. Looks like I'll have to re-install : (
    – Hulda
    Commented Jan 27, 2022 at 14:52

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
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Check out: How do I boot into single-user mode from GRUB?

When you get privileged user then use: passwd useraccount, set new password and reboot.

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  • When I get privileged user? That's what I'm trying to figure out. Can't get to Root, at least not with any rights to modify the system
    – Hulda
    Commented Jan 27, 2022 at 14:54
  • Ah, I finally did it correctly and got into Grub, but I don't know which version (release?) of Xubuntu I have. The USB drive I did the install from shows bootx64.efi, grubx64.efi and mmx64.efi from 7/29/2020 - the date the files were copied to the thumbdrive? Does 20.04 signify April 2020, a Xubutu release date? Grub (2.04) Recovery choices are Linux 5.4.0-96-generic or Linux 5.4.0-42-generic. The -96- appears to be more recent than my Xubuntu. So I'm guessing I should edit the -42- Dunno if using the wrong one will screw things up (even more) Suggestions anyone?
    – Hulda
    Commented Jan 27, 2022 at 15:29

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