No boot-up when logging in as "root"

[LooseCanon]

Ok, I'm up a creek without a paddle... Got a bit of a problem - hope someone can help me with this one.

First off, I'm running SuSE 8.2 with GRUB bootloader.

Here's a description of the problem. After restarting my machine, I logged in as "root" in the GUI login manager tobe able to transfer files more easily once in KDE environment - figured it easier to just copy and paste a bunch of downloaded documents and other files than typing all the loooong paths as "su" in a console.

So I logged in as "root" (KDE) without difficulty, made some changes and for the heck of it opened a readme file (it started loading in Kwrite automatically). For some reason that program stopped responding. I figured it would quit the program if I logged out and logged back in. Well I logged out, and tried to log back in as "root" in the GUI login manager. Only this time the system just hangs after login (well at least the login process hangs because I can still press ctrl-atl-F keys). It worked that time, the second time I couldn't get the GUI login manager at all and I somehow (by some luck?) figured out to manually shutdown and reboot my machine using the "shutdown" command.

So now I can't login anymore using "root" in the login manager! What do I check to see why loging in as "root" in the GUI login manager hangs??

I can still log in as a user but not as "root".... Any help would be much appreciated.


**EDIT**
I can still log in as root in su mode from my user session.

[LooseCanon]

hmm.. ok, I fished around the system a bit in YaST2 (SuSE GUI) and found the system log (found in /var/log/boot.msg), and I saw a whole number of lines repeated as so:

Aug 24 15:01:05 linux insmod: Using /lib/modules/2.4.20-4GB/kernel/drivers/input/keybdev.o
Aug 24 15:01:05 linux kernel: usb_control/bulk_msg: timeout
Aug 24 15:01:05 linux kernel: usbdevfs: USBDEVFS_CONTROL failed dev 2 rqt 128 rq 6 len 18 ret -110
Aug 24 15:01:05 linux /etc/hotplug/net.agent[1762]: No HW description found ... exiting
Aug 24 15:01:05 linux kernel: usb_control/bulk_msg: timeout
Aug 24 15:01:05 linux kernel: usbdevfs: USBDEVFS_CONTROL failed dev 2 rqt 128 rq 6 len 18 ret -110
Aug 24 15:01:05 linux kernel: usb_control/bulk_msg: timeout
Aug 24 15:01:05 linux kernel: usbdevfs: USBDEVFS_CONTROL failed dev 2 rqt 128 rq 6 len 18 ret -110
Aug 24 15:01:06 linux kernel: usb_control/bulk_msg: timeout
Aug 24 15:01:06 linux kernel: usb_control/bulk_msg: timeout
Aug 24 15:01:10 linux kernel: usbdevfs: USBDEVFS_CONTROL failed dev 2 rqt 128 rq 6 len 18 ret -110
Aug 24 15:01:10 linux kernel: usb_control/bulk_msg: timeout
Aug 24 15:01:10 linux kernel: usb_control/bulk_msg: timeout
Aug 24 15:01:10 linux kernel: usbdevfs: USBDEVFS_CONTROL failed dev 2 rqt 128 rq 6 len 18 ret -110
Aug 24 15:01:10 linux /etc/hotplug/usb.agent[2134]: cannot get config descriptor: Connection timed out


The error msg ends as you see it there.... Is this the reason I can't login as "root" in the GUI login manager? If so, how would I proceed to fix this problem? Seems like everything's fine when I log in as a user but not "root".

Thanks

[mdwatts]

Actually some of the distros completely disable logging on X/KDE/Gnome as root unless you modify one of the config files.

Here are the JL forum search results for 'root kde logon' (http://justlinux.com/forum/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=721597&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending) which will hopefully help to explain.

Best to logon as a normal user and then 'su' to root whenever required. Lots of topics on that here also.

[LooseCanon]

Yeah that's what I normally do - logon as normal user and then "su" to root when needed. It's just that when I tried to log on as "root" in the logon manager (SuSE) the process just hangs. I'd like to fix that problem in case I do need to logon as root in GUI.

Seems other folks had this problem but there's no solution or suggestion posted. Already did a search in the forum before posting original thread.

Thanks

[psi42]

I guess I should just offer my $0.02...:) (Note I'm not using SuSE)

Usually when I have a problem like this, it has to do with some of the user's settings (in this case root, so better be careful:).)

In your /root dir, there will be preferences folders such as .kde*, .xmms, and so on. You can see them all with ls -sah /root. If one of the files in these folders is corrupt, it may cause some applications to crash. For example, a bad font in ~/.fonts will cause xfce4-panel and abiword to crash. :(

You can try moving some of them to different places (example mv .xmms .xmmsold) and then try logging in again.


Also try booting into runlevel 3 and then try logging in as root there, and then starting X....

[LooseCanon]

Originally posted by psi42
Also try booting into runlevel 3 and then try logging in as root there, and then starting X....

Yup, that did the trick - thanks .. I was playing around with the runlevels and afterwards (after a reboot) GUI boot as root works again. ... actually come to think of it, I'm not entirely sure if it was that or the fact that I ran an update (SuSE update checker) and that could have arranged or fixed the settings... doubtfull though it seems. Thanks again. :)

[jglen490]

Glad it worked out for you.

But, please, be very careful running root for any length of time, especially in a desktop or GUI and most especially with an active network connection.

[LooseCanon]

Roger that.

Oh I hear you. hehe don't want my root login to be messed up otherwise big doo-doo. Just did it that once to do some multiple configurations to the file system and all (easier, faster to do it in GUI) and then get out.

Let this be a lesson, don't log in as "root" unless absolutely imperative.

Cheers, and thanks again

//Canon

[freakmn]

I have a similar problem, but I cannot find a solution. Not only can I not login through kdm with root, but I cannot su to root. I can log in at the console prompt with root, and I can login with my own user from there, but if I do, I cannot su to root. I can log in to gui with my user, but if I log in as my user, I cannot su to root. If I try, it does not give any error, unless I type the password in wrong, and it does not change user at all. I can su from root to my normal user fine. If I try to ssh into my machine as root, It shows my last login time, then closes the connection. It seems that the command exit is running at my login.
The only thing I did was run kuser and try to add a user for my brother. When I tried to log in with that user, it said that the shell was not present in /etc/shells. I looked for that file, and I did not have it. I copied the info from a working Linux box onto the one I am working on, and I could get that user to log in. It seems kuser messed something up.

[freakmn]

I've found the problems. The su and ssh problem was due to my shell being set to /bin/false, and the gui login problem was in .xsession in my root folder. Maybe someone will get some use out of this.

Greg