How to add a user who can login and use X?

[Geklmin]

Hello. I've had quite a bit of trouble trying to add a second user to my machine.

I tried using the "users and groups" utility first, to add a user named "family" and I made sure to alter its settings so it would have the appropriate permissions. I can log into it via su - family but I cannot login to it on the login "greeter" screen, and I was not able to run startx because there was no .Xauthority file.
I created this file, and I tried again to login to it with LXDE window manager but all that popped up was the clipit notification, and I could not do anything (no desktop, no taskbar, no mouse, no keyboard) so I had to forcefully shut down my machine so I could log in again.


I have also tried the adduser command, it produces the exact same results.

How exactly are you supposed to add users to debian who can run window managers and login from the greeter screen normally?

I use gdm3, I'm on Debian Buster Testing, I just apt update;apt full-upgraded this morning. 64 bit.

[Head_on_a_Stick]

I tried using the "users and groups" utility first, to add a user named "family" and I made sure to alter its settings so it would have the appropriate permissions.

I presume that the "users and groups" utility is a GUI provided by GNOME?

What exactly did you alter in the settings? And what does "appropriate permissions" mean to you?

I was not able to run startx because there was no .Xauthority file.

Why do you think this?

I've just deleted ~/.Xauthority and my user can log in as normal and start the graphical desktop with no errors at all immediately afterwards.

I created this file

How exactly did you create ~/.Xauthority?

The X server creates that file automatically, as should be made clear by my previous comment.

I have also tried the adduser command, it produces the exact same results.

Please post the exact command (and options) that you used and also any error messages or log entries that result from the failed attempt.

How exactly are you supposed to add users to debian who can run window managers and login from the greeter screen normally?

I've just run

Code: Select all

# adduser family

and then pressed <return> for all of the options except the password and I was able to log in and `startx` successfully with the family user afterwards.

I'm also running buster, just updated.

There's no way I'm installing GNOME & GDM to test but I'm pretty sure that would also work.

[Geklmin]

I tried using the "users and groups" utility first, to add a user named "family" and I made sure to alter its settings so it would have the appropriate permissions.

I presume that the "users and groups" utility is a GUI provided by GNOME?

What exactly did you alter in the settings? And what does "appropriate permissions" mean to you?

I was not able to run startx because there was no .Xauthority file.

Why do you think this?

I've just deleted ~/.Xauthority and my user can log in as normal and start the graphical desktop with no errors at all immediately afterwards.

I created this file

How exactly did you create ~/.Xauthority?

The X server creates that file automatically, as should be made clear by my previous comment.

I have also tried the adduser command, it produces the exact same results.

Please post the exact command (and options) that you used and also any error messages or log entries that result from the failed attempt.

How exactly are you supposed to add users to debian who can run window managers and login from the greeter screen normally?

I've just run

Code: Select all

# adduser family

and then pressed <return> for all of the options except the password and I was able to log in and `startx` successfully with the family user afterwards.

I'm also running buster, just updated.

There's no way I'm installing GNOME & GDM to test but I'm pretty sure that would also work.

On Xauthority:
Because I logged in on the command line as the family account and tried to startx and it gave me the error that .Xauthority did not exist, so it could not start the X server.
How I created Xauthority:
echo "" > .Xauthority (My main user's is blank)

On Gnome:
Gnome is broken on my system, and I can't start it up. I'm going to start another thread about it. I use LXDE and WindowMaker, which are my favorite window managers.

The users and groups utility is under preferences in menu://applications in PCmanFM

[Head_on_a_Stick]

On Xauthority:
Because I logged in on the command line as the family account and tried to startx and it gave me the error that .Xauthority did not exist, so it could not start the X server.

Is that the full, exact error message?

I have to correct myself: it is the `startx` script that creates ~/.Xauthority, not the X server.

As I said, removing that file does not cause `startx` (or `xinit`, which is what I use) to fail, at least on my box.

I would appreciate an answer to my other questions.

And please don't full quote, it ruins the readability of the thread.

[Geklmin]

Ok then
In answer to all of your questions:
1) It is not the full exact error message
2) users and groups is an executable program, I don't know where it came from but it is probably from gnome
3) I added permission to use Ethernet and removed permission to view system logs, otherwise it was the "Desktop-user" setting
4) I think that I was not able to run startx without a .Xauthority file because when I logged in via the command line (Ctrl+Alt+F3 on the login screen to get to the commandline) it complained at me. Strangely enough, the program didn't close and I had to press ctrl+c to close the x server, but it did not display.
5) I created Xauthority by running echo "" > .Xauthority while logged in as family
6) I typed adduser family with no options or arguments on the commandline



I am running Buster/Testing and i've been careful to follow the don't break debian rules, however things have, repeatedly and consistently, broken since I installed. First, I couldn't change the background of the login screen. Next, I couldn't save the nvidia settings configuration to force the composition pipeline, it resets every time I re-login (I have since decided to live without it, but at the time, I solved it by putting an nvidia-settings call in my .bashrc). Thirdly, I had to add an nvidia-settings call to my .bashrc in order to set the resolution in any window manager other than LXDE, because it would use 3840x2160 which is too high resolution and runs slowly on my machine. Fourth, I can't add new users who can use X (this thread), Fifth GNOME is broken, Sixth, None of these things were true except 1 (not being able to change the login screen background) when I first installed from a netinst CD version of debian buster testing.

So far, I am thoroughly disappointed with debian testing. Siduction (which is based off of Debian Buster Sid) has been a lot more stable

There is also an issue on my system which, thus far, has not had any symptoms: Upon every bootup, my system tells me that there is a TSC_DEADLINE firmware bug (I don't remember the full error) before booting into the greeter screen about 5 seconds later

[Head_on_a_Stick]

It is not the full exact error message

Please post the exact command (and options) that you used and also any error messages or log entries that result from the failed attempt.

I think that I was not able to run startx without a .Xauthority file because when I logged in via the command line (Ctrl+Alt+F3 on the login screen to get to the commandline) it complained at me. Strangely enough, the program didn't close and I had to press ctrl+c to close the x server, but it did not display.

Please post the exact command (and options) that you used and also any error messages or log entries that result from the failed attempt.

I typed adduser family with no options or arguments on the commandline

That worked for me, there must be other problems with your system.

I am running Buster/Testing and i've been careful to follow the don't break debian rules

That advice only applies to Debian stable.

Mixing repositories may be necessary in testing/unstable.

things have, repeatedly and consistently, broken since I installed

That is to be expected with testing/unstable, the clue is in the name...

Those are development branches rather than releases and as such they are designed to break so as to expose problems that can be fixed for the official release.

I appreciate that distrowatch.com suggests testing is a "middle ground" between stable & sid but they are talking out of their ass.

So far, I am thoroughly disappointed with debian testing.

So far the Debian community is thoroughly disappointed with your efforts to help the development of the next release.