Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > alt.os.linux.mint > #45568 > unrolled thread

Password incorrect after name change Home folder

Back to article view | Back to alt.os.linux.mint

Contents

  Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-21 14:43 +0200
    Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Dan Purgert <dan@djph.net> - 2025-10-21 12:59 +0000
      Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-21 16:10 +0200
        Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "Alan K." <alan@invalid.com> - 2025-10-21 11:04 -0400
          Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Dan Purgert <dan@djph.net> - 2025-10-21 15:45 +0000
          Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-10-23 07:16 +0000
          Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-10-23 09:06 -0400
        Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Dan Purgert <dan@djph.net> - 2025-10-21 15:42 +0000
          Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-10-22 02:05 -0400
    Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "Alan K." <alan@invalid.com> - 2025-10-21 09:24 -0400
      Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-21 16:16 +0200
      Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Gordon <Gordon@leaf.net.nz> - 2025-10-22 07:51 +0000
    Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder pinnerite <pinnerite@gmail.com> - 2025-10-21 14:47 +0100
      Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-21 16:20 +0200
        Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-10-21 13:12 -0400
          Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-24 11:42 +0200
    Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder yossarian <<nomail@gmail.com>> - 2025-10-21 18:14 +0200
      Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Joerg Walther <joerg.walther@magenta.de> - 2025-10-21 18:22 +0200
      Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-21 22:55 +0200
      Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-24 11:43 +0200
        Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-10-24 09:50 -0400
          Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-24 17:21 +0200
            Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-10-24 22:41 -0400
              Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-25 13:31 +0200
        Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder yossarian <<nomail@gmail.com>> - 2025-10-24 17:07 +0200
          Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-25 13:33 +0200
    Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-10-21 13:08 -0400
      Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-21 23:08 +0200
        Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Chris Elvidge <chris@internal.net> - 2025-10-22 12:32 +0100
          Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-10-22 08:46 -0400
          Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-10-23 07:13 +0000
          Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-24 11:47 +0200
            Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Dan Purgert <dan@djph.net> - 2025-10-24 10:49 +0000
              Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-24 15:53 +0200
                Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Dan Purgert <dan@djph.net> - 2025-10-24 14:47 +0000
                  Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-24 20:48 +0200
                    Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-10-24 23:03 -0400
                      Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-25 14:06 +0200
                        Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder vallor <vallor@vallor.earth> - 2025-10-25 12:52 +0000
                          Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-25 16:40 +0200
                        Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Chris Elvidge <chris@internal.net> - 2025-10-25 14:31 +0100
                          Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-25 16:46 +0200
                            Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder vallor <vallor@vallor.earth> - 2025-10-25 17:39 +0000
                              Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-26 17:02 +0100
                                Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder yossarian <<nomail@gmail.com>> - 2025-10-26 17:44 +0100
                                  Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-27 21:07 +0100
                        Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-10-25 09:42 -0400
                          Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-25 17:22 +0200
                            Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder lisa <not.in.use@home.invalid> - 2025-10-28 14:22 +0100
                              Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-29 19:35 +0100
                                Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder lisa <not.in.use@home.invalid> - 2025-10-30 09:30 +0100
                                  Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-30 15:28 +0100
                    Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Dan Purgert <dan@djph.net> - 2025-10-25 13:27 +0000
                      Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder [OT] "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-25 17:04 +0200
                    Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Gordon <Gordon@leaf.net.nz> - 2025-10-26 22:51 +0000
                      Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-27 21:34 +0100
                        Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-10-27 18:57 -0400
                          Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder [OT] "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-29 19:40 +0100
                        Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Monsieur <Monsieur@notreal.invalid> - 2025-10-28 15:05 +0100
                          Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder [OT] "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-29 19:48 +0100
            Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Chris Elvidge <chris@internal.net> - 2025-10-24 14:54 +0100
              Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-24 17:33 +0200
                Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Chris Elvidge <chris@internal.net> - 2025-10-24 17:52 +0100
                  Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2025-10-24 20:55 +0200
                Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Gordon <Gordon@leaf.net.nz> - 2025-10-26 22:04 +0000
            Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2025-10-24 11:08 -0400
    Re: Password incorrect after name change Home folder Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-10-23 00:20 +0000

Page 1 of 4  [1] 2 3 4  Next page →

#45568 — Password incorrect after name change Home folder

I work as a volunteer and help people out with (small) digital problems:
installing apps on their smartphone, explain how they work...

My "boss" wanted to play around with Linux, so he gave me an old laptop
and I installed Linux Mint 22.2 Cinnamon 64-bit. He was very impressed
and has been experimenting since, but he just contacted me about a
problem. Apparently he changed the name of the Home folder (in the GUI)
from 'Myname' to 'Organisationname' and now he can't login anymore. He
sent me a screenshot that says:

Myname

Incorrect password, please try again

What I found weird is that my name is with a capital; the login I gave
was without capital letter. (But I vaguely remember giving 'Myname' when
it was asked during installation.)

He says he tried in Terminal with sudo, but it doesn't work. He also
says he can't change the login to 'Organisationname', it seems stuck to
'Myname'. (I set up the laptop to autologin after boot.)

I'm in way over my head. I can install a Linux OS, install extra
software, work with Wine to a certain degree, change small stuff, but I
have never encountered this. I still haven't dumped Windows and switched
100% to Linux. I haven't got the laptop with me (yet), but I've
searched, even asked Grok, and it all seems to come down to command
lines in the Terminal.

Is there a simple solution to this? I would appreciate some tips.
(Remember, I don't have the laptop yet.)

Tnx!

-- 
s|b

[toc] | [next] | [standalone]

#45569

On 2025-10-21, s|b wrote:
> I work as a volunteer and help people out with (small) digital problems:
> installing apps on their smartphone, explain how they work...
>
> My "boss" wanted to play around with Linux, so he gave me an old laptop
> and I installed Linux Mint 22.2 Cinnamon 64-bit. He was very impressed
> and has been experimenting since, but he just contacted me about a
> problem. Apparently he changed the name of the Home folder (in the GUI)
> from 'Myname' to 'Organisationname' and now he can't login anymore. He

You can't just change the home directory name; it tends to cause
breakage, especially with graphical logins.

> sent me a screenshot that says:
>
> Myname
>
> Incorrect password, please try again

Linux usernames are supposed to be lowercase; though login screen *may*
show your "Full Name" instead of your "username".

>
> What I found weird is that my name is with a capital; the login I gave
> was without capital letter. (But I vaguely remember giving 'Myname' when
> it was asked during installation.)

You may well have given "Your Name" (let's say "Sam User") where it
asked for your name. However, it should've forced your *username* to
"sam" (as those are lowercase, and also just one word).

>
> He says he tried in Terminal with sudo, but it doesn't work. He also
> says he can't change the login to 'Organisationname', it seems stuck to
> 'Myname'. (I set up the laptop to autologin after boot.)

How is he getting to a terminal if he can't even login?

>
> I'm in way over my head. I can install a Linux OS, install extra
> software, work with Wine to a certain degree, change small stuff, but I
> have never encountered this. I still haven't dumped Windows and switched
> [...]
> Is there a simple solution to this? I would appreciate some tips.
> (Remember, I don't have the laptop yet.)

Depends how torched the system is.  If it's a simple case of "invalid
case", then login and  create a new user that is "orgname" instead of
"myname". 

If it's not ... just format and reinstall.  This time create a minimum
of two users:

  (1) you (create at setup)
  (2) orgname (create with "Users and Groups", give "admin" permissions)

Don't give "boss" the login creds for "you", so that next time he breaks
it, you may have a way out.

Also, setup timeshift (not that it helps with torching $HOME, but...)


-- 
|_|O|_|
|_|_|O| Github: https://github.com/dpurgert
|O|O|O| PGP: DDAB 23FB 19FA 7D85 1CC1  E067 6D65 70E5 4CE7 2860

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#45574

On Tue, 21 Oct 2025 12:59:42 -0000 (UTC), Dan Purgert wrote:

> You can't just change the home directory name; it tends to cause
> breakage, especially with graphical logins.

Yes, we've learned that the hard way now. (-: Why doesn't the OS prevent
a user from doing so or at least give a warning? It's not built for
clueless users, I bet. <g>
 
> How is he getting to a terminal if he can't even login?

I have no clue. I've only seen the screenshot and his text messages.

> If it's not ... just format and reinstall.  This time create a minimum
> of two users:
> 
>   (1) you (create at setup)
>   (2) orgname (create with "Users and Groups", give "admin" permissions)
> 
> Don't give "boss" the login creds for "you", so that next time he breaks
> it, you may have a way out.

That's a great tip! I was already thinking about a reinstall. I've got a
USB stick with Ventoy ready and last time it took me about 20 minutes.
 
> Also, setup timeshift (not that it helps with torching $HOME, but...)

I got that option during installation and for some reason chose not to.
*ouch*

-- 
s|b

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#45578

On 10/21/25 10:10 AM, s|b wrote:
>   
>> Also, setup timeshift (not that it helps with torching $HOME, but...)
> I got that option during installation and for some reason chose not to.
> ouch

My personal opinion is not to use timeshift.   But then that's me.  I've never used it so 
I have no experience.
I use Acronis True Image in Windows and make a partition backup there.  It works great but 
of course only does a complete restore not partial.

I also make backups with the mintbackup, backup tool.   The setup is a bit complicated 
(probably as much as timeshift) but it also works.

But my best backup is simply to copy the parts that I change and need.  My stuff.   The 
Thunderbird folder, Firefox folder, Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos.

#!/bin/bash
cd $HOME
tar czf <some other folder or drive>/backup.tar.gz \
Music Documents Pictures Videos .thunderbird .mozilla

You can put that into a shell script like "backup.sh" and just run it now and then.

When you plug in a usb drive in Mint, it mounts it as /media/<username>/<device name> like 
/media/alan/Samsung.   It's not like drive letters in Windows that sometimes change, like 
one day it's D: and then if you already had a D: it mounts as E:.    Linux uses the name 
of the drive when formatted as the directory name.  And it's always that name until you 
format the drive again or use some tool to edit the name (which you can easily do).

So the tar would be "tar czf /media/alan/Samsung/backup.tar.gz   etc"

...Enough schooling for the day.  Probably overwhelming you by now.
I like your idea to show him how to reload though.  If he seems to grab on and want to, 
it's probably the better way.

Good luck.

-- 
Linux Mint 22.2,  Mozilla Thunderbird 140.4.0esr,  Mozilla Firefox 144.0
     Alan K.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#45580

On 2025-10-21, Alan K. wrote:
> On 10/21/25 10:10 AM, s|b wrote:
>>   
>>> Also, setup timeshift (not that it helps with torching $HOME, but...)
>> I got that option during installation and for some reason chose not to.
>> ouch
>
> My personal opinion is not to use timeshift.   But then that's me.
> I've never used it so I have no experience.

It's less of "a backup" and more of a "system restore point", the *main*
help is if an update royally screws up; but in the case of experimenting
with (global) system config files and such, it can act as a final safety
net for when you didn't backup the working copy first.

-- 
|_|O|_|
|_|_|O| Github: https://github.com/dpurgert
|O|O|O| PGP: DDAB 23FB 19FA 7D85 1CC1  E067 6D65 70E5 4CE7 2860

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#45594

On Tue, 21 Oct 2025 11:04:01 -0400, Alan K. wrote:

> It works great but of course only does a complete restore not partial.

On Linux, it is usual to back up the specific files that you care about. 
That way, you can do an equally specific restore.

There’s a lot of voodoo black magic surrounding how Windows installations 
are put together, to try to explain why selective file restores all too 
often don’t work. That’s less of an issue on Linux.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#45595

On Tue, 10/21/2025 11:04 AM, Alan K. wrote:
> On 10/21/25 10:10 AM, s|b wrote:
>>  
>>> Also, setup timeshift (not that it helps with torching $HOME, but...)
>> I got that option during installation and for some reason chose not to.
>> ouch
> 
> My personal opinion is not to use timeshift.   But then that's me.  I've never used it so I have no experience.
> I use Acronis True Image in Windows and make a partition backup there.  It works great but of course only does a complete restore not partial.
> 
> I also make backups with the mintbackup, backup tool.   The setup is a bit complicated (probably as much as timeshift) but it also works.
> 
> But my best backup is simply to copy the parts that I change and need.  My stuff.   The Thunderbird folder, Firefox folder, Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos.
> 
> #!/bin/bash
> cd $HOME
> tar czf <some other folder or drive>/backup.tar.gz \
> Music Documents Pictures Videos .thunderbird .mozilla
> 
> You can put that into a shell script like "backup.sh" and just run it now and then.
> 
> When you plug in a usb drive in Mint, it mounts it as /media/<username>/<device name> like /media/alan/Samsung.   It's not like drive letters in Windows that sometimes change, like one day it's D: and then if you already had a D: it mounts as E:.    Linux uses the name of the drive when formatted as the directory name.  And it's always that name until you format the drive again or use some tool to edit the name (which you can easily do).
> 
> So the tar would be "tar czf /media/alan/Samsung/backup.tar.gz   etc"
> 
> ...Enough schooling for the day.  Probably overwhelming you by now.
> I like your idea to show him how to reload though.  If he seems to grab on and want to, it's probably the better way.
> 
> Good luck.
> 

I just back up a Linux EXT4 disk with Macrium.

          +------+-----------------+---------------------------+---------+-----------------+
          | MBR  | ESP 500MB FAT32 |  Microsoft Reserved 16MB  |   SWAP  | Slash EXT4 part |
          +------+-----------------+---------------------------+---------+-----------------|

Macrium      dd    smart/cluster               dd                   dd       smart/inode
Response

Clonezilla   dd    smart/cluster               dd                   dd       smart/inode
                   partimage?                                                partimage?


On Windows, Macrium in the OS can use VSS shadow copy.
This allows a backup while files are open (after a fashion).

But just as well, you can do offline backups from boot media.
A Linux installer USB stick would work, a Macrium Rescue CD would work for its software.

Macrium has img2vhd.exe in one of the older versions of installer, and
that will convert a drive images of a 2.2TB or smaller disk, into a VHD container. And the VHD
container follows rules a bit better in terms of being a parse-able format.
You can drill into a .vhd with 7ZIP for example. 7ZIP can open an EXT4 or an NTFS in a VHD.

Macrium .mrimg files also mount, but EXT4 partitions would not have their
files exposed as the Macrium mounter is a Windows thing. Whereas the VHD method,
7ZIP can open either kind of partition, within a VHD.

These are examples of a little less command line work.

People have demonstrated their scripting skills here, for automation purposes.
And some have problems with the scripting, which is understandable, as
not everyone is into that stuff. I have languages I like to work in,
and things I'd rather not, and I can't rescue just every script
that comes along :-) But occasionally, an individual bad command,
I might be able to spot the issue in it.

To script, you have to be a little familiar with looping constructs,
and that's a likely reason for me not writing scripts in just everything.

   Paul

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#45579

On 2025-10-21, s|b wrote:
> On Tue, 21 Oct 2025 12:59:42 -0000 (UTC), Dan Purgert wrote:
>
>> You can't just change the home directory name; it tends to cause
>> breakage, especially with graphical logins.
>
> Yes, we've learned that the hard way now. (-: Why doesn't the OS prevent
> a user from doing so or at least give a warning? It's not built for
> clueless users, I bet. <g>

For the same reason that 'rm' doesn't ask if you're really sure you want
to remove a file.

*IDEALLY* it's a very simple case of "rename it back" (using the live
session), but as the machine is sort of experimental, it might just be
faster/easier to pave over it.

>> [...]
>> Also, setup timeshift (not that it helps with torching $HOME, but...)
>
> I got that option during installation and for some reason chose not to.
> *ouch*

Note that it wouldn't have fixed *THIS* error -- but it's a good idea
for if "boss" goes poking around anywhere else on the filesystem.


-- 
|_|O|_|
|_|_|O| Github: https://github.com/dpurgert
|O|O|O| PGP: DDAB 23FB 19FA 7D85 1CC1  E067 6D65 70E5 4CE7 2860

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#45588

On Tue, 10/21/2025 11:42 AM, Dan Purgert wrote:
> On 2025-10-21, s|b wrote:
>> On Tue, 21 Oct 2025 12:59:42 -0000 (UTC), Dan Purgert wrote:
>>
>>> You can't just change the home directory name; it tends to cause
>>> breakage, especially with graphical logins.
>>
>> Yes, we've learned that the hard way now. (-: Why doesn't the OS prevent
>> a user from doing so or at least give a warning? It's not built for
>> clueless users, I bet. <g>
> 
> For the same reason that 'rm' doesn't ask if you're really sure you want
> to remove a file.
> 
> *IDEALLY* it's a very simple case of "rename it back" (using the live
> session), but as the machine is sort of experimental, it might just be
> faster/easier to pave over it.
> 
>>> [...]
>>> Also, setup timeshift (not that it helps with torching $HOME, but...)
>>
>> I got that option during installation and for some reason chose not to.
>> *ouch*
> 
> Note that it wouldn't have fixed *THIS* error -- but it's a good idea
> for if "boss" goes poking around anywhere else on the filesystem.
> 
> 

IDK. Every experience has value. Showing the "boss" how
to do the repair, then going back to flatten-and-pave experiments
is still of value. One thing you want to demonstrate to a new user,
is that "you CAN fix things". IF you only teach people to nuke-and-pave,
their knee jerk reactions will be rather limiting.

Users should be taught about ownership and RWX permissions and so on,
as a gentle intro. They can be shown where the mount declarations
might be (/etc/fstab), without a whole day long lecture on
actual mount options. Knowing /etc/default/grub exists would be nice
(nobody likes to be trapped in a tile/lozenge world forever).

There are a few skills any user should have. Maybe you should
be delivering a mention of "rsync", so if a recipe calls for it
the term won't be so foreign.

Some treatment of NFS or SMB would be nice, because eventually
real users have more than one computing device in the room.

   Paul

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#45570

On 10/21/25 8:43 AM, s|b wrote:
> I work as a volunteer and help people out with (small) digital problems:
> installing apps on their smartphone, explain how they work...
> 
> My "boss" wanted to play around with Linux, so he gave me an old laptop
> and I installed Linux Mint 22.2 Cinnamon 64-bit. He was very impressed
> and has been experimenting since, but he just contacted me about a
> problem. Apparently he changed the name of the Home folder (in the GUI)
> from 'Myname' to 'Organisationname' and now he can't login anymore. He
> sent me a screenshot that says:
> 
> Myname
> 
> Incorrect password, please try again
> 
> What I found weird is that my name is with a capital; the login I gave
> was without capital letter. (But I vaguely remember giving 'Myname' when
> it was asked during installation.)
> 
> He says he tried in Terminal with sudo, but it doesn't work. He also
> says he can't change the login to 'Organisationname', it seems stuck to
> 'Myname'. (I set up the laptop to autologin after boot.)
> 
> I'm in way over my head. I can install a Linux OS, install extra
> software, work with Wine to a certain degree, change small stuff, but I
> have never encountered this. I still haven't dumped Windows and switched
> 100% to Linux. I haven't got the laptop with me (yet), but I've
> searched, even asked Grok, and it all seems to come down to command
> lines in the Terminal.
> 
> Is there a simple solution to this? I would appreciate some tips.
> (Remember, I don't have the laptop yet.)
> 
> Tnx!
> 
I agree with Dan.   You don't mess with the 'home' folder.   You don't do it in Windows, 
you don't do it in Linux.   Too many things are "/home/<name>/.config/"  etc.

Unless he has done a huge amount of custom work or data entry, I'd just reformat as Dan 
says.    I hope your boss lives close.

And Linux is case sensitive where Windows is not.
/home/Boss/Documents is not the same as /home/boss/documents.
Also spaces in certain places complicates things and usually messes up the works.   It's a 
crap shoot as to where, but now and then a piece of code assumes spaces and newlines are 
dividers between items.

-- 
Linux Mint 22.2,  Thunderbird 128.14.0esr,  Mozilla Firefox 143.0.4
     Alan K.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#45575

On Tue, 21 Oct 2025 09:24:29 -0400, Alan K. wrote:

> I agree with Dan.   You don't mess with the 'home' folder.   You don't do it in Windows, 
> you don't do it in Linux.   Too many things are "/home/<name>/.config/"  etc.

I've never tried to change it in Windows, but I pass on the message.
 
> Unless he has done a huge amount of custom work or data entry, I'd just reformat as Dan 
> says.    I hope your boss lives close.

I volunteer 2 times a week, Wednesday and Thursday. I will see him then.
It was a fresh install, so I'm guessing there's not much data on it. He
should actually do the reinstall himself; I wrote him a step-by-step
manual (which took longer than the actual install).

> And Linux is case sensitive where Windows is not.
> /home/Boss/Documents is not the same as /home/boss/documents.
> Also spaces in certain places complicates things and usually messes up the works.   It's a 
> crap shoot as to where, but now and then a piece of code assumes spaces and newlines are 
> dividers between items.

I'll take that into account.

-- 
s|b

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#45589

On 2025-10-21, Alan K. <alan@invalid.com> wrote:
> On 10/21/25 8:43 AM, s|b wrote:
>> I work as a volunteer and help people out with (small) digital problems:
>> installing apps on their smartphone, explain how they work...
>> 
>> My "boss" wanted to play around with Linux, so he gave me an old laptop
>> and I installed Linux Mint 22.2 Cinnamon 64-bit. He was very impressed
>> and has been experimenting since, but he just contacted me about a
>> problem. Apparently he changed the name of the Home folder (in the GUI)
>> from 'Myname' to 'Organisationname' and now he can't login anymore. He
>> sent me a screenshot that says:
>> 
>> Myname
>> 
>> Incorrect password, please try again
>> 
>> What I found weird is that my name is with a capital; the login I gave
>> was without capital letter. (But I vaguely remember giving 'Myname' when
>> it was asked during installation.)
>> 
>> He says he tried in Terminal with sudo, but it doesn't work. He also
>> says he can't change the login to 'Organisationname', it seems stuck to
>> 'Myname'. (I set up the laptop to autologin after boot.)
>> 
>> I'm in way over my head. I can install a Linux OS, install extra
>> software, work with Wine to a certain degree, change small stuff, but I
>> have never encountered this. I still haven't dumped Windows and switched
>> 100% to Linux. I haven't got the laptop with me (yet), but I've
>> searched, even asked Grok, and it all seems to come down to command
>> lines in the Terminal.
>> 
>> Is there a simple solution to this? I would appreciate some tips.
>> (Remember, I don't have the laptop yet.)
>> 
>> Tnx!
>> 
> I agree with Dan.   You don't mess with the 'home' folder.   You don't do it in Windows, 
> you don't do it in Linux.   Too many things are "/home/<name>/.config/"  etc.
>
Some understanding would help here as well. Changing /home/MyName to
/home/TheOrganisation means that you are trying to log in as another user
which is not possible. As pointed out above the .config files are there for
a reason. 

Add a new user, TheOrganisation is the way to also an option.




> Unless he has done a huge amount of custom work or data entry, I'd just reformat as Dan 
> says.    I hope your boss lives close.
>
> And Linux is case sensitive where Windows is not.
> /home/Boss/Documents is not the same as /home/boss/documents.
> Also spaces in certain places complicates things and usually messes up the works.   It's a 
> crap shoot as to where, but now and then a piece of code assumes spaces and newlines are 
> dividers between items.
>

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#45572

On Tue, 21 Oct 2025 14:43:12 +0200
"s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> wrote:

> I work as a volunteer and help people out with (small) digital problems:
> installing apps on their smartphone, explain how they work...
> 
> My "boss" wanted to play around with Linux, so he gave me an old laptop
> and I installed Linux Mint 22.2 Cinnamon 64-bit. He was very impressed
> and has been experimenting since, but he just contacted me about a
> problem. Apparently he changed the name of the Home folder (in the GUI)
> from 'Myname' to 'Organisationname' and now he can't login anymore. He
> sent me a screenshot that says:
> 
> Myname
> 
> Incorrect password, please try again
> 
> What I found weird is that my name is with a capital; the login I gave
> was without capital letter. (But I vaguely remember giving 'Myname' when
> it was asked during installation.)
> 
> He says he tried in Terminal with sudo, but it doesn't work. He also
> says he can't change the login to 'Organisationname', it seems stuck to
> 'Myname'. (I set up the laptop to autologin after boot.)
> 
> I'm in way over my head. I can install a Linux OS, install extra
> software, work with Wine to a certain degree, change small stuff, but I
> have never encountered this. I still haven't dumped Windows and switched
> 100% to Linux. I haven't got the laptop with me (yet), but I've
> searched, even asked Grok, and it all seems to come down to command
> lines in the Terminal.
> 
> Is there a simple solution to this? I would appreciate some tips.
> (Remember, I don't have the laptop yet.)
> 
> Tnx!
> 
> -- 
> s|b

Here is my two-pennath:
1)  Boot on a live DVD/Flashdrive/the Mint install drive.
2)  From the Menu, search for Disks and open it.
3)  Look for the partition on the hard drive/SSD that is most likely your original /home directory.

It will not be mounted. You can mount it from there but your boot-up drive will already have a home. Here is whav ChatGPT recommends:

Here’s how to **rename your /home directory back to the correct name** on a Linux Mint system using a **live OS (USB/DVD)**:

---

### 🧰 What You’ll Need

* A **Linux Mint Live USB/DVD**.
* Basic familiarity with the terminal.
* The name of the partition that contains your Mint installation (e.g., `/dev/sda2`).

---

### ⚙️ Step-by-Step Guide

#### 1. **Boot into the Live Environment**

Boot your computer from the Linux Mint live USB/DVD and choose **“Try Linux Mint”**.

---

#### 2. **Identify the Root Partition**

Open a terminal and run:

```bash
sudo fdisk -l
```

Look for your Linux Mint root partition (usually something like `/dev/sda2` with type “Linux filesystem”).

---

#### 3. **Mount the Root Partition**

Create a mount point and mount your system:

```bash
sudo mkdir /mnt/mint
sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt/mint
```

If your `/home` is on a separate partition, mount that too:

```bash
sudo mount /dev/sda3 /mnt/mint/home
```

*(Replace `/dev/sda3` with the actual partition for `/home`.)*

---

#### 4. **Check the Contents of `/home`**

List the directory to confirm the mistake:

```bash
ls -l /mnt/mint/home
```

You’ll likely see something like:

```
drwxr-xr-x  ...  wrongname
```

Instead of your expected username (e.g., `john`).

---

#### 5. **Rename the Directory**

Rename it back to the correct name:

```bash
sudo mv /mnt/mint/home/wrongname /mnt/mint/home/john
```

---

#### 6. **Update `/etc/fstab` and `/etc/passwd` (if needed)**

If you had changed the username or home path, verify and fix it:

**Edit `/etc/passwd`:**

```bash
sudo nano /mnt/mint/etc/passwd
```

Find the line for your user:

```
john:x:1000:1000:John,,,:/home/wrongname:/bin/bash
```

Change `/home/wrongname` → `/home/john`.

**Edit `/etc/fstab`** (if `/home` is on a separate partition):

```bash
sudo nano /mnt/mint/etc/fstab
```

Confirm it points to the correct device.

---

#### 7. **Unmount and Reboot**

```bash
sudo umount /mnt/mint/home
sudo umount /mnt/mint
reboot
```

Boot normally into your Mint installation — your `/home` should be restored.

---

Would you like me to include the **case where `/home` is on a separate partition** (e.g., LUKS or Btrfs)? The steps differ slightly depending on the filesystem setup.


Good Luck.

Alan


-- 
Linux Mint 22.1 kernel version 6.8.0-84-generic Cinnamon 6.4.8
AMD Ryzen 7 7700, Radeon RX 6600, 32GB DDR5, 2TB SSD, 2TB Barracuda

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#45576

On Tue, 21 Oct 2025 14:47:23 +0100, pinnerite wrote:

> Here is my two-pennath:
> 1)  Boot on a live DVD/Flashdrive/the Mint install drive.
> 2)  From the Menu, search for Disks and open it.
> 3)  Look for the partition on the hard drive/SSD that is most likely your original /home directory.
> 
> It will not be mounted. You can mount it from there but your boot-up drive will already have a home. Here is whav ChatGPT recommends:

I appreciate the help; I already tried Grok and it gave me a six page
solution (options, really). I think I'm going to do the reinstall with
him by my side. It'll be a learning experience; if he messes it up again
he can do the reinstall himself.

-- 
s|b

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#45585

On Tue, 10/21/2025 10:20 AM, s|b wrote:
> On Tue, 21 Oct 2025 14:47:23 +0100, pinnerite wrote:
> 
>> Here is my two-pennath:
>> 1)  Boot on a live DVD/Flashdrive/the Mint install drive.
>> 2)  From the Menu, search for Disks and open it.
>> 3)  Look for the partition on the hard drive/SSD that is most likely your original /home directory.
>>
>> It will not be mounted. You can mount it from there but your boot-up drive will already have a home. Here is whav ChatGPT recommends:
> 
> I appreciate the help; I already tried Grok and it gave me a six page
> solution (options, really). I think I'm going to do the reinstall with
> him by my side. It'll be a learning experience; if he messes it up again
> he can do the reinstall himself.
> 

It's not that complicated really. Takes about ten minutes to fix.
The AI is likely to embellish a bit.

   Paul

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#45600

On Tue, 21 Oct 2025 13:12:11 -0400, Paul wrote:

> > I appreciate the help; I already tried Grok and it gave me a six page
> > solution (options, really). I think I'm going to do the reinstall with
> > him by my side. It'll be a learning experience; if he messes it up again
> > he can do the reinstall himself.

> It's not that complicated really. Takes about ten minutes to fix.
> The AI is likely to embellish a bit.

We did a complete reinstall. He wanted to learn how to install it
anyway, so I showed him how to create a bootable USB flash drive with
Ventoy and did the install. He's got another old laptop at home which he
will use to install LM.

I've got the "original" laptop now, so I can experiment myself. It's
weird since it is in Dutch and I'm used to English. I know I can change
the language, but it's to help other people, so for now I leave it in
Dutch. It's very clear that it is translated by a Hollander, because
some words don't sound good to me (Fleming). Changing the  language to
Dutch; Flemish, Belgium didn't help.

-- 
s|b

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#45581

On Tue, 21 Oct 2025 14:43:12 +0200
"s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> wrote:

> Apparently he changed the name of the Home folder (in the GUI)
> from 'Myname' to 'Organisationname' and now he can't login anymore. He
> sent me a screenshot that says:

How he manage to do that? I am not new to linux but I don't know how to
do that in GUI.


-- 
Running Linux Mint 22.2 (Zara) using Kernel=6.14.0-33-generic on x86_64
, Cinnamon, lightdm, x11
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G with Radeon Graphics (16) @ 5.288GHz

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#45582

yossarian <<nomail@gmail.com>> wrote:

>> Apparently he changed the name of the Home folder (in the GUI)
>> from 'Myname' to 'Organisationname' and now he can't login anymore. He
>> sent me a screenshot that says:
>
>How he manage to do that? I am not new to linux but I don't know how to
>do that in GUI.

Apparently he started the file manager that he used as administrator, I
couldn't think of another way.

-jw-
-- 
And now for something completely different...

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#45586

On Tue, 21 Oct 2025 18:14:01 +0200, yossarian <<nomail@gmail.com>>
wrote:

> How he manage to do that? I am not new to linux but I don't know how to
> do that in GUI.

I don't know, I wasn't standing next to him when he did it. Chances are
he doesn't know it himself. :-D

-- 
s|b

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#45601

On Tue, 21 Oct 2025 18:14:01 +0200, yossarian <<nomail@gmail.com>>
wrote:

> How he manage to do that? I am not new to linux but I don't know how to
> do that in GUI.

He showed me how he thinks he did it: apparently, he opened the file
manager and then changed the name of the folder.

-- 
s|b

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

Page 1 of 4  [1] 2 3 4  Next page →

Back to top | Article view | alt.os.linux.mint

csiph-web