su returned with an error

[nottublrak]

I'm new to kubuntu. Experimented with Ubuntu, but had problems with hardware and decided to try kubuntu because I prefer KDE.
Generally impressed, except that I can't get to administrative mode to add a new user ...
pressing the Administartive Mode button results in the message 'su returned with an error'.

I am also new to this forum and it took me a while to figure out how to post (I searched for an answer but got only tangentially related content).

Does anyone have direct answers to the questions:
"How do I add another user in Kubuntu, and is it possible to do it from within the gui ?"
AND
"How can I go about retrieving updates if I can't get administartive privileges "
                   

[OU812]

Re: su returned with an error

Updates should be done automatically. The process feels very similar to a win box set up with autoupdates.

To add a user, you can use the gui: kmenu>system settings>users and groups (bottom right). When the users and groups window pops up, click the admin mode button at the bottom. To do add a user by hand, open a terminal and do

sudo adduser

Also, in general, to launch an app with root priviledges, do

sudo command

unless the app is a gui. If it is a gui app, do this instead

kdesu command.

john

[nottublrak]

Re: su returned with an error

I'll try using terminal and typing sudo adduser at the command line -
the first method doesn't seem to work because pressing the admin mode button just returns with the quoted error (I have seen some reference to this problem in the forums - the gui code calls su, not sudo).

So I'll try using terminal and see if I can get anywhere. Interestingly enough, though, I chose kubuntu over ubuntu because KDE offers more graphical tools than Gnome - but if they don't work then the advantage is not there).

Maybe I should report the call to su rather than sudo as a bug?