"su reports an error" ???

[c_martini]

Not sure if this is the right place for this problem but anyhow:

Just rebooted my pc after various updates in Kubuntu 6.06 Dapper Drake (i386) using Adept and Automatix. Now, whenever I try to launch any app that requires "su" (root password), such as Adept, or accessing any settings in the system settings panel which require admin or root priviledges, I get the following error:

"su reports an error"

Any ideas on what is causing this and how to fix it? I thought those apps in KDE use kdesu rather than su...

[c_martini]

Re: "su reports an error"

Hmm doesn't seem to be a very common problem. No replies yet.

I am stuck with this problem as I cannot administer the pc in any way except from the command line, and being a Linux newbie, my command line vocabulary is not that extensive. I wonder if "su" or "kdesu" can be reinstalled or repaired somehow

[unraad]

Re: "su reports an error"

I'm not an expert but I use sudo under kde not su
I think kdesu is for graphical softwares, sudo for konsole applications and that su was used to connect your konsole session under the root account .. and that it is not used anymore..
so all I can tell you is that sudo should work

bye
arno

[c_martini]

Re: "su reports an error"

I'm not an expert but I use sudo under kde not su
I think kdesu is for graphical softwares, sudo for konsole applications and that su was used to connect your konsole session under the root account .. and that it is not used anymore..
so all I can tell you is that sudo should work

Whether to use "sudo" or "su" is not the question I am trying to have answered. What I am trying to figure out is why my desktop apps (such as package manager Adept) which require a root password will not launch and fail with the su error...

[Nirvana]

Re: "su reports an error"

I'm not an expert but I use sudo under kde not su
I think kdesu is for graphical softwares, sudo for konsole applications and that su was used to connect your konsole session under the root account .. and that it is not used anymore..
so all I can tell you is that sudo should work

Whether to use "sudo" or "su" is not the question I am trying to have answered. What I am trying to figure out is why my desktop apps (such as package manager Adept) which require a root password will not launch and fail with the su error...

are you using kdesu? what is the exact error msg?

[c_martini]

Re: "su reports an error"

are you using kdesu? what is the exact error msg?

The exact error message is:

"su reports an error"

I know, not very descriptive, is it...

[sky]

Re: "su reports an error"

Hi,

Can you give us the command you're using please ?
Just to try to do it myself.

Cheers

[c_martini]

Re: "su reports an error"

Hi,

Can you give us the command you're using please ?
Just to try to do it myself.

Cheers

I am not using the command line at all. As I've stated at the top of this thread, I am trying to run normal gui desktop apps, not from a command line, just point and click from the desktop. Please read the beginning and progession of this thread for all details...

[askrieger]

Re: "su reports an error"

I'd suggest logging out and then logging back in using your USERNAME and PASSWORD. Then, when you want to run some application that requires Administrative privileges, use your USER PASSWORD. To learn more about this mode of operation, look at this help page: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RootSudo

[c_martini]

Re: "su reports an error"

I'd suggest logging out and then logging back in using your USERNAME and PASSWORD. Then, when you want to run some application that requires Administrative privileges, use your USER PASSWORD. To learn more about this mode of operation, look at this help page: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RootSudo

I will try your suggestions. It seems to be more of an alternative workaround to the standard way that I have been using Dapper and Breezy before it. I am not really looking for a workaround, but a fix for the problem. Something here is broken, a file corrupt somewhere or something. I just don't see how it could have happened so quickly when I did nothing but run updates and configure the system as a normal everyday user would. I just want to be able to use the o/s as a normal desktop user. I am doing nothing special here. Perhaps I should just wipe the disk and reinstall. This would be the third time i've done this though since Dapper was released and this last time it took several days to get the system configured properly, with the wireless connection still outstanding (that was the next project before the su problem surfaced)...

Anyhow I will check out this root sudo thing and let you know ho I make out with it...

[c_martini]

Re: "su reports an error"

Thanks to the above for their efforts of help. I have tried the above suggestions and even though they "work around" the problem, they do not solve it. So "su" has remained broken and normal desktop operation aside from non administrative tasks, is not functional.

I have had to wipe the drive and start over... again. This is the third time for Dapper alone I have had to do this (I only installed once for Breezy). Though Dapper indeed, has many improvements over Breezy, there are some problems that should have held back its release until they were solved, poor wireless support amoung other things including the problem I have. I have never had problems like this on any other distro, including previous versions of Ubuntu/Kubuntu.

I have switched to using Suse 10.1 for the time being as its far more organised and operational "out of the box". I have not given up on Kubuntu, I just don't have time at the moment to sit and mess with it for days and weeks on end to get it configured properly. I will wait until this release matures a bit and then try it again...