Adding new users problem

[nigelr]

I tried to add a couple of new users to a fresh install (and updated today - 7th Oct) of 8.10.
I used kuser and filled in the right fields, added a password, kept the checkboxes for adding a /home
directory and skeleton for the new user.

Everything seems to be OK until I try to log in as that new user. I get an error message [in a
nice little box]:
Cannot enter home directory. Using /.

Then another error message, when I click 'OK':
Could not start kstartupconfig4. Check your installation.

When I check /home, there are no [/home/new_user] entries for the new users.

Anybody had success in adding a new user?

[nigelr]

Re: Adding new users problem

Replying to myself here:

I found a workaround. First create a directory, with the name of the intended new user, in /home - - using your favorite method - ie. 'sudo mkdir /home/name_of_new_user' (without the quotes) or:
'Alt F2' and type 'kdesudo konqueror', click on the icon; then create a new directory (when konqi opens) in /home with the name of the intended new user.
Then, using 'kuser' add a new user using the same name that you used for the new directory in /home

kuser will inform you something about there being a directory with that name already and if you want to use it - say yes.

Like I said -- this is a workaround.....

Blessings,

Nigel

[boardstupid]

Re: Adding new users problem

I have the same problem. After trying your workaround, the first error message disappears but the second one remains. I did note that python failed to do something during installation (I forget what it said though). Perhaps this is the root of the problem.

[nigelr]

Re: Adding new users problem

I managed a simple [foolproof] way to do it.

From a terminal:
'sudo adduser name_of_new_user' (without the quotes of course).

You will then be prompted with a few questions -- just hit enter after giving the details (hit enter for the fields that are not important -- like 'room number', 'telephone' etc.)

kadduser seems to be broken in places.

[boardstupid]

Re: Adding new users problem

It looked so promising. Unfortunately I got the same error message again (Could not start kstartupconfig4. Check your installation.)
Guess I'm more of a fool than you had previously thought when you labeled you plan foolproof

Terminal tells me that the name that I'm trying to add already exists. No problem. Open KUser, locate name, delete user.
Then terminal says group already exists. Still no problem. Open KUser, locate group, delete group.
Third time is the charm and user appears to be added correctly. I log out try to sign in as new user and that's when the message returns.

I removed the new user through the terminal using sudo deluser then tried to remove the group in the same manner but was told that the group didn't exist. I tried the command line creation again but still no luck signing in with that user.

[boardstupid]

Re: Adding new users problem

Today I formatted my 64 bit install and replaced it with the 32 bit version. After all the updates were finished being installed I went right ahead and created a second user profile through the terminal and everything went smoothly.

I still got a couple of error messages during the install (something regarding python and kwin around the 57% mark) but they must not have been the problem after all.

[kaos99]

Re: Adding new users problem

No problem with creating a new user, but when the new user logs on she sees the nice new curly background, a mouse pointer and that's it. No startup window, no panels, nothing.
Lots of stuff in her .xsession-errors:

Xsession: X session started for test at Fri Oct 17 17:46:36 CEST 2008
/etc/X11/Xsession.d/40guidance-displayconfig_restore: line 11: /usr/bin/displayconfig-restore: No such file or directory
/usr/bin/xmodmap: unable to open file '/usr/share/apps/kxkb/ubuntu.xmodmap' for reading
/usr/bin/xmodmap: 1 error encountered, aborting.
kwin: X Error (error: BadRequest [1], request: X_GLXQueryServerString[GLX+19], resource: 0x69)
kwin: X Error (error: BadRequest [1], request: X_GLXQueryServerString[GLX+19], resource: 0x69)
kwin(17117) KDecorationPlugins::loadPlugin: kwin : path "/usr/lib/kde4/kwin3_oxygen.so" for "kwin3_oxygen"
kwin(17117) KToolInvocation::klauncher: klauncher not running... launching kdeinit
kdeinit4: preparing to launch /usr/lib/kde4/libexec/klauncher
kdeinit4: preparing to launch /usr/bin/kded4
kdeinit4: preparing to launch /usr/bin/kbuildsycoca4
kbuildsycoca4 running...
kbuildsycoca4(17151) kdemain: Reusing existing ksycoca
kdeinit4: preparing to launch /usr/lib/kde4/libexec/kconf_update
kdeinit4: preparing to launch /usr/bin/knotify4
kwin(17117): Couldn't start knotify from knotify4.desktop: "KDEInit could not launch '/usr/bin/knotify4'."

[toad]

Re: Adding new users problem

kaos, from what it sounds like you are using kde4 - on 8.04 or 8.10?

Whatever, for the time being simply copy your ~/.kde4 folder to her /home directory - that should take care of all your problems (which are probably down to you using 8.04)...

[kaos99]

Re: Adding new users problem

It's an upgrade from 8.04 with KDE4 to 8.10. I already tried the copy-trick, but that didn't solve the problem.

[toad]

Re: Adding new users problem

Christ on a bike, that is some serious cocktail you got there!

I can't believe that the copy trick didn't work (I don't want to doubt you, but I the system works - there must be a loophole...). Did you do it on the command line? If so, did you include the -r flag to copy the folder recursively?

[aged hippy]

Re: Adding new users problem

If i can jump in here Intrepid doesn't have a .kde4 directory, it is .kde, so if you copied a .kde4 directory there, it needs to be re-named.


I think that's the loophole.

[toad]

Re: Adding new users problem

clap, clap, clap

Simply rename that folder to .kde

You earned that cigarette now now aged hippy

[aged hippy]

Re: Adding new users problem

clap, clap, clap

Simply rename that folder to .kde

You earned that cigarette now now aged hippy

Thanks.

[kaos99]

Re: Adding new users problem

I can't believe that the copy trick didn't work (I don't want to doubt you, but I the system works - there must be a loophole...). Did you do it on the command line? If so, did you include the -r flag to copy the folder recursively?

Here's how I did it:
su
cd /home
mv userB userB.old
mkdir userB
cp -a userA/.kde userB
chown -R userB.userB userB/.kde
cd userB/.kde
... and then I changed every reference from /home/userA to /home/userB in the .kde files

As you can see: I didn't use .kde4, I did a recursive copy, etc etc etc.
And still: nothing on userB's desktop, and the same error in .xsession-errors:

kwin(6410): Couldn't start knotify from knotify4.desktop: "KDEInit could not launch '/usr/bin/knotify4'."

And to make things worse: when I do a ctrl-alt-backspace to kill the X-session of userB, the whole system hangs. Luckily I'm userA, not userB :-)

[toad]

Re: Adding new users problem

Wow, it sure is complicated but as far as I can see it looks OK - not sure what you mean when you say

... and then I changed every reference from /home/userA to /home/userB in the .kde files

I would have done the following:

mv /home/userB/.kde /home/userB/.kde.bak
cp -r /home/userA/.kde /home/userB/.kde

Check your rights and that is it!

Alternatively simply delete the whole ~/.kde folder and log in - again that should work (well, it did under KDE 3 )