GDM Login Problem

[coronacolada]

Hi.

I'm playing with an old laptop and threw Maverick onto it yesterday, and installed OpenBox as well.

Unfortunately, GDM won't allow me to choose which session I want to start into.

1) there is no gdm.conf OR custom.conf in /etc/gdm -- I never found gdm.conf, and removed custom.conf after changing all values to "false" still didn't work.

2) In System -> Admin -> Login Screen, it only allows me to "Show the screen for choosing.." or "Login as Tom (automatically)".

3) If I set the login screen to "Show the screen for choosing...", if I type my username (without showing list) or show the list and click my name, it logs me in automatically.

4) The session select menu DOES appear briefly, when I click on/type my name, but at that point GDM has already begun to log me in.

5) If I type a bogus username, I'm able to select my session, but I still can't get into it with my default username (as soon as I change the username back to "Tom" it logs me in under the default setting).

Everything I read says to change the values in the .conf files to false, which I did, and it still didn't work, so I deleted them (hoping GDM would generate a new one); now there are no .conf files at all.

this leads me to believe that GDM is pulling a .conf file from somewhere else other than /etc/gdm, but where?

Any suggestions would be extremely helpful.

Thanks.

[Frogs Hair]

Sounds strange , in login settings make sure the box that allows automatic login is not checked . If it is you will be automatically to the default session . Removing the auto login will allow selecting between desktop environments . The option will appear on the under the greeter box after you have entered your name . Select the desktop option you want before typing your password.

[Krytarik]

The custom/additional configuration is indeed stored in "/etc/gdm/custom.conf", the default configuration is stored in "/etc/gdm/gdm.schemas", which is part of the gdm package, so don't touch the latter.
http://library.gnome.org/admin/gdm/stable/configuration.html.en

Follow Frogs Hair's advice, after entering your username but before entering your password the session options should be given, at the bottom.

[coronacolada]

Right. All of the anything that has to do with auto-login is disabled. All boxes are not checked, and all attributes set to "false" in the config file (which I was able to restore).

It still logs me in automatically, as soon as I click on (or type) my name, before giving me the chance to choose the session. The session dropdown does appear, but only as it's already logging me into gnome.

I have tried every combination of settings within the login screen options.

[Krytarik]

That's weird, it should ask for a passwort at manual login.

Try setting up "custom.conf" like this:

[daemon]
TimedLoginEnable=false
AutomaticLoginEnable=false
TimedLogin=USERNAME (or blank)
AutomaticLogin=USERNAME (or blank)
TimedLoginDelay=30
DefaultSession=gnome (or blank)Also check "gdm.schemas" for any differences against mine, I have the default one:

<gdmschemafile>
<schemalist>
<schema>
<key>chooser/Multicast</key>
<signature>b</signature>
<default>false</default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>chooser/MulticastAddr</key>
<signature>s</signature>
<default>ff02::1</default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>daemon/User</key>
<signature>s</signature>
<default>gdm</default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>daemon/Group</key>
<signature>s</signature>
<default>gdm</default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>daemon/AutomaticLoginEnable</key>
<signature>b</signature>
<default>false</default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>daemon/AutomaticLogin</key>
<signature>s</signature>
<default></default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>daemon/TimedLoginEnable</key>
<signature>b</signature>
<default>false</default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>daemon/TimedLogin</key>
<signature>s</signature>
<default></default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>daemon/TimedLoginDelay</key>
<signature>i</signature>
<default>30</default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>debug/Enable</key>
<signature>b</signature>
<default>false</default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>security/DisallowTCP</key>
<signature>b</signature>
<default>true</default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>greeter/Include</key>
<signature>s</signature>
<default></default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>greeter/Exclude</key>
<signature>s</signature>
<default>bin,root,daemon,adm,lp,sync,shutdown,halt,mail,new s,uucp,operator,nobody,nobody4,noaccess,postgres,p vm,rpm,nfsnobody,pcap</default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>greeter/IncludeAll</key>
<signature>b</signature>
<default>true</default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>xdmcp/Enable</key>
<signature>b</signature>
<default>false</default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>xdmcp/MaxPending</key>
<signature>i</signature>
<default>4</default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>xdmcp/MaxSessions</key>
<signature>i</signature>
<default>16</default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>xdmcp/MaxWait</key>
<signature>i</signature>
<default>30</default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>xdmcp/DisplaysPerHost</key>
<signature>i</signature>
<default>1</default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>xdmcp/Port</key>
<signature>i</signature>
<default>177</default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>xdmcp/HonorIndirect</key>
<signature>b</signature>
<default>true</default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>xdmcp/MaxWaitIndirect</key>
<signature>i</signature>
<default>30</default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>xdmcp/PingIntervalSeconds</key>
<signature>i</signature>
<default>15</default>
</schema>

<schema>
<key>xdmcp/Willing</key>
<signature>s</signature>
<default>/etc/gdm/Xwilling</default>
</schema>

</schemalist>
</gdmschemafile>

[coronacolada]

Thanks for the help. Turns out it was solveable via Sytem -> Admin -> Users & Groups. Way simpler than I was making it. Not a GDM problem at all.

Replies were muchly appreciated!

[Krytarik]

Thanks for the help. Turns out it was solveable via Sytem -> Admin -> Users & Groups. Way simpler than I was making it. Not a GDM problem at all.

Replies were muchly appreciated!
Oh, then you had disabled the query for the password at login at all, didn't dare to ask for it, because I didn't know that this is possible at all!

[EroomOllor]

HI Krytarik


Oh, then you had disabled the query for the password at login at all, didn't dare to ask for it, because I didn't know that this is possible at all!

would you kindly explain how the above 'password at login' is set ?

I think I have similar problems as at start of this thread, and wondered if I need to set something outside of Gnome to login. After my upgrade to 11.04 from 10.10 the desktop became a blank purple sheet. Various trials (such as changing custom.conf, adding to /usr/share/gdm/autostart/LoginWindow/ some .desktop files have changed the 'desktop' ; like i can add g-conf window - but nothing like a 'normal' desktop , and no login screen at all ...
much appreciated!
Eroom

[Krytarik]

EroomOllor, although you say that you already tried manually modifying "/etc/gdm/custom.conf", please try it again the usual, well not that usual, way:

- Create a launcher on your purple sheet style desktop for the command "gdmsetup", therefore just right-click on it and choose the respective options.
- Run it and disable auto-login.
- Switch to a console by pressing Ctrl+Alt+F1, log in there, and enter:

sudo service gdm restart

Then you should be greeted with the login screen. There you will have some new "Session" options at the bottom panel to choose from, after clicking at your username:

- "Ubuntu": The new Unity interface, which you were logged in by default. See here how to troubleshoot it:
http://ubuntu4beginners.blogspot.com/2011/04/missing-top-and-side-panels-in-unity.html

- "Ubuntu Classic": The old style Gnome interface you know from your previously used version.

- "Ubuntu Classic (No effects)": The same as above, but without desktop effects, obviously, meaning using Metacity as the window manager instead of Compiz.

Greetings.

[EroomOllor]

Salutations Krytarik,
much appreciate your hints; however...

when I get the purple screen background (with some windows: Configuration editor, Appearance preferences, Preferred Applications ) right-clicking on the background has no effect (none - not even a submenu or sound).

I have been looking (this afternoon) at http://ubuntu4beginners.blogspot.com/2011/06/customize-appearance-of-gnome-panel.html amongst the other informative pages there...

it may not be relevant but on Appearance Preferences it is indicated that "...the required GTK+ theme 'Ambiance' is not installed'...

as I'm not sure if this is crucial or not I'm trying to sort it out...

It is very; odd - in tty I can ps -ef | grep gdm and there are many processess of gmd user - including: metacity, nautilus ...

I am also wondering if it is an 'authorisation' problem - i've been (trying) to follow

http://library.gnome.org/admin/gdm/stable/configuration.html.en

and

http://library.gnome.org/admin/gdm/stable/security.html.en#gdmuser

but finding it a labyrinth at the moment!!!

Again - really appreciate your work and effort
all the best
Eroom

[Krytarik]

So, you are really stuck on the login screen, and not auto-logging in to a messed-up Unity desktop, as I suspected earlier.

Try reinstalling "gdm":

sudo apt-get install --reinstall gdm
Also, the missing theme indicates a non-installed "ubuntu-desktop", at least if you didn't mess with the themes, or the upgrade didn't go that well.

Check if the package "ubuntu-desktop" is installed:

dpkg -l |grep ubuntu-desktop
If it doesn't turn up there, install it:

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop

[EroomOllor]

Krytarik: greetings; I tried these - but no change.

startx does something different - i just get a purple background with a mouse cursor.
I removed many FBDEV(0), FBIOPUTCMAP errors by booting with a kernel parameter 'nomodeset' (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1613132) (cheers P4man!)

not sure of the next approach yet, but have to get outside for a while...
cheers
Eroom

[Krytarik]

This might be a video driver issue, eventually. Please try if a liveCD works, with and without the "nomodeset" parameter.

Also, after trying "startx", check the log files "~/.xsession-errors" and "/var/log/Xorg.0.log" for related error messages.

[m.maga]

Oh, then you had disabled the query for the password at login at all, didn't dare to ask for it, because I didn't know that this is possible at all!

Hi Krytarik,

I've been running under the same problem of coronacolada for months. Sorry, but I didn't get it. I uncheck autologin feature and I did both scenarios: checked and unchecked prompt for password at login. But none worked here. I have ubuntu 10.10 installed. Any clue?

Thank You

[Krytarik]

I've been running under the same problem of coronacolada for months. Sorry, but I didn't get it. I uncheck autologin feature and I did both scenarios: checked and unchecked prompt for password at login. But none worked here. I have ubuntu 10.10 installed. Any clue?
So, you aren't asked for your password at login - if autologin is disabled, and password query enabled?

For choosing the session option, remember that you need to click on or enter your username to make those options appear!

Greetings.