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gmbrammer
September 20th, 2008, 10:53 AM
I get this error message, "Unable to copy the user's Xauthorization file", when I try to execute any of the administrative commands requiring root privileges. When I check my xauthority with the xauth command, I find that my Xauthority file is /tmp/.gdmXXXXX not in my home directory as .Xauthority. I cannot find where the xauthority file is created at start up time. I think that my error message is somehow tied to the creation of the xauthority file in /tmp. I have tried merging the entries in the /tmp/.gdmXXXXX file into my home directory file .Xauthority, but I still get the error. If I remove the /tmp/.gdmXXXXX file, a new /tmp/.gdmXXXXX file will be created with a new XXXXX. I have tried searching for the error message and found many things to try, but none worked.

aysiu
September 20th, 2008, 02:43 PM
Can you try booting into recovery mode and then typing
chmod 1777 /tmp
chown root:root /tmp
exit ?

If you don't know how to boot into recovery mode, check out the first half of this tutorial: http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/resetpassword

gmbrammer
September 21st, 2008, 06:00 AM
Thanks for the chown/chmod idea. I had already implemented it, but I tried again with no change in the root access permission on administrative tasks via the menus. sudo admintask works OK. I was able at correctly create a .Xauthority file in my home directory but the same problem is still there. However, I am unable to use xauth as root to create a .Xauthority file. When I use the generate command in xauth, I get the message "unable to open display: hostname/unix:0". I tried various version of the display name even tried setting the shell variable "DISPLAY="hostname/unix:0)" - same error message. Somehow the admin acct cannot become root via the mechanism used in the run as root from the System menu.

Do you have any other ideas?

Thanks.

aysiu
September 21st, 2008, 06:13 AM
My ~/.Xauthority file is owned by username and is chmoded to 600

I don't have an Xauthority file at all in /tmp

I do have a /tmp/.XO-lock file, though, owned by root with 222 permissions.

Not sure if that info helps at all.

gmbrammer
September 22nd, 2008, 05:16 AM
:popcorn:My ~/.Xauthority is chmod 600 and is owned by me group is me. When I set XAUTHORITY value to /home/me/.Xauthority, I get the correct items in the file. However, I still cannot access the administration menu items that ask for my password to run.

Your suggestions were appreciated.