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Thread: User Privilege?

  1. #1
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    User Privilege?

    My wife's machine is running mate 18.04 - this machine cannot update via the Software Updater GUI. The attached update.png shows all the updates that need installing - after clicking on Install Now the loader.png windows pops up and then crashes after a few seconds of visibility. I'm guessing there is an update that needs sudo privilege and it is the inability to launch the sudo window that is causing the crash. (This machine also has problems launching any gui that is followed by the sudo window - e.g. Synaptic. (The following sudo window that normally pops up where you enter your password fails to launch and whatever gui is initially launched crashes). One can update using the terminal but as this is my wife's machine the gui interface is preferred.
    Last edited by ajgreeny; April 14th, 2021 at 11:42 AM. Reason: Thread title edited

  2. #2
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    Re: Use Privilege?

    Could be a case of sudo abuse. Using sudo when it isn't needed, especially with GUI applications. When this happens, some directories and files get created with root:root as the owner/group in the userid's HOME. sudo chown -R $USER:$USER $HOME should fix it with very few negative side effects.

    Mate-18.04 support ends (3 yrs) soon. Time to move to 20.04 if staying on Mate is desired.

    Is her account in the "sudo" group? Otherwise, she can't run the updates.

    I prefer patching weekly, on the weekends, so any problems don't impact the work-week and have a few days to be corrected on Sat/Sun.

  3. #3
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    Re: Use Privilege?

    Afraid that hasn't worked - wife is member of sudoers group.

  4. #4
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    Re: Use Privilege?

    Quote Originally Posted by Quarkrad View Post
    Afraid that hasn't worked - wife is member of sudoers group.
    What hasn't worked? Also, text rather than images, please.

  5. #5
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    Re: Use Privilege?

    If she uses sudo in the terminal is it ok? If you run a test command like
    Code:
    sudo ls
    is it OK and no issues?

  6. #6
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    Re: Use Privilege?

    If I type /usr/bin/update-manager in the terminal the graphical software updater is launched - from there, I get the same response as #1. I.e. the sudo window asking me to enter the sudo password does not launch and the gui crashes. If I enter sudo gparted in the terminal I get asked for my password and the gui opens - the gui will not open if I try and launch it from the main menu.

    Any gui application that needs to fully launch by also asking for the sudo password (e.g. gparted, synaptic) crashes because the gui window asking for the sudo password never opens - the whole thing crashes. If I open the same gui applications from the terminal preceded by sudo .... the gui opens.

    Code:
    liz@lizubuntu:~$ sudo gparted
    [sudo] password for liz:
    Also:

    Code:
    liz@lizubuntu:~$ sudo ls
    cmcanu	 Documents  Music     Public  Templates
    Desktop  Downloads  Pictures  snap    Videos

  7. #7
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    Re: Use Privilege?

    Did you have her userid run:
    Code:
     sudo chown -R $USER:$USER $HOME
    BTW, whenever using sudo with any GUI program, please, please, please, use sudo -H so the HOME directory environment will be changed to /root/.

    Is the problem only with her account or does it happen to all sudo-capable accounts?

  8. #8
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    Re: Use Privilege?

    I have used your command (sudo chown) and it has made no difference. Wife is the only user on this machine - I will create another test user and report back.

  9. #9
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    Re: Use Privilege?

    What happens when you try running the terminal apt update/upgrade commands?
    Splat Double Splat Triple Splat
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  10. #10
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    Re: Use Privilege?

    If I run the normal update commands everything is fine. Most things I've tried using the terminal works OK - but I do not use this machine much as it is the wife's and almost everything see does is via the gui.
    Last edited by Quarkrad; April 13th, 2021 at 05:27 PM.

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