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Asked: 2024-09-27T07:58:17+05:30 In:

I recently modified a user account in Ubuntu using the usermod command, and now I’m unable to log in. What steps can I take to regain access to my account and resolve this issue?

I’m in a bit of a pickle and hoping someone can help me out here. So, the other day I was trying to update a user account on my Ubuntu system using the usermod command. Everything seemed to go smoothly during the process, but now when I try to log in, it just doesn’t let me in.

I made a couple of changes, nothing too crazy—just trying to add my user to a new group and change the shell. I thought I knew what I was doing, but I guess I overlooked something, because now I’m sitting here staring at the login prompt and feeling a bit lost. It feels like I’ve locked myself out of my own system, which is super frustrating.

I tried restarting my machine, hoping it was just a temporary glitch, but nope, that didn’t work. I also double-checked to make sure I was entering the right password, but I’m pretty certain it’s correct. I even went through the recovery mode options, but I’m not sure how to proceed from there. Should I be looking at any specific logs, or is there a command I can run to reset something?

Honestly, I could really use some guidance. Am I missing something obvious here? Should I boot into a live environment to potentially fix this? If anyone has encountered a similar situation, or has any steps for troubleshooting this kind of issue, I would really appreciate your advice.

I really don’t want to lose any data or have to wipe my entire system just to regain access. What are the safest steps to take next? If you could lay out a few possible solutions or any commands I could try, that would be super helpful. Thanks in advance for any insight you can share!

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    2 Answers



    1. Ubuntu User Issue Help

      Help with Ubuntu User Account Issue

      It sounds like you’re in a tough spot! Here are a few things you can try to get back in:

      1. Check Your Shell

      If you changed your shell with the usermod command, it might be set to something invalid. You can start your system in recovery mode:

      • Reboot your machine and hold Shift to access the GRUB menu.
      • Select the recovery mode option.
      • Once in the recovery menu, choose Root to get a command line.

      Now, you can check your user’s shell with this command:

      cat /etc/passwd | grep your_username

      Ensure it points to a valid shell, like /bin/bash. If it doesn’t, you can change it back like this:

      usermod -s /bin/bash your_username

      2. Check Group Membership

      If you added your user to a new group, make sure you didn’t accidentally remove them from essential groups like sudo or users. You can view groups like this:

      groups your_username

      If needed, add your user back to groups:

      usermod -aG group_name your_username

      3. Boot into a Live Environment

      If recovery mode doesn’t help, you can boot from a live USB. From there:

      • Open a terminal.
      • Mount your root file system:
        • sudo mount /dev/sdXY /mnt
      • Where sdXY is your root partition.
      • Then access your files or edit files like /etc/passwd or /etc/shadow if needed.

      4. Look at Logs

      It can be helpful to look at log files for errors:

      cat /var/log/auth.log
      cat /var/log/syslog

      These might give you clues on what’s going wrong during login.

      5. Reset Password

      If you suspect your password is the issue, you can reset it from recovery mode:

      passwd your_username

      Final Thoughts

      Don’t worry too much, you’re not the first to run into this! Just take it one step at a time, and hopefully one of these tips will get you back in. Good luck!




    2. User Account Recovery on Ubuntu

      It sounds like you’re facing a challenging situation with your user account on Ubuntu, but there are several steps you can take to regain access without losing any data. First, since you mentioned making changes with the `usermod` command, it’s important to verify that the changes you made didn’t inadvertently alter your user account details in a way that impacts login. Boot into recovery mode by holding down the Shift key during boot, then choose “Advanced options” and select a recovery option. Once you have access to the root shell, you can use the command cat /etc/passwd to check whether your username has valid properties like a proper shell set to a valid default shell (e.g., /bin/bash) and that your home directory is correct.

      If your user is missing from any required groups, you can add it back using usermod -aG groupname username, replacing groupname with the group you want to add and username with your username. If you suspect there might be an issue with your password, you can reset your password in recovery mode with the command passwd username. Additionally, check log files like /var/log/auth.log or use dmesg for any indications of what might be causing the login issues. Lastly, if all else fails, booting from a live USB can provide you with the ability to chroot into your environment and repair any damaged configurations without affecting your data.


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