root cannot login tho sudo user can

[Robin Laing]

Karl L wrote:
> On Wed, 12 May 2004 07:54:04 -0400
> Bob Chiodini <chiodr at kscems.ksc.nasa.gov> wrote:
> 
> 
>>On Wed, 2004-05-12 at 02:53, Karl L wrote:
>>

> Thanks for your reply.  I apologize for not providing more information.
> My main problem is that I don't get an error message and can't find anything in the logs that reflects the situation.  But, here's what happens when I try to login as root (and I've tried this with both the smp and non-smp version of 2188 as well as with the previous kernel release with the same result):  I get a username prompt, I enter the username 'root'; I then get a password prompt, I enter the correct root password and then -- a BSOD! (though the mouse cursor is still 'alive').
> 
> So, the first thing I tried after this had happened twice was to login as my 'emergency user' (an ALL access sudoer) and entered  'sudo passwd root', got the password change prompt, entered a new password, confirmed it (and it seemed to be accepted normally).  Then I checked /etc/passwd
> visually (it seemed OK) but then I checked it with 'sudo /usr/sbin/pwck'
> (which should examine both /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow for syntax problems) and, though both files appeared to be intact, there was no return code from pwck that I could find in any log (even 'sudo /usr/sbin/pwck > pwcktest.txt' produced an empty file).  After this, I tried another root login with the "new" password but got the same Blue Screen of Death as before. BTW, my very first examination of /etc with
> ls did turn up a 6-byte password.lock file (which I simply renamed password.lock.problem and left there)
> 
> So, as a sudoer, I read thru all the logs in /var/log looking for some indication of the problem but could find nothing that struck my eye (which I hasten to add did not really know what to be looking for, truth be told).
> 
> What I'd like to do is follow the sequence of scripts and modules that are called after a successful login but I don't know enough about this system to identify that sequence.  Any guidance here would be much appreciated. 
> 
> Thanks 
> 
> Karl L
> 
> 

Is the root home directory intact?

Maybe something in the /root/ directory is trying to start and 
crashing the system.

What happens if you just try to su (not su -)in a terminal window?
If you can login this way, the password is working.  I think it is 
because of the BSOD that you are getting.  It looks like X isn't 
starting for root.  Possibly a corrupted config file in /root/ .


-- 
Robin Laing