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I know from searching that this has come up multiple times in the last few years. However most of the solutions are simply to ensure the ownership of .Xautority is set properly and that 777 is set as the permissions for /tmp. In my case, neither of these are the issue; I checked. Another common cause I found was Nvidia vs. Nouveau graphics drivers. However, I have rebooted and used the computer several times since I last changed the graphics driver and did not have any issues.

The issues started after I allowed the AutoUpdate program to install some updates. It might be worth noting that these updates are a bit suspicious. It wanted to install them yesterday and I initially said no. Then I ran the updater manually and it said there were no updates. When it asked me again today, I said yes and it did its thing. It then asked me to reboot the computer which I did. That is when the trouble started. Below is the contents of the various .xsession-errors files.

User 1 Attempt 1

Script for ibus started at run_im.
Script for auto started at run_im.
Script for default started at run_im.
init: at-spi2-registryd main process ended, respawning
init: at-spi2-registryd main process ended, respawning
init: gnome-session (Unity) main process (2563) terminated with status 1
init: unity-settings-daemon main process (2537) killed by TERM signal
init: logrotate main process (2458) killed by TERM signal
init: update-notifier-crash (/var/crash/_usr_bin_nautilus.1000.crash) main process (2496) killed by TERM signal
init: update-notifier-release main process (2502) killed by TERM signal
init: xsession-init main process (2531) killed by TERM signal
init: hud main process (2550) killed by TERM signal
init: unity-panel-service main process (2576) killed by TERM signal
init: Disconnected from notified D-Bus bus
init: window-stack-bridge main process (2488) killed by KILL signal

User 1 Attempt 2

Script for ibus started at run_im.
Script for auto started at run_im.
Script for default started at run_im.
init: gnome-session (Unity) main process (2010) terminated with status 1
init: unity-settings-daemon main process (2002) killed by TERM signal
init: Disconnected from notified D-Bus bus
init: logrotate main process (1928) killed by TERM signal
init: window-stack-bridge main process (1959) killed by TERM signal
init: update-notifier-release main process (1978) killed by TERM signal
init: hud main process (2006) killed by TERM signal
init: indicator-bluetooth main process (2088) killed by TERM signal
init: indicator-power main process (2094) killed by TERM signal
init: indicator-datetime main process (2095) killed by TERM signal
init: indicator-sound main process (2098) killed by TERM signal
init: indicator-printers main process (2103) killed by TERM signal
init: indicator-session main process (2108) killed by TERM signal
init: indicator-application main process (2148) killed by TERM signal

User 2 Attempt 1

Script for ibus started at run_im.
Script for auto started at run_im.
Script for default started at run_im.
init: at-spi2-registryd main process ended, respawning
init: at-spi2-registryd main process ended, respawning
init: at-spi2-registryd main process ended, respawning
init: at-spi2-registryd main process ended, respawning
init: at-spi2-registryd main process ended, respawning
init: gnome-session (Unity) main process (2642) terminated with status 1
init: unity-settings-daemon main process (2634) killed by TERM signal
init: logrotate main process (2427) killed by TERM signal
init: update-notifier-release main process (2468) killed by TERM signal
init: upstart-dbus-session-bridge main process (2472) terminated with status 1
init: xsession-init main process (2631) killed by TERM signal
init: hud main process (2638) killed by TERM signal
init: unity-panel-service main process (2648) killed by TERM signal
init: at-spi2-registryd main process (2687) terminated with status 1
init: Disconnected from notified D-Bus bus

Edit:

Another common solution I found was to force the creation of a new .Xauthority by renaming the existing one. I tried this and it also did not work.

User 1 Attempt 3

Script for ibus started at run_im.
Script for auto started at run_im.
Script for default started at run_im.
init: gnome-session (Unity) main process (2022) terminated with status 1
init: Disconnected from notified D-Bus bus
init: logrotate main process (1939) killed by TERM signal
init: window-stack-bridge main process (1970) killed by TERM signal
init: update-notifier-release main process (1990) killed by TERM signal
init: hud main process (2018) killed by TERM signal
init: indicator-bluetooth main process (2099) killed by TERM signal
init: indicator-power main process (2101) killed by TERM signal
init: indicator-datetime main process (2105) killed by TERM signal
init: indicator-sound main process (2110) killed by TERM signal
init: indicator-printers main process (2114) killed by TERM signal
init: indicator-session main process (2119) killed by TERM signal
init: indicator-application main process (2133) killed by TERM signal

Edit:

Incase this information helps at all, when I run:

sudo apt-get -f install

All it does is list packages I can remove using "autoremove"; all but one of them being for previous kernel versions.

Edit:

Logging in as root doesn't work but I do get an error message this time. Error message when attempting to login as root

I also tried rerunning Nvidia's configuration script but that didn't help either.

When I was in TTY, I tried using "lshw" to view the driver information per How can I find what video driver is in use on my system?. It had the lines "*-display UNCLAIMED" and "configuration: latency=0".

I also checked the old xorg.conf and found that it was competely empty. Is this why my attempts to move back to the Nouveau driver failed?

Andrew Shum
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  • So you cannot log in via unity? – NerdOfCode Jun 20 '17 at 20:17
  • If that is what is responsible for the GUI, then yes. I have no problems using Ubuntu in text mode. – Andrew Shum Jun 20 '17 at 21:50
  • It's not called text mode... you mean you are logging in via a TTY? – NerdOfCode Jun 20 '17 at 21:51
  • Yes. By the way, I added an edit to the original post. – Andrew Shum Jun 20 '17 at 21:53
  • See if you can log into the root account from the login screen. If that works, it would give us a clue. If you don't know how to do this, please ask. Ping me at @heynnema. – heynnema Jun 20 '17 at 23:57
  • @heynnema Unfortunately, I do not know how to login as root from the login screen. Could you please advise? – Andrew Shum Jun 21 '17 at 13:35
  • Let's see if you have that enabled... at the login screen... hit the up/down arrow keys to see if you can move to a login that allows you to specify the username to log into. Then login with root, and root password (if you have that set). If not, I'll have to write a partial answer to show you how to enable that. Report back. – heynnema Jun 21 '17 at 13:43
  • I won't have access to the computer for about another 30 minutes. However I know for sure that root password isn't enabled. – Andrew Shum Jun 21 '17 at 13:44
  • OK, let me get a partial answer written for you. Do you know how to control-alt-f1 to get to a tty? Remember to start comments to me with @heynnema or I may miss them. – heynnema Jun 21 '17 at 13:45
  • @heynnema Yes, I do know how to do that. – Andrew Shum Jun 21 '17 at 14:25
  • Go ahead and do my partial answer... report back. – heynnema Jun 21 '17 at 14:36

1 Answers1

1

Step #1: (enable the root account and login)

  • at the login window, type Control-Alt-F1 to get to the text tty screen
  • log in with your normal username and password
  • type sudo pico /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf # to edit this file

Make sure the file looks like this... don't delete anything that you see there, just add missing lines. Use arrow keys to move around in the file, and Control-o to save, and Control-x to quit the editor.

[LightDM]
[SeatDefaults]
greeter-show-manual-login=true
[XDMCPServer]
[VNCServer]
  • type sudo passwd root # to set a root password
  • enter your admin password
  • enter the new root password twice
  • type exit # to return to the graphical screen
  • reboot the computer
  • at the login prompt, hit the Down Arrow key until the login prompt allows you to enter a username
  • enter root and the new root password
  • see if you can successfully log into root

Step #2: (fix root .profile)

  • log into the text tty with your username/password
  • type sudo pico /root/.profile
  • change mesg n || true to tty -s && mesg n || true
  • save the file and quit the editor
  • type exit to return to the graphic tty
  • log in as root and confirm no .profile error

Step #3:

Since we've determined that you can't even log in as root, we've confirmed that there's a systemic problem, and it's not related to privileges.

We'll try a couple of re-installs, and if that doesn't work, you'll need to reinstall the OS (with the "format" box unchecked so that it will keep your existing /home directory intact).

You will want to assure that you have good backups of your important data, just in case. You can make manual backups by booting to a Ubuntu Live DVD/USB and copying files to an external hard disk or USB flash drive.

  • log into the text tty with your username/password

Type the following...

sudo apt-get install --reinstall lightdm gnome-session
sudo dpkg-reconfigure lightdm # and choose lightdm
reboot

Try logging in. If that doesn't work, reinstall the OS.

Update #1:

Reinstalling the Nvidia drivers solved the problem.

heynnema
  • 70,711
  • So, I gave it a try and still couldn't get in. However, it did give me an error message this time. I will edit the original post with a picture. When this is resolved, how do I remove root login/revert the password? – Andrew Shum Jun 21 '17 at 15:10
  • I forgot to ping you and I cannot edit comments. – Andrew Shum Jun 21 '17 at 15:40
  • Do step #2, and then try logging into root again. Confirm that you can't log in as root. Do you have good backups? – heynnema Jun 21 '17 at 15:53
  • I made the changes and there is no more error message. However, I still cannot login. Or rather, I am still caught in the loop. – Andrew Shum Jun 21 '17 at 15:55
  • Give me a minute to write step #3... – heynnema Jun 21 '17 at 15:55
  • Backups of what? By the way, I am going to be busy for the next hour or so. – Andrew Shum Jun 21 '17 at 15:56
  • Ping me at @heynnema when needed. – heynnema Jun 21 '17 at 16:08
  • So, someone I was talking to in person said he knows others who have had this issue. He said the issue had something to do with system updates not doing something that is needed to maintain compatibility with the Nvidia driver. He remembers that the solution is not difficult but cannot actually recall what it is or where he found it. Long story short, all I had to do was revert to the Nouveau drivers and then reinstall the Nvidia one.

    How can I disable root login; preferably restoring the previous password or one similar that is not known?

     – Andrew Shum Jun 21 '17 at 19:06
  • Nevermind, I found the solution online. "sudo passwd -dl root". Thanks for you help. Even though it was not needed in the end, I really appreciate the time and effort you spent. – Andrew Shum Jun 21 '17 at 19:33
  • @AndrewShum Good job! I'd leave the root account enabled with a new password, for troubleshooting in the future. – heynnema Jun 21 '17 at 20:38
  • @AndrewShum what exact commands did you use to fix the problem? – heynnema Jun 21 '17 at 20:48
  • I just followed the directions from Nvidia but made absolutely sure I didn't skip anything. Since I used the run file, I did the following: "sudo /usr/bin/nvidia-uninstall"; "sudo rm /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-nouveau.conf"; "sudo update-initramfs -u". Then you just restart and the Nouveau drivers take over. From there, you can reinstall the Nvidia driver. My friend showed me how to do it using the application "Additional Drivers" which apparently keeps a record of available graphics drivers and provides a GUI for "simply" switching drivers (reboot required of course). – Andrew Shum Jun 21 '17 at 22:08
  • Have you been getting my pings? When I put it at the start of my comment it disappears; unlike when you do it. – Andrew Shum Jun 21 '17 at 22:10
  • @AndrewShum I got your last message, so if you've been putting @heynnema at the beginning of a new comment, and it disappears, then it's not needed, and I will get the pings. Thanks for the update! – heynnema Jun 21 '17 at 23:00
  • And reinstalling is the best answer??? – NerdOfCode Nov 16 '17 at 12:17