N800 - Xterm won't start after setting USER password

[midiwall]

So...

When I was going through the How Do I Become Root (http://maemo.org/maemowiki/HowDoiBecomeRoot2) docs, I changed the password for the default user account. {seemingly} Ever since then, Xterm won't start. I only get "Internal Error. Application Closed".

I worked on the assumption that this is a cause/effect situation, so I ssh'd in as root and passwd -d user (makes "user" a non-passworded account. No luck, and in fact when I try to ssh into the user account, it still asks me for a password.

The xterm client is osso-xterm 0.13mh13. I've tried uninstalling and re-installing, then installing either of this client or the "non-stylized logo" osso-xterm version.

Any ideas?

[penguinbait]

I did not set my user password, if I try to ssh in it asks for a password also.


/etc/passwd
user:!:29999:29999::/home/user:/bin/sh

/etc/passwd-
user:!:29999:29999::/home/user:/bin/sh

Is this what your user lines look like in user. You have me hesitant to change it, I need my xterm. If your passwd user lines look correct, I would uninstall xterm and reinstall.

Oh well, I have a backup image, I will try to see if I can get the same results?

[penguinbait]

Maybe something else caused it, did you try rebooting? It had no effect on my xterm, I rebooted and still nothing, I am able to login using ssh and the user account, with my new password. Xterm launches no problems!!!

[midiwall]

No, please don't modify your box! I'd feel horrible if you toasted Xterm trying to help! :)


Okay, so my passwd & passwd- now look like yours and... no go. I'll keep playing.

And yeah... plenty of reboots, and yeah, it's quite possible that something I did toasted it. If all else fails, I'll reflash it. (eek!)

[midiwall]

oh wait... I didn't really read your second message... so you did change the pwd and it's fine?

crap... okay, it's something else I did.

Thanks!

[penguinbait]

I actually have multiple os iimages on my n800. I boot from flash, and I am only instaling n800 packages.

I am booting off my internal 2gb mmc. I use this as my primary os to run from.

I can also boot off my external, 1gb mmc. I use this as a backup partition. So when I install something in my primary, os and it hoses it, I can boot to this and fix it, or restore the entire thing.


So testing xterm was no big deal...

Thanks Fanoush!!!!

[midiwall]

Thanks Fanoush!!!!Ain't that the battle cry of us all?! :)

[Rocketman]

I believe that version of xterm is non-functional on the n800. I think I got that same error when I tried to run .13mh13 on my n800. You need to install the one that is "just" .13

[midiwall]

I believe that version of xterm is non-functional on the n800. I think I got that same error when I tried to run .13mh13 on my n800. You need to install the one that is "just" .13Yeup, hence the statement about "I've tried uninstalling and re-installing, then installing either of this client or the "non-stylized logo" osso-xterm version". The "non stylized logo" version is the "just .13" version.

The symptom from that one isn't as dramatic (it shows no error, just "loading Xterm", then that goes away and zilch). The one I had running before was the .13 version, I made more of a mention here of the .13mh13 version 'cause it actually showed a dialog.

I actually made mention of the differences in the versions in another thread, but it sounded like other folks had .13mh13 running.


Still poking through it all! :) thanks!

[penguinbait]

My version shows up as 0.13.mh13bora2

I installed it from

Maemo Hackers
Web address
http://maemo-hackers.org/apt/

Distribution
bora

Components
main


Which is listed in the 2007 repositories
http://maemo.org/maemowiki/ApplicationRepositories

[jayholler]

Just to add my $ .02:
I used dropbear to get root access on my N800, changed my user passwd, and also locked the root account, after changing sudoers as described in the wiki @ maemo.org.
This was all done with osso-xterm 0.13 from the repo, and I have hit o rodblocks. Everything is just peachy.

[penguinbait]

Just to add my $ .02:
I used dropbear to get root access on my N800, changed my user passwd, and also locked the root account, after changing sudoers as described in the wiki @ maemo.org.
This was all done with osso-xterm 0.13 from the repo, and I have hit o rodblocks. Everything is just peachy.

You should checkout becomeroot, you do not need to edit sudoers file. Just install becomeroot and ssh or xterm and you have root.

[jayholler]

You should checkout becomeroot, you do not need to edit sudoers file. Just install becomeroot and ssh or xterm and you have root.

thanks for the tip. I did check becomeroot out, but I prefer the tight control editing sudoers gives me. I set it to only allow user to launch a root shell upon authenticating with a password. otherwise no one gets root on the tablet, through openssh or otherwise.

I'm pretty much a newb so please correct me if I have misstated something here. I don't mean to imply that becomeroot isn't secure, I just don't know EXACTLY what it is changing, whereby doing it manually I know just what has been changed.