Log in password changed itself

Support
1

Hello, as my name says, I am new to linux, and given some recommendation I opted for using manjaro as my first distro, but now it is giving me some serious headache to log in.

At first I installed manjaro on my laptop to test how it goes, everything went well so I started using it and downloading the stuff I needed my developments (codium, anaconda, brave browser, mariadb, texlive, inkscape, and ufw aswell, cause I dont like the idea of not having one firewall). Everything was ok, I used the laptop for a couple of days and had no problem at all.

(Forgot to mention but I updated all the packages in pamac)

After some days using Windows on my main PC I decided to install Manjaro on an external SSD, no problem, the intallation was fine, and could log in without any major problem, (just some sound issue that I will comment on another forum thread).

The problem started when I decided to log in in my laptop to check what packages I ddownloaded to download them in my main PC.

When I start the laptop I got to the log in screen, I type the password (I was sure I typed it correctly) and couldnt log in (it says user or password is incorrect). I thought I was wrong and I forgot the password so I run the ISO from the installation USB and did the chroot thing and set the password to the one I remembered. I started the laptop again and could log in with the password.

Now, I just log in on my main PC and have the exact same problem, cant log in using the password. And obviously, I am having the same issue on the laptop, cant log in neither laptop neither PC.

I have seen some other forum thread where they fixed it by not typing any password. I tried that and didnt work.

I have tried also using the root password, since I set them different, but that didnt work either.

Also there is another thread where they comment something about some PAM, but it is from 2020 so I hope that is not an issue.

Something I noticed is that if I enter the BIOS to boot from USB is that there are two options for the USB where I have manjaro installed.

One option is Manjaro
And the other is UEFI OS, and i have no clue what is this.

I am using the version installed from the ISO named ā€œmanjaro-kde-24.0.3-240702-linux69ā€. It is full and I know it is not using the latest kernel.

I wouldnt have many problem deleting and reinstalling the distros, just some minor inconvenience, if the problem is in the installation, but I rather not to.

Thanks in advance.

2

The fact that there are two systems to boot is suspcious. It is possible that you are mixing them somehow. Maybe you still have your live USB plugged in, and it boots into it, where you need to type simply ā€œmanjaroā€?

Itā€™s also a bit confusing, because one time you say you installed it on SSD, then in you say you installed it on USB.

Also, if I understood that right, you have the same issue on two computers, it means you are doing the same error somehow. Try to boot into the other OS, to check out.

1 Like
3

Your password cannot change itself.

Can you login via TTY?

It may be that youā€™re experiencing some latency in the SDDM login window, and keys you press skip or similar. You could try typing your password (very) slowly; or wait until SDDM has loaded completely.

(Random ideas)

That kernel has reached EOL already.

Do yourself a favour, and always download the latest full Manjaro ISO.

Please provide system information;
the output of the following command:

inxi --admin --verbosity=8 --filter --no-host --width

Hi @noobToLinux and welcome to the Manjaro community.

As a new user, please take some time to familiarise yourself with Forum requirements; in particular, the many ways to use the forum to your benefit. To that end, some or all these links will be invaluable:

Last, but not least, the Stable Update Announcements, which you should check frequently for important update related information.

Cheers.

3 Likes
4

In all the years Iā€™ve been using Linux, Iā€™ve never seen evidence that a password changed without a users knowledge (well except for a system administration making changes without the users knowledge).

Now Iā€™m sure file corruption or something similar is possible, but the most likely issue is usually one of the following: change to keybaord layout, faulty keyboard, or like my ex, where it was always PEBCAK.

Also, remember after a few failed tries you are locked out for a certain amount of time (sorry I donā€™t remember how long it is).

2 Likes
5

The USB is the where I have the ISO the one I said before. I did teh installation process on the SSD, the name of the SSD is Daura, and I unplug the live USB to know where I had the ISO installed.

When I get to the BIOS I see both OS to boot and both say the same SSD name Daura, bot for Manjaro and UEFI OS, there is also the windows one, but that is in the internal SSD, which has a different name.

6

Hello, I went to the option that lets you type the user, I typed the password there, checked it was correct, copied, and pasted it on the password. Still cant log in.

I will try to reinstall everything with the newest ISO. And see if I get the same problem after some days.

About the command, i assume you need me to do it from the live ISO, cause I dont know how to run the terminal without logging in.

Meanwhile I will read the documentation you sent and I will post my other strange problem on another thread.

On the other hand, this problem shouldnt be related to an EOL kernel I guess.

Still thanks for the help.

7

Yes, I find it strange that the password change itself, but I did nothing special, I turned off the PC and the next time I turned it on, I couldnt log in, and all I have done for now is install a couple of packages and watch some YouTube videos.

Also, I changed the password with chroot from the live iso, turn of the laptop, turn back on, log in without any problem, turn off, turn on, cant log in.

I donā€™t understand why would this happen.

8

no one can do anything but speculate

You seem to have missed that:

Might be file system related - but really:
if you know anything about where and how the passwords are stored ā€¦
there is no wayā„¢ a password can ā€œchange itselfā€

You could look at /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow
and
/etc/passwd- and /etc/shadow-
(the files that hold the previous values)

ls -al /etc/pass*
ls -al /etc/shad*

and see when they where last changed

The passwords are, of course, in none of these two - just the hashes.
The passwords donā€™t exist anywhere in the system in plain text form.

2 Likes
9 
System:
  Kernel: 6.9.12-3-MANJARO arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 14.2.1
    clocksource: tsc avail: hpet,acpi_pm
    parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-6.9-x86_64
    root=UUID=9e426ae3-385e-42ea-93cd-7112d29b46f4 rw quiet splash
    udev.log_priority=3
  Desktop: KDE Plasma v: 6.0.5 tk: Qt v: N/A info: frameworks v: 6.5.0
    wm: kwin_x11 vt: 2 dm: SDDM Distro: Manjaro base: Arch Linux
Machine:
  Type: Desktop Mobo: Gigabyte model: B560M DS3H V2
    serial: <superuser required> uuid: <superuser required> UEFI: American
    Megatrends LLC. v: F7 date: 03/25/2022
Battery:
  Message: No system battery data found. Is one present?
Memory:
  System RAM: total: 16 GiB available: 15.49 GiB used: 1.8 GiB (11.6%)
  Message: For most reliable report, use superuser + dmidecode.
  Array-1: capacity: 64 GiB slots: 4 modules: 2 EC: None
    max-module-size: 16 GiB note: est.
  Device-1: Controller0-ChannelA-DIMM0 type: no module installed
  Device-2: Controller0-ChannelA type: DDR4 detail: synchronous size: 8 GiB
    speed: 2133 MT/s volts: note: check curr: 1 min: 1 max: 1 width (bits):
    data: 64 total: 64 manufacturer: Corsair part-no: CMK8GX4M1E3200C16
    serial: N/A
  Device-3: Controller0-ChannelB-DIMM0 type: no module installed
  Device-4: Controller0-ChannelB type: DDR4 detail: synchronous size: 8 GiB
    speed: 2133 MT/s volts: note: check curr: 1 min: 1 max: 1 width (bits):
    data: 64 total: 64 manufacturer: Corsair part-no: CMK8GX4M1E3200C16
    serial: N/A
PCI Slots:
  Permissions: Unable to run dmidecode. Root privileges required.
CPU:
  Info: model: Intel Core i7-10700F bits: 64 type: MT MCP arch: Comet Lake
    gen: core 10 level: v3 note: check built: 2020 process: Intel 14nm family: 6
    model-id: 0xA5 (165) stepping: 5 microcode: 0xFC
  Topology: cpus: 1x dies: 1 clusters: 8 cores: 8 threads: 16 tpc: 2
    smt: enabled cache: L1: 512 KiB desc: d-8x32 KiB; i-8x32 KiB L2: 2 MiB
    desc: 8x256 KiB L3: 16 MiB desc: 1x16 MiB
  Speed (MHz): avg: 800 min/max: 800/4800 scaling: driver: intel_pstate
    governor: powersave cores: 1: 800 2: 800 3: 800 4: 800 5: 800 6: 800 7: 800
    8: 800 9: 800 10: 800 11: 800 12: 800 13: 800 14: 800 15: 800 16: 800
    bogomips: 92838
  Flags: 3dnowprefetch abm acpi adx aes aperfmperf apic arat
    arch_capabilities arch_perfmon art avx avx2 bmi1 bmi2 bts clflush
    clflushopt cmov constant_tsc cpuid cpuid_fault cx16 cx8 de ds_cpl dtes64
    dtherm dts ept ept_ad erms est f16c flexpriority flush_l1d fma fpu
    fsgsbase fxsr ht hwp hwp_act_window hwp_epp hwp_notify ibpb ibrs
    ibrs_enhanced ida intel_pt invpcid lahf_lm lm mca mce md_clear mmx monitor
    movbe mpx msr mtrr nonstop_tsc nopl nx ospke pae pat pbe pcid pclmulqdq
    pdcm pdpe1gb pebs pge pku pln pni popcnt pse pse36 pts rdrand rdseed
    rdtscp rep_good sdbg sep smap smep ss ssbd sse sse2 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3
    stibp syscall tm tm2 tpr_shadow tsc tsc_adjust tsc_deadline_timer vme vmx
    vnmi vpid x2apic xgetbv1 xsave xsavec xsaveopt xsaves xtopology xtpr
  Vulnerabilities:
  Type: gather_data_sampling mitigation: Microcode
  Type: itlb_multihit status: KVM: VMX disabled
  Type: l1tf status: Not affected
  Type: mds status: Not affected
  Type: meltdown status: Not affected
  Type: mmio_stale_data mitigation: Clear CPU buffers; SMT vulnerable
  Type: reg_file_data_sampling status: Not affected
  Type: retbleed mitigation: Enhanced IBRS
  Type: spec_rstack_overflow status: Not affected
  Type: spec_store_bypass mitigation: Speculative Store Bypass disabled via
    prctl
  Type: spectre_v1 mitigation: usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointer
    sanitization
  Type: spectre_v2 mitigation: Enhanced / Automatic IBRS; IBPB: conditional;
    RSB filling; PBRSB-eIBRS: SW sequence; BHI: SW loop, KVM: SW loop
  Type: srbds mitigation: Microcode
  Type: tsx_async_abort status: Not affected
Graphics:
  Device-1: NVIDIA GA104 [GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GDDR6X] vendor: ASUSTeK
    driver: nouveau v: kernel non-free: 550.xx+ status: current (as of 2024-09;
    EOL~2026-12-xx) arch: Ampere code: GAxxx process: TSMC n7 (7nm)
    built: 2020-2023 pcie: gen: 3 speed: 8 GT/s lanes: 16 link-max: gen: 4
    speed: 16 GT/s ports: active: DP-2,HDMI-A-1 empty: DP-1,DP-3,HDMI-A-2
    bus-ID: 01:00.0 chip-ID: 10de:24c9 class-ID: 0300
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 21.1.13 with: Xwayland v: 24.1.2
    compositor: kwin_x11 driver: X: loaded: modesetting alternate: fbdev,vesa
    dri: nouveau gpu: nouveau display-ID: :0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 4000x2560 s-dpi: 96 s-size: 1058x677mm (41.65x26.65")
    s-diag: 1256mm (49.45") monitors: <missing: xrandr>
  Monitor-1: DP-2 model: ASUS XG32VC serial: <filter> built: 2021
    res: 2560x1440 dpi: 93 gamma: 1.2 chroma: red: x: 0.675 y: 0.310 green:
    x: 0.278 y: 0.659 blue: x: 0.153 y: 0.071 white: x: 0.314 y: 0.329
    size: 697x392mm (27.44x15.43") diag: 800mm (31.5") ratio: 16:9
    modes: 2560x1440, 1920x1080, 1680x1050, 1280x1024, 1440x900, 1280x960,
    1152x864, 1280x720, 1440x576, 1024x768, 1440x480, 800x600, 720x576,
    720x480, 640x480, 720x400
  Monitor-2: HDMI-A-1 model: VG27A serial: <filter> built: 2023
    res: 2560x1440 dpi: 109 gamma: 1.2 chroma: red: x: 0.659 y: 0.333 green:
    x: 0.298 y: 0.627 blue: x: 0.149 y: 0.055 white: x: 0.314 y: 0.329
    size: 597x336mm (23.5x13.23") diag: 685mm (27") ratio: 16:9
    modes: 2560x1440, 3840x2160, 1920x1080, 1280x1024, 1440x900, 1152x864,
    1280x720, 1440x576, 1024x768, 1440x480, 832x624, 800x600, 720x576,
    720x480, 640x480, 720x400
  EDID-Warnings: 1: parse_edid: unhandled CEA mode 96 2: parse_edid:
    unhandled CEA mode 97
  API: EGL v: 1.5 hw: drv: nvidia nouveau platforms: device: 0 drv: nouveau
    device: 1 drv: swrast gbm: drv: nouveau surfaceless: drv: nouveau x11:
    drv: nouveau inactive: wayland
  API: OpenGL v: 4.5 compat-v: 4.3 vendor: mesa v: 24.1.6-arch1.1 glx-v: 1.4
    direct-render: yes renderer: NV174 device-ID: 10de:24c9 memory: 7.76 GiB
    unified: no
  API: Vulkan v: 1.3.279 layers: N/A device: 0 type: discrete-gpu name: NVIDIA
    GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (NVK GA104) driver: mesa nvk v: 24.1.6-arch1.1
    device-ID: 10de:24c9 surfaces: xcb,xlib
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel vendor: Gigabyte driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel
    alternate: snd_soc_avs bus-ID: 00:1f.3 chip-ID: 8086:f0c8 class-ID: 0403
  Device-2: NVIDIA GA104 High Definition Audio vendor: ASUSTeK
    driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel pcie: gen: 3 speed: 8 GT/s lanes: 16
    link-max: gen: 4 speed: 16 GT/s bus-ID: 01:00.1 chip-ID: 10de:228b
    class-ID: 0403
  Device-3: Creative Labs CA0132 Sound Core3D [Sound Blaster Recon3D /
    Z-Series BlasterX AE-5 Plus] driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel pcie: gen: 1
    speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 1 bus-ID: 04:00.0 chip-ID: 1102:0012 class-ID: 0403
  API: ALSA v: k6.9.12-3-MANJARO status: kernel-api with: aoss
    type: oss-emulator tools: alsactl,alsamixer,amixer
  Server-1: JACK v: 1.9.22 status: off tools: N/A
  Server-2: PipeWire v: 1.2.3 status: active with: 1: pipewire-pulse
    status: active 2: wireplumber status: active 3: pipewire-alsa type: plugin
    tools: pactl,pw-cat,pw-cli,wpctl
Network:
  Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8211/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet
    vendor: Gigabyte driver: r8169 v: kernel pcie: gen: 1 speed: 2.5 GT/s
    lanes: 1 port: 3000 bus-ID: 03:00.0 chip-ID: 10ec:8168 class-ID: 0200
  IF: enp3s0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
  IP v4: <filter> type: dynamic noprefixroute scope: global
    broadcast: <filter>
  IP v6: <filter> type: noprefixroute scope: link
  Info: services: NetworkManager,systemd-timesyncd
  WAN IP: <filter>
Bluetooth:
  Message: No bluetooth data found.
Logical:
  Message: No logical block device data found.
RAID:
  Message: No RAID data found.
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 2.3 TiB used: 8.7 GiB (0.4%)
  SMART Message: Required tool smartctl not installed. Check --recommends
  ID-1: /dev/nvme0n1 maj-min: 259:0 vendor: Western Digital
    model: WD Blue SN570 500GB size: 465.76 GiB block-size: physical: 512 B
    logical: 512 B speed: 31.6 Gb/s lanes: 4 tech: SSD serial: <filter>
    fw-rev: 234100WD temp: 41.9 C scheme: GPT
  ID-2: /dev/sda maj-min: 8:0 vendor: Western Digital model: WD10EZRX-00L4HB0
    size: 931.51 GiB block-size: physical: 4096 B logical: 512 B speed: 6.0 Gb/s
    tech: HDD rpm: 5400 serial: <filter> fw-rev: 1A01 scheme: MBR
  ID-3: /dev/sdb maj-min: 8:16 vendor: KUIJIA model: Dahua T70 PSSD
    size: 953.87 GiB block-size: physical: 4096 B logical: 512 B type: USB
    rev: 3.2 spd: 5 Gb/s lanes: 1 mode: 3.2 gen-1x1 tech: SSD serial: <filter>
    fw-rev: 2201 scheme: GPT
  Message: No optical or floppy data found.
Partition:
  ID-1: / raw-size: 953.57 GiB size: 937.53 GiB (98.32%) used: 8.7 GiB (0.9%)
    fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sdb2 maj-min: 8:18 label: N/A
    uuid: 9e426ae3-385e-42ea-93cd-7112d29b46f4
  ID-2: /boot/efi raw-size: 300 MiB size: 299.4 MiB (99.80%)
    used: 296 KiB (0.1%) fs: vfat dev: /dev/sdb1 maj-min: 8:17 label: N/A
    uuid: 7830-B283
Swap:
  Alert: No swap data was found.
Unmounted:
  ID-1: /dev/nvme0n1p1 maj-min: 259:1 size: 100 MiB fs: vfat label: N/A
    uuid: 524C-0544
  ID-2: /dev/nvme0n1p2 maj-min: 259:2 size: 16 MiB fs: <superuser required>
    label: N/A uuid: N/A
  ID-3: /dev/nvme0n1p3 maj-min: 259:3 size: 465.14 GiB fs: ntfs
    label: Sistema M.2 uuid: 5EC84CB3C84C8AEB
  ID-4: /dev/nvme0n1p4 maj-min: 259:4 size: 522 MiB fs: ntfs label: N/A
    uuid: 1E44681E4467F745
  ID-5: /dev/sda1 maj-min: 8:1 size: 931.51 GiB fs: ntfs
    label: Almacenamiento HDD uuid: FEB8CE9AB8CE50B7
USB:
  Hub-1: 1-0:1 info: hi-speed hub with single TT ports: 16 rev: 2.0
    speed: 480 Mb/s (57.2 MiB/s) lanes: 1 mode: 2.0 chip-ID: 1d6b:0002
    class-ID: 0900
  Device-1: 1-7:2 info: Holtek Keyboard type: keyboard,HID
    driver: hid-generic,usbhid interfaces: 3 rev: 2.0 speed: 12 Mb/s (1.4 MiB/s)
    lanes: 1 mode: 1.1 power: 100mA chip-ID: 04d9:a096 class-ID: 0300
  Device-2: 1-8:3 info: HP OMEN Reactor type: mouse,HID
    driver: hid-generic,usbhid interfaces: 3 rev: 2.0 speed: 12 Mb/s (1.4 MiB/s)
    lanes: 1 mode: 1.1 power: 200mA chip-ID: 03f0:2041 class-ID: 0300
  Hub-2: 1-9:4 info: Genesys Logic Hub ports: 4 rev: 2.0
    speed: 480 Mb/s (57.2 MiB/s) lanes: 1 mode: 2.0 power: 100mA
    chip-ID: 05e3:0608 class-ID: 0900
  Device-1: 1-11:5 info: Integrated Express RGB LED Controller type: HID
    driver: hid-generic,usbhid interfaces: 1 rev: 2.0 speed: 12 Mb/s (1.4 MiB/s)
    lanes: 1 mode: 1.1 power: 100mA chip-ID: 048d:5702 class-ID: 0300
  Hub-3: 2-0:1 info: super-speed hub ports: 6 rev: 3.1
    speed: 20 Gb/s (2.33 GiB/s) lanes: 2 mode: 3.2 gen-2x2 chip-ID: 1d6b:0003
    class-ID: 0900
  Device-1: 2-1:2 info: JMicron / USA PSSD-T70 type: mass storage driver: uas
    interfaces: 1 rev: 3.2 speed: 5 Gb/s (596.0 MiB/s) lanes: 1 mode: 3.2 gen-1x1
    power: 896mA chip-ID: 152d:0580 class-ID: 0806 serial: <filter>
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 44.0 C mobo: 37.0 C
  Fan Speeds (rpm): N/A
Repos:
  Packages: pm: pacman pkgs: 1212 libs: 353 tools: pamac pm: flatpak pkgs: 0
  Active pacman repo servers in: /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
    1: https://fosszone.csd.auth.gr/manjaro/stable/$repo/$arch
    2: https://mirror.truenetwork.ru/manjaro/stable/$repo/$arch
    3: https://repo.ialab.dsu.edu/manjaro/stable/$repo/$arch
Processes:
  CPU top: 5 of 306
  1: cpu: 33.9% command: firefox pid: 2419 mem: 483.1 MiB (3.0%)
  2: cpu: 12.3% command: firefox pid: 2723 mem: 260.5 MiB (1.6%)
  3: cpu: 5.6% command: konsole pid: 2995 mem: 221.8 MiB (1.3%)
  4: cpu: 3.6% command: plasmashell pid: 872 mem: 416.5 MiB (2.6%)
  5: cpu: 3.5% command: Xorg pid: 703 mem: 72.1 MiB (0.4%)
  Memory top: 5 of 306
  1: mem: 483.1 MiB (3.0%) command: firefox pid: 2419 cpu: 33.9%
  2: mem: 416.5 MiB (2.6%) command: plasmashell pid: 872 cpu: 3.6%
  3: mem: 260.5 MiB (1.6%) command: firefox pid: 2723 cpu: 12.3%
  4: mem: 221.8 MiB (1.3%) command: konsole pid: 2995 cpu: 5.6%
  5: mem: 166.4 MiB (1.0%) command: kwin_x11 pid: 856 cpu: 3.2%
Info:
  Processes: 306 Power: uptime: 14m states: freeze,mem,disk suspend: deep
    avail: s2idle wakeups: 0 hibernate: platform avail: shutdown, reboot,
    suspend, test_resume image: 6.17 GiB services: org_kde_powerdevil,
    power-profiles-daemon, upowerd Init: systemd v: 256 default: graphical
    tool: systemctl
  Compilers: N/A Shell: Zsh v: 5.9 default: Bash v: 5.2.32
    running-in: konsole inxi: 3.3.36

This is the result from the command, I reinstalled with the newest kernel, so I tell you in a couple of days if there has been any problem.

Thanks for the help.

10

You have no swap space configured.

Contrary to whatever you might believe about the need for swap, not having any will come back and bite youā€¦, as the saying goes.

This is likely unrelated to your issue.

Manjaro is a rolling-release which infers it must be constantly updated; therefore, yes, it could be related. Just as if you fail to regularly update or properly maintain your system; it could be related. :eyes:

Changing the kernel (as I previously indicated) will need to be done, regardless, and if it happens to solve the issue, so much the better.

Again, please understand: Your password will never ā€“ can never ā€“ change itself. Either you changed it, someone else changed it, or some other issue is in play preventing login.

Cheers.

1 Like
11

It didnā€™t do that, and it cannot do that.

I am guessing one of the following to be the causeā€¦

  • a different language encoding (logins should only contain ASCII characters);
  • a different keyboard layout;
  • an incorrect mixture of uppercase and lowercase; or
  • Caps Lock is engaged.

One issue that could also prevent you from logging in ā€” even though this should no longer be the case, given the ISO you installed from ā€” would be if your default shell is not listed in /etc/shells. This was a problem at some point in the past, where an update omitted /bin/zsh and /usr/bin/zsh from /etc/shells, but this was already remedied before the release of the ISO you installed from.

Still, best is to install from the most recent Stable ISO.

1 Like
12

Just to be clear; to login you need a user name and a password, not the password twice.

2 Likes
13

At the SDDM login screen, enter a TTY:

1. Ctrl + Alt + F3 (or F4-F7).

2. The resulting screen (should) allow you to login using your usual username and password (in that order).

3. Once logged in you will be in a terminal mode (only), but you are able to perform many tasks including updating the system, and other general maintenance.

4. To leave the TTY, type exit and press Enter.

5. To return to SDDM: Ctrl + Alt + F2

ā€“ Otherwise, yes; use the latest Manjaro bootable installer DVD/ISO/USB, and enter a chroot environment. :eyes:

Now, the mere fact that you can login via TTY (or not) may help isolate the possible cause(s) of your issue, so please attempt this and report back.

I note that your BIOS is a little old. It may be beneficial to update your BIOS at the earliest convenience. The new BIOS will likely include security patches and new features which can potentially solve many issues with your machine.

An addition to the list of possibles provided by @Aragorn, please also check that the Num Lock key is engaged, if you happen to use the keypad for any numerical portions of your username and/or password.

1 Like
14

Hello again.

I have done your steps, when I enter the terminal, there is an option that says login: (I type here the user) (looks like I can type anything I want, even if the user doesnt exist), I type my user name (I have tried multiple variations), I have type the password correctly (I know cause I have typed it before on the login step, to see if I typed it correctly), I have tried multiple times, I got locked for 10 minutes, tried again after such time and always get the error ā€œLogin incorrectā€.

I tried this on my laptop since I reinstalled the main PC one. I hadnt had any major problem yet. I also updated the kernel to 6.10.6 (dont remember the numbers, just some 6.10.x, not the experimental and not LTS).

The laptop still has the EOL kernel.

The only things that I hadnt done yet to repeat the issue is to spend some days without using linux, cause this problem appeared after I spent some days without using this OS (in both cases).

The first time on my laptop, I used the laptop everyday, and everything was perfect, after that I spent a couple of weeks with the laptop off and this problem happened.

Also on my main PC, I installed Linux on the SSD, used it a bit, turn off the PC, unplugged the SSD, got back to Windows for a couple of days, and when I got back to Linux the problem appeared again.

In case of malware which I hope and I donā€™t think it is, must be within the OS itself, cause they both has been completly disconnected when using windows.

About this, it doesnt work since Iā€™m stuck at the login step.

About the password thing, I am sure I typed it correctly.

In any case, I will try to log in again after some days without using it to see if the problem happens again. Meanwhile I will update the BIOS from Windows

15

If it helps on solving the issue, I noticed that when entered the TTY on my laptop, it appears

ā€œdevice nameā€ login:

And that device name is the default one that was shown when I installed linux for the device, not the one I set.

Let me explain when I install manjaro they ask me the next

Name:

User name: which change itself to the Name but uncapitalized (all lyrics are the small one)

Device name: which sets itself as the user name + something related to the device, in such case the laptop name or something similar.

Well, when I installed it I changed it to both the same, Device and User had the same name, but when I opened TTY it changed to the default one. I am pretty sure that I changed it to have the same as the user. Could this be the problem?

I opened the tty now on the main PC with this fresh install and it appears the one I wrote, the same as user.

16

With the now added information that you are also booting Windows, please note the following prerequisites in order to multiboot Manjaro and Windows:

SecureBoot

SecureBoot must be disabled ā€“ Manjaro does not support it, and cannot easily co-exist with Windows when itā€™s enabled.

UTC vs. Local Time

Linux (and macOS) default to setting a computer BIOS clock to UTC, the primary global time standard, whereas Windows (unsurprisingly) did not adopt UTC by default and uses the Local Time standard instead; similar to Standard Time.

This inconsistency causes particular annoyance in a multiboot scenario, as each OS defaults to a different time standard, resulting in the BIOS clock being reset on every boot/reboot.

The lack of UTC support in Windows (by default) is a fundamental design flaw, or at the very least, an embarrassing oversight. Linux already handles UTC with superior grace - let Windows in turn assume the ā€˜burden of repairā€™.

An elegant solution is to create a Windows registry file with the following content;

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\TimeZoneInformation]
"RealTimeIsUniversal"=dword:00000001

Create and save this file as RealTimeIsUniversal.reg.

After merging this registry entry, Windows will set the BIOS clock to UTC, and each OS will use the UTC time standard on subsequent reboots. This modification doesnā€™t affect your date/time display in Windows. Configure it as you would normally.

Fast Startup (Windows)

A hibernation variant known as Fast Startup may be enabled on Windows computers.

With Fast Startup enabled, Windows does not actually shut down; instead, it sleeps. When the computer subsequently wakes from the hibernation state, this gives the illusion of a faster startup and shutdown experience.

When multibooting, this can cause havoc with GRUB 2 and related boot processes, as well as NTFS mounting functionality, in Linux. To better understand these issues, and their consequences, please see the related article [Primer] NTFS on Linux.

Fast Startup must be disabled in a multiboot scenario. :eyes:

There are many documented ways to turn off fast startup in both Windows 10 and 11, however, the easiest is to use this command from an administrative command prompt to disable all hibernation (other sleep states will not be affected):

powercfg /h off
Create an Administrative Command Shortcut:

If you cannot seem to find how to access an Administrative Command Prompt in Windows, you can instead create a shortcut to cmd.exe:

  1. Right-click your desktop and choose New ā†’ Shortcut
  2. In the Create Shortcut dialog, input the location: cmd.exe is all that is needed.
  3. Click Next and input a name for the shortcut: Admin Prompt for example.
  4. Click Finish to finish creating the shortcut.
  5. Right-click the shortcut and select Properties.
  6. Click Advanced and click Run as Administrator (checkbox).
  7. Click OK, and then OK again.

I hope this information is useful.

1 Like
17

What you are in essence saying, what Iā€™m understanding of it, is:

  • you changed the machine name - which somehow didnā€™t work. It is still the default one
    That is not a problem in itself and is something you can deal with later.

  • you also set the user name and the password for that user to be the same - not very secure - but can be done

When on TTY, you first type your user name at the login: prompt (and hit Enter)
Then you type the password (and hit Enter)

If you canā€™t figure out the user name, there is still the root account:
login: root
password: the one you set

User names are always lower case.

If you canā€™t log in, one easy method to set a new password is to boot from USB and chroot.
(manjaro-chroot -a)

What really confuses me here is:
how can you provide inxi output when you canā€™t even log in?

In other words - login clearly works.
What is the problem then?

1 Like
18

It is safe to say - username and/or password never changes without interaction

Interaction may be errornously replacing /etc/passwd with a passwd.pacnew file or a deliberate password change.

If you are getting the hostname manjaro at the login prompt - then you are likely booting the ISO. You should remove the installation media after successful installation to avoid booting the ISO.

To verify if it is indeed the ISO, test login using the default ISO logins

User Password
root manjaro
manjaro manjaro
1 Like
19

When you say ā€œturn off, turn onā€, you mean that you shutdown the computer properly through the Plasma GUI, right? Please confirm you didnā€™t just press the power button to switch it offā€¦

What you are describing cannot happen. Either that, or you are not communicating the situation sufficiently for anyone to understand.

It is possible this might be a pebkac issue, in which case, Iā€™m afraid I am not able to help further; I can only wish you luck.

20

Yes, on my laptop, I needed to do this to be able to boot from USB.

I didnā€™t know this about time. I did it this time.

I know, It was disabled on the BIOS and I disabled the Windows option for it. I did the powercfg /h off anyway.

Yes this is correct.

This is not. I set the machine name and user name the same.

I have done this, but on my laptop it doesnt work.

Neither this.

I did this, it worked the first log in, two days later I had the same error again.

Now I can cause I did a fresh reinstall of linux. This will make sense when I explain all the steps a bit further in this message.

Yes, and obviously it is the expected behaviour, but given my evidences and my knowledge it is the my best possible explanation.

The ISO USB is not plugged.

I hadnā€™t touch such files and I am the only one using the PC or laptop.

if properly means pressing shutdown button or waiting the seconds until it does it itself, then yes. And if by press the power button means the physical button that I press with my finger, no, I did not use that to shutdown the PC.

thanks

Lets see if explaining all the steps like this we find the issue.

Load ISO to USB
  1. I download the ISO.
  2. Use 7-zip to check SHA-256
  3. Check it is the same as the checksum provided by the official page.
  4. Install it to the USB using Rufus.
  5. Read everything there.
  6. Check I selected the correct USB.
  7. Make Rufus check for errors on the USB.
  8. Load the ISO.13. 2. 3. 4.
Install Manjaro on a 20 YO Laptop that meets the minimum requirements
  • This laptop had Windows 7 installed.
  • Did nothing on the BIOS but booting from the USB.
  1. Run ISO from USB.
  2. Launch Installer.
Installation steps
  1. Ask for language. Spanish.
  2. Ask for timezone. Spanish.
  3. Ask for keyboard. Spanish, no dead keys. The default one.
  4. Check each key is correct.
  5. Ask for installation drive.
Drive options
  • Format the Drive.
  • No swap.
  • The GUI tells me that everything there will be removed. Shows me the windows part that was already, and what will be left after the install (manjaro, and maybe efi partition, Idk if it appeared this time)
  1. Ask for user name and others.
User name Data

GUI Layout:

  • Name: Noob
  • User: noob (default)
  • Machine name: noob-(something default) --(change it myself)ā€“> Machine name: noob
  • password: **** repeat password: ****
  • ask password on login checkbox: unchecked.
  • root password same as admin checkbox: unchecked.
  • root password: root**** repeat root password: root****
  1. Shutdown laptop.
  2. Unplug USB with ISO.
  3. Boot laptop.
  4. Log in using my password.
  5. Works.
  6. Try to install UFW.
  7. Ask me to update packages.
  8. Confirm
  9. Gave some error for ufw.
  10. Shut down and forget about this laptop.
Install Manjaro on my main 9 YO Laptop
  1. Go to BIOS.
  2. Try to boot from USB.
  3. Canā€™t
  4. Read a bit and figure it out it was because secure boot.
  5. Disable secure boot.
  6. Do nothing related to fast boot.
  7. Boot ISO from USB.
  8. Launch installer.
  9. Install Manjaro.
Installation steps same as before, but efi confirmed
  1. Ask for language. Spanish.
  2. Ask for timezone. Spanish.
  3. Ask for keyboard. Spanish, no dead keys. The default one.
  4. Check each key is correct.
  5. Ask for installation drive.
Drive options
  • Format the Drive.
  • No swap.
  • The GUI tells me that everything there will be removed. Shows me the windows part that was already, and what will be left after the install (manjaro, and efi partition, this time appeared for sure)
  1. Ask for user name and others.
User name Data

GUI Layout:

  • Name: Noob
  • User: noob (default)
  • Machine name: noob-(something default) --(change it myself)ā€“> Machine name: noob
  • password: **** repeat password: ****
  • ask password on login checkbox: unchecked.
  • root password same as admin checkbox: unchecked.
  • root password: root**** repeat root password: root****
  1. Shut down laptop.
  2. Unplug USB with ISO.
  3. Boot PC.
  4. Log in normally to Manjaro.
  5. Update packages.
  6. Install UFW.
  7. Shut down.
  8. Boot up next day.
  9. Everything works fine.
  10. Install some programs. Inkscape from pamac, Anaconda with their steps.
  11. Does nothing else that day. Shut down.
  12. Boot up next day.
  13. Install brave.
  14. Watch some videos on Youtube using Brave.
  15. Since I was on holiday, I repeated the steps 20-23 for a couple of days.
  16. Install snap.
  17. Install codium.
  18. Try to install mariadb, but left unfinished (which means I hadnt done all the steps on the Arch wiki, but I was capable of pressing install in the pamac GUI).
  19. Shut down.
  20. Boot up next day. Continues with mariadb, left unfinished.
  21. Shut down for multiple weeks.
Install Manjaro on an external SSD for my main PC (tower not laptop)
  1. Boot to live USB.
  2. Donā€™t check about secure boot since it allowed me to boot to the USB.
  3. Donā€™t check about fast boot, but I know it was disabled, both windows and BIOS.
  4. Install Manjaro to SSD external to the PC (tower), fresh SSD nothing inside of it. (No windows, no files, nothing, freshly bought).
Installation steps same as before but efi confirmed
  1. Ask for language. Spanish.
  2. Ask for timezone. Spanish.
  3. Ask for keyboard. Spanish, no dead keys. The default one.
  4. Check each key is correct.
  5. Ask for installation drive.
Drive options
  • Format the Drive.
  • No swap.
  • The GUI tells me that everything there will be removed. Shows me the windows part that was already, and what will be left after the install (manjaro, and efi partition, this time appeared for sure)
  1. Ask for user name and others.
User name Data

GUI Layout:

  • Name: Noob
  • User: noob (default)
  • Machine name: noob-(something default) --(change it myself)ā€“> Machine name: noob
  • password: **** repeat password: ****
  • ask password on login checkbox: unchecked.
  • root password same as admin checkbox: unchecked.
  • root password: root**** repeat root password: root****
  1. Shut down.
  2. Unplug USB.
  3. Boot to BIOS.
  4. Select boot drive.
  5. Boot to Manjaro, instead of Windows.
  6. Log in normally.
  7. Update packages.
  8. Install UFW.
  9. Boot Laptop aswell to check all the packages I installed.
  10. This problem appears, canā€™t log in.
  11. Using the PC and using Manjaro I write the first message of this article.
  12. Spent some days without using Manjaro on the PC while I waited for an answer.
  13. Boot to Manjaro again on the main PC.
  14. This problem again. Canā€™t log in.
  15. Goes to Windows to check the replies.
Replies

i guess the second one should be the uefi partition.

Reinstalled Linux to do so.

Made sure the password was correct.

  1. Went to user selection option
  2. Typed the password on the user input to see what I wrote.
  3. Cut that.
  4. Clicked on select user from available options, since it is only one It goes straight to the only option.
  5. Paste the password.
  6. Canā€™t log in.

Did this.

Could log in the next boot.
Could not the next after some days.

Now I reinstalled it again, this time using swap, as commented before, and updated to a newer kernel 6.10.x

What is common between all the install that failed
  • Yes the first laptop has the same problem.
  • I spent multiple days without using them.
  • No swap.
  • Machine name = User name != Password != Name != Root password
  • All used a now EOL kernel.
Different things in the newest install
  • Installed using swap with hibernation
  • Updated kernel
  • Updated BIOS (post manjaro install)
  • Installed manjaro with second monitor unplugged (gave problem on the first install on the PC)
  • Time thing done (post manjaro install)
Contradictions and Questions
  • Fast startup was enable on 9 YO laptop and main PC when installed majaro. But I doubt the 20 YO laptop has it.
  • Why was I able to use the 9 YO laptop for multiple days without any problem? The password work each log in and each time I needed it for a package install.
To be clear

I am using now Manjaro on my main PC, no problem for now, with everything commented on newest install hide tab.

The only thing I hadnt tested with this install is to spend multiple days without using it. And it will probably what I will do this days, Sunday and maybe Monday.

And please donā€™t treat me as If I were an idiot, I consider myself an experienced Python developer (yes I know it is an easy to use language, not like C++ or Java), but still I am capable of solving programming issues, I am a Data Scientist with a lot of programming experience in both data, and data structure problems, and a bit on web dev.

I know that password changing itself canā€™t be possible without any malware or external intervention, but given all this steps, I donā€™t find any other possible explanation. It was cause by an almost fresh install and inmediate shut down, as commented on the 20 YO laptop.