Linux Lite Forums
Software - Support => Installing Linux Lite => Topic started by: robert on April 28, 2014, 09:48:31 AM
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Hi. Is there a way to change the main user name?
I set my wife's netbook up but used my name and now she would like to see her name at login etc.
Thanks in advance.
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Hi Robert. Changing a username seems to be covered in this article here (http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/change_username). I've never tried it. Last time I was in this situation I just created a new user account, moved data over, and reinstalled/reconfigured software.
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Hello!
The procedure mentioned by Scott(0) SHOULD *WORK*, but if you read the WHOLE PAGE, and look at all the caveats at the bottom, an inexperienced user could REALLY WREAK HAVOC to the point that reinstallation would be required to fix everything if they tried this. (Since he tried, he gets a point.)
Who knows? If you do what *I* say to do here and FAIL, you MIGHT just have to reinstall ANYWAY.
I changed my own user name by 'ripping off' the procedures I found at the site below, and they worked. More details can be found there:
mzanfardino.wordpress.com/2012/10/04/how-to-renamechange-user-in-linux/
Here's what you do. I recommend you either print this, pull it up on another PC near to you, or write all this down VERY CAREFULLY.
NB: If you boo-boo ANY OF THIS, you may have to reinstall Linux Lite to fix it, so BE CAREFUL. If ANY of this makes you timid in any way, it's best to be totally safe, and just reinstall it all using HER name, instead.
With all that said, here goes:
1. Go to Menu > Settings > User Manager. Click the 'New User' bar. Create a new user called 'temp' and, to make things easier on yourself, assign it a password that's identical to your current root password. A box will appear and ask you for your current root password. Type it in and click OK.
It might take a few seconds to create the new user. If it hangs up on you more than a minute, START OVER.
2. Go to the right side of the User Manager screen, scroll down to the box marked 'sudo' and check it. Click on 'Apply', then 'Quit'. Reopen User Manager, select 'temp', and verify that the 'sudo' box is checked. If it isn't, you won't be able to make the changes you need to make.
3. Go to Menu > Turn Off Computer, select 'Log Out', and log in as the user you just created (temp)'.
4. Open a terminal [CTRL-ALT-T], type 'sudo su', enter your root password at the prompt and press [ENTER].
(Just 'sudo' will probably work equally well, but why not 'go for broke'?)
You will NOT see your password or any '*' characters echo back to you. If successful, you will see the '$' after your username and computername become '#'. This means you are now in a 'root terminal', and can now make the needed changes.
5. In the terminal window, type the following commands, one at a time. For our purposes, the old user is 'hubby', and the new one is 'wifey'. The new 'full name' is 'My Missus'.
# killall -u hubby (Probably not needed since hubby's not logged on anymore, but what the heck)
# id hubby (This is all the groups 'hubby' belongs to.)
# usermod -l wifey hubby
# groupmod -n wifey hubby
# usermod -d /home/wifey -m wifey
# usermod -c “My Missus” wifey
# id wifey (look at this and the one above to verify that wifey is now a member of all the groups hubby was.)
6. Reboot. log in as wifey, go back to User Manager, and delete the user 'temp' you created.
7. If wifey wants to change her password, have her open a terminal window, type 'sudo passwd', and she can then change her password.
Hope this helps...
73 DE N4RPS
Rob
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Hi apologies for long delay in replying. Life got in the way.
But to say thanks for this, it worked great and my wife now is a happy bunny.
Thanks again.
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Hello!
I'm glad I was able to help you out. Since I found that, there have been others here who have benefited from the reply to your post.
That's the beauty about the sharing of knowledge in the Linux community. One never knows who they might help out 'further down the log'!
Let us know if any of us can help you further...
73 DE N4RPS
Rob