ive just installed ubuntu edgy 6.10 on my pc, theres a root user and an admin. is it possible to login the root account from the login window coz when ive tried it says, root account is not allowed.. etc. my purpose is to navigate through the file system as root user but not through the shell. it would be easier for me to create file by using right-click than typing in the shell. if anybody has a solution please feel free to help…

By default the root account is disabled in Ubuntu.  You should never have to actually log into the root account.  Instead you use sudo before any command that needs to be run at root.  If you want to to navigate the system using the root account then open a console window and do this.

That will open the GUI file browser that is much like explorer in Windows.  Anything you do in that window will be done as a root user.  Keep in mind when you save files to the desktop or in the home directory while doing so those files will actually go to the admin home. 

The two resources that you will find most helpful for Ubuntu (including enabling the root account) are these.

Ubuntu unofficial user guide

Ubuntu forums

Do look through those forums.  Any question you have is already answered there many times over.

It’s possible but not advised. If you log in as root, particularly in X, you give up a lot of the security advantages Linux has over Windows, in typical installations.

By default, in Ubuntu, root has no password, so you have to “become” root by using sudo. So if you’re going to log in as root you’ll have to use sudo (or gksudo to run a GUI program) or a GUI administrative program to change root’s password from nothing to something.

But logging into a GUI as root is DEFINITELY neither safe nor recommended.

Geez linuxbz, what took you so long?

John Fuller - 03 February 2007 11:40 PM

Geez linuxbz, what took you so long?

You posted your reply (which was probably more useful) while I was writing mine. I prefer Kubuntu, but I really don’t know the GUI utilities very well ... I usually prefer the command line, though I’ll sometimes use Konqueror (or Nautilus in Ubuntu) to drag ‘n drop.

Why not use Xubuntu then?  I believe DSL comes with Fluxbox which is also pretty nice.  I tried it on an ancient laptop and the computer was actually useable again.  Makes a newer computer much faster.

You can try this

Set the password logout and log back in as root w/ the password you just set. Should work… use @ own risk.

Wilcard99 it would be better for you to use your user andcreate the project in your own directory using virtual hosts on apache then chmod -R 707 on the directory (this is what i do) or just from the command line navigate to the directory and use sudo chmod 707 -R <directory path> to allow you create edit and execute any file in this directory.

@Luci3n, wildcard99 did not say what kind of task, just navigating and creating files by right-clicking. So I don’t understand why you would use virtual hosts on Apache.

Also, did you really mean to chmod -R 707? That would set all directories in the subtree so that the user and others (but not the group) could enter, change, and read the directory, and set all files in the subdirectory tree to be executable, writable, and readable by the user and others (but not the group). An unusual (and not a secure) choice.

you also need to change a setting in the
gdm.conf file. to allow root login.

jforth - 04 February 2007 12:31 PM

you also need to change a setting in the
gdm.conf file. to allow root login.

That makes sense.  There is also a setting ‘AllowRootLogin=false’ by default in /etc/kde3/kdm/kdmrc in Kubuntu.

Incidentally, jforth, how can you think with all the noise coming from Opa Locka today?

@linuxbz I was assuming that wildcard was asking something related to CI rather than general a linux question

Luci3n - 04 February 2007 01:58 PM

@linuxbz I was assuming that wildcard was asking something related to CI rather than general a linux question

Luci3n, we are in lounge and it says no topic off limits… lol , tnx for reply guys..
actually when ive tried searching it in google there wer a lot of answers but because this forums is my first choice so i decided to post it here first.. im a member of 3 other forums but this is the most active.. 

A couple of small stuff…

* Never ever be logged in as root, there’s alot of stuff you can do by mistake
Compare these

Anecdote: I know a certain administrator that shutdown a mail server by mistake, by typing “halt”... not remembering he was root

* If you’re only using the computer hands on, without any remote (ssh) accesses - turn ssh off

* Usually direct root access (read by default) isn’t allowed over ssh anyways, but if you have a weak password - a hacker could hack your account and use that to gain root privileges - so if you know the IP numbers that you’re going to connect from you can alter hosts.allow and hosts.deny to restrict, well, access.

This will only allow access from the IP numbers 10.0.0.15 and 192.168.1.1 - should be replaced with “real” ones.

Just my €0.02

Footnote: I never use su , only sudo - if I need “su -” I just “sudo [-i] sh”