MX Linux Forum

ive been lurking on the forums for a few weeks already, so hi again to everybody and thanks for creating and supporting this fine distribution :-)
my last post got quite convoluted, so here is my first serious thread/question:

description:
the problem i think is with the root account which i didnt enable at install.so i had a system which doesnt require password for root account and uses first user as administrator/superuser. this worked quite well until i got locked out after a kernel change with mx package installer. i have still no idea why that happens but the internet says its quite common and timeshift saved the day. the issue is described here for fedora, but its the same thing:

https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/qu ... nt-locked/

i got advised by a forum member here to enable root account on my system to prevent this from happening in the future - which made sense to me.

PROBLEM: after setting a password for root in the mx user manager (administration>change user password) i cant boot into KDE gui anymore. at boot time, after GRUB menu it says:
starting initscrip for SDDM: sddmerror=unexpectedly disconnected from boot status daemon..tlp sysstat failed.
stopping VMWare services, starting VMWARE services
startpar services returned failure: tlp sysstat failed
"welcome to mxlinux: powered by debian": now i can login as root with the new set password, but i dont know how to start KDE.
"systemctl enable sddm" or "dpkg-reconfigure sddm" doesnt work
kernel 6.13.8.1, if that matters, sorry i cant make a proper copy paste or screenshot without GUI.
timeshift doesnt work, neither does changing kernel in advanced grub menu.
i booted from a different SSD, tried to look at the home folder of the described installation but it shows empty in dolphin and i cant access any files although it has over 300GB. ownership of the home folder is "root" so i guess i could access it when i will be able boot into KDE again?!
any ideas how to fix this would be highly appreciated...

According to the forum rules (please read): Please provide full Quick System Info from the menu, use copy for forum button, no edits.
LiveUSB version is OK if needed.

MX Linux 23.5, KDE 5.27.5, Frameworks 5.103.0, Qt 5.15.8, X11

how should i "provide full Quick System Info from the menu" when im stuck at boot?

cpu is intel 9600K, asrock Z390 MOBO, 32GB RAM. doesnt really matter i guess, as this problem is clearly in general from enabling root account on a running MX-system that had no enabled root account at install. it happens directly after reboot.

samegold wrote: Sun Apr 20, 2025 7:01 am MX Linux 23.5, KDE 5.27.5, Frameworks 5.103.0, Qt 5.15.8, X11

how should i "provide full Quick System Info from the menu" when im stuck at boot?

From a live session?

Let me repost:

According to the forum rules (please read): Please provide full Quick System Info from the menu, use copy for forum button, no edits.
LiveUSB version is OK if needed.

j2mcgreg wrote: Sun Apr 20, 2025 7:15 am

samegold wrote: Sun Apr 20, 2025 7:01 am MX Linux 23.5, KDE 5.27.5, Frameworks 5.103.0, Qt 5.15.8, X11

how should i "provide full Quick System Info from the menu" when im stuck at boot?

From a live session?

if the live session is running from an usb stick, how should i read out the software that is installed on the SSD that doesnt boot? wouldnt the live-usb show the software versions of the live-system?

It tells us about your system, so we can better help you.

Eadwine Rose wrote: Sun Apr 20, 2025 7:31 am It tells us about your system, so we can better help you.

thanks, i understand that, but wouldnt the live-usb-info show the software versions of the live-USB-system instead of the not-booting system?

@samegold wrote:

thanks, i understand that, but wouldnt the live-usb-info show the software versions of the live-USB-system instead of the not-booting system?

We are not at the software stage yet. We need to be able to eliminate your hardware components as points of failure first. The QSI is the best way for you to deliver that information to us. As it stands, it's like you've called a mechanic to fix your car but you refuse to give him / her the make and model or have a look under the hood.

j2mcgreg wrote: Sun Apr 20, 2025 8:02 am @samegold wrote:

thanks, i understand that, but wouldnt the live-usb-info show the software versions of the live-USB-system instead of the not-booting system?

We are not at the software stage yet. We need to be able to eliminate your hardware components as points of failure first. The QSI is the best way for you to deliver that information to us. As it stands, it's like you've called a mechanic to fix your car but you refuse to give him / her the make and model or have a look under the hood.

ive already posted the hardware specs above, what else do you need? the hardware has nothing to do with it as it runs fine and i run linux from it right now from a different SSD and the problem only occurs when enabling root on MX.
so again: how does the usb-live system know what software is running on the failed SSD? to me you seem like a mechanic that wants to know the exact model of the car stereo when someone complains about a flat-tire.