Can't enable the root password

[Dani]

Binary package hint: gnome-system-tools

I set the root password using System->Administration->"Users and Group" but su always returns me "su: Authentication failure".
"sudo passwd root" works correctly.

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: i386
Date: Sat Oct 31 18:21:54 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala" - Release i386 (20091028.5)
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Package: gnome-system-tools 2.28.1-0ubuntu2
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-14.48-generic
SourcePackage: gnome-system-tools
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-14-generic i686

[Milan Bouchet-Valat (nalimilan)]

Thanks for the report. I guess the password is actually not changed at all when using users-admin. Are you able to change your username or any other setting? To create/delete users? If yes, please read the instructions at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingGnomeSystemTools, and follow the procedure for the tool users-admin.

[Dani (dani-ritirata)]

The field containig my username is greyed out, so i'm not able to change it.
Yesterday i changed my own password correctly.

I just created an user, but i can't delete it nor change its home directory.

I followed the procedure for the tool user-admin and tried to reproduce the root password bug.

[Dani (dani-ritirata)]

users-admin.log was empty.

[Milan Bouchet-Valat (nalimilan)]

Could you follow the instructions at https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-system-tools/+bug/458883/comments/24 and confirm that it fixes your problem? I'm almost sure it does.

[Milan Bouchet-Valat (nalimilan)]

Oh, and BTW this is a duplicate of bug 463353. You can change your own password without trouble because it does not use the same system to do it.