Switching Users Fails

Bug #874872 reported by Richard B
50
This bug affects 9 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
lightdm (Ubuntu)
Confirmed
Low
Unassigned

Bug Description

Upgraded from Ubuntu 11.04 to 11.10, using Unity, removed gdm and choose lightdm as default.
Start PC and login into user account using lightdm.
Using the indicator panel, select to switch users. Presented with lighdm login screen, select user and enter password. Remain at lightdm login screen, unable to enter passwords (textboxes then disappear if I select another user).
Can use Alt-Ctrl-F7 to return to original GUI session.
Can use Alt-Ctrl-F1 to set CLI, from there sudo restart lightdm returned restart: unknown instance.

Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

Changed in lightdm (Ubuntu):
status: New → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
Zsolt Szilagyi (esgott) wrote :

Also affects me. I can recover from the fault pressing Ctrl+Alt+F1 and then go back to the GUI session with Ctrl+Alt+F7, and unlock the screen. After this, I am unable to play any music with Banshee, or any Video with Totem. I haven't tried any other player.

Revision history for this message
Zsolt Szilagyi (esgott) wrote :

After this, it hangs when I try to shut down or reboot, however I can "force" the shutdown/reboot from the command line with for e.g sudo reboot.

Revision history for this message
dpiekny (dpiekny) wrote :

Exact same behaviour for me resulting from same upgrade to 11.10.

Lightdm remains unresponsive after password input. Can select other user from lightdm screen, which removes the password box and does not allow login (tty8)

Can switch back to tty7 and log back in

sudo service lightdm restart: fails due to upstream job status
sudo service lightdm halt: fails as well
sudo kill -9 (job ID): returns no error and job disappears
sudo service lightdm start: returns no error. returns jobID, but lightdm does not appear in sudo ps -A
sudo start lightdm: returns no error. returns jobID, but lightdm does not appear in sudo ps -A

at this point other terminals are inaccessible

logout kills the desktop manager, but desktop items remain, and folders can be openned with no decoration, like old xdm

ctrl-alt-del sends shutdown signal and tty1 returns

Revision history for this message
Sebastien Bacher (seb128) wrote :

Thank you for your bug report, what lightdm version do you use? Could you add your lightdm.log to the bug? What video card and driver do you use?

Changed in lightdm (Ubuntu):
importance: Undecided → Low
status: Confirmed → Incomplete
Revision history for this message
Richard B (rich-fatbunny-deactivatedaccount) wrote : Re: [Bug 874872] Re: Switching Users Fails

I'll be able to provide the details when I get home in a few days. In the
meantime I can say I'm using the propriety nVidia driver on a 8800GT card. I
was also using the standard version of lightdm from the Ubuntu repo after
the 11.10 launch.

Rich.
On Oct 18, 2011 9:20 PM, "Sebastien Bacher" <email address hidden> wrote:

> Thank you for your bug report, what lightdm version do you use? Could
> you add your lightdm.log to the bug? What video card and driver do you
> use?
>
> ** Changed in: lightdm (Ubuntu)
> Importance: Undecided => Low
>
> ** Changed in: lightdm (Ubuntu)
> Status: Confirmed => Incomplete
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/874872
>
> Title:
> Switching Users Fails
>
> Status in “lightdm” package in Ubuntu:
> Incomplete
>
> Bug description:
> Upgraded from Ubuntu 11.04 to 11.10, using Unity, removed gdm and choose
> lightdm as default.
> Start PC and login into user account using lightdm.
> Using the indicator panel, select to switch users. Presented with lighdm
> login screen, select user and enter password. Remain at lightdm login
> screen, unable to enter passwords (textboxes then disappear if I select
> another user).
> Can use Alt-Ctrl-F7 to return to original GUI session.
> Can use Alt-Ctrl-F1 to set CLI, from there sudo restart lightdm returned
> restart: unknown instance.
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
>
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/lightdm/+bug/874872/+subscriptions
>

Revision history for this message
Neil Robinson (halfhaggis+) wrote :

I have exactly this same problem, which only started after the upgrade from 10.04 to 10.10

I'm using lightdm v1.0.1

Attaching the lightdm.log found at /var/log/lightdm/
--

I have quite a few user accounts set up on my system, so I've tried a few variations on this issue. The problem appears to be linked to administrative accounts.

Case 1:
After booting up:
1. Standard User 'bob' logs in at lightdm login screen.
2. bob selects fast-user switcher, and chooses Standard User 'sarah'
3. Standard User sarah logs in at lightdm login screen.
4. sarah logs out (or just switches back to lightdm)
5. bob logs back in.
6. bob selects fast-user switcher, and chooses Administrator User 'thor'
7. thor types in password at login prompt. Password input screen greys out and thor is not logged in, as expected

Case 2:
After booting up:
1. Administrative User 'thor' logs in at lightdm login screen
2. thor selects fast-user switcher, and chooses Standard User 'sarah'
3. Standard User sarah enters password at lightdm login screen.
4. Password input screen greys out and sarah is not logged in, as expected

I've also noticed that typing in an incorrect password does *not* freeze the password input box. Incorrect password error comes up, and an opportunity to retype the password is provided. Typing the correct password then freezes the box.

---

Please let me know how else I might help.
Thanks for your efforts.

Revision history for this message
scottku (scottku) wrote :

I've also seen this happen on a machine with an NVIDIA GeForce GTS 240 (proprietary drivers) almost immediately after I upgraded from 11.04 to 11.10 and tried switching users a few times. Installing gdm and using that instead of lightdm fixed the problem for me.

Revision history for this message
scottku (scottku) wrote :

In this lightdm.log file, "kuhl" logs in and switches to user "sarah". After the password for "sarah" is entered, the password box is grayed out and nothing happens. If I click on other users in the list, the password box disappears entirely. Both users are administrative accounts.

Changed in lightdm (Ubuntu):
status: Incomplete → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
Zsolt Szilagyi (esgott) wrote :

I am using an ATI Radeon HD 4670, with fglrx 2:8.881-0ubuntu4
lightdm: 1.0.1-0ubuntu6

Also I noticed, that I can't start a guest session, everything just stays black. I guess it is in connection with this problem.
If I click on the top-right corner of the black screen, I can log out, but after that the same error happens on the lightdm login screen, and I can't log back to my original session, or any other session.

Revision history for this message
Richard B (rich-fatbunny-deactivatedaccount) wrote :
  • lightdm.log Edit (7.7 KiB, text/x-log; charset=US-ASCII; name="lightdm.log")

Lightdm version 1.0.01 from package 1.0.1-0ubuntu
Using the Nvidia 280.13 driver

In the log file, the admin user rich successfully logged in, then used the
switch applet to select the standard user fi. Entered fi's password at the
login screen, then lightdm appeared to crash. Had to start lightdm (sudo
start lightdm) to be able to return to my GUI session for rich. Hope this
helps, if you need more info, please let me know.

On 18 October 2011 21:15, Sebastien Bacher <email address hidden> wrote:

> Thank you for your bug report, what lightdm version do you use? Could
> you add your lightdm.log to the bug? What video card and driver do you
> use?
>
> ** Changed in: lightdm (Ubuntu)
> Importance: Undecided => Low
>
> ** Changed in: lightdm (Ubuntu)
> Status: Confirmed => Incomplete
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/874872
>
> Title:
> Switching Users Fails
>
> Status in “lightdm” package in Ubuntu:
> Incomplete
>
> Bug description:
> Upgraded from Ubuntu 11.04 to 11.10, using Unity, removed gdm and choose
> lightdm as default.
> Start PC and login into user account using lightdm.
> Using the indicator panel, select to switch users. Presented with lighdm
> login screen, select user and enter password. Remain at lightdm login
> screen, unable to enter passwords (textboxes then disappear if I select
> another user).
> Can use Alt-Ctrl-F7 to return to original GUI session.
> Can use Alt-Ctrl-F1 to set CLI, from there sudo restart lightdm returned
> restart: unknown instance.
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
>
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/lightdm/+bug/874872/+subscriptions
>

Revision history for this message
Neil Robinson (halfhaggis+) wrote :

Forgot to add my video card info:
VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)

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