Deleting Users
in [UK Linux]
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From: Will Kemp on 31 Aug 2009 05:25 On 08/31/2009 09:19 AM, Bilky White wrote: > Linux newbie here. I installed Ubuntu on my wife's laptop and, like an > idiot, I entered her account details first instead of setting up an overall > admin account. After installing I created an admin account thinking that > I'd be able to delete the original account and re-create it. It allowed me > to delete the user account via the Admin/Users and Groups menu item but if I > try to recreate it I get an error telling me that it already exists. > > I've tried this > > sudo userdel -r<username> > > but that returns a "<username> does not exist" error, which doesn't make > sense. > > I'm getting the feeling that it might be worth starting the install from > scratch, any opinions or advice? It would be ridiculous to reinstall just because of a problem with a user. This is Linux, not Windows - don't reinstall to fix problems (unless they were serious problems related to the installation itself, which this isn't). To manually delete a user, delete the line for that user from /etc/passwd , /etc/shadow , /etc/group . Delete /home/<username> and /var/spool/mail/<username> (if it exists). I haven't got a Ubuntu installation handy to check, but you may need to delete them from /etc/sudoers as well (but read any comments at the top of that file first). Go through all these steps - some of them should have been done for you by whatever you used to delete the user in the first place - and delete whatever hasn't been deleted. Then you shouldn't have trouble adding that user again. -- http://NovemberEchoRomeoDelta.com
From: Bilky White on 31 Aug 2009 05:35 "chris" <ithinkiam(a)gmail.com> wrote in message news:h7g2g3$noo$1(a)news.eternal-september.org... > > > Simply create your account first and then your wife's. That's what I *meant* to do and is what I've always previously done but rushing and doing something else at the same time led me to make a mistake. The purpose of starting this thread was to try to find out if I could either correct the mistake or if I'd have to start again. It looks like the latter would be easier for me. :)
From: Bilky White on 31 Aug 2009 05:56 "Will Kemp" <will(a)xxxx.swaggie.net> wrote in message news:CGMmm.58014$fN.16570(a)newsfe09.ams2... > > It would be ridiculous to reinstall just because of a problem with a user. > This is Linux, not Windows - don't reinstall to fix problems (unless they > were serious problems related to the installation itself, which this > isn't). That's what I wanted to hear! > > To manually delete a user, delete the line for that user from /etc/passwd > , /etc/shadow , /etc/group . > > Delete /home/<username> and /var/spool/mail/<username> (if it exists). > > I haven't got a Ubuntu installation handy to check, but you may need to > delete them from /etc/sudoers as well (but read any comments at the top of > that file first). > > Go through all these steps - some of them should have been done for you by > whatever you used to delete the user in the first place - and delete > whatever hasn't been deleted. > > Then you shouldn't have trouble adding that user again. > Many thanks Will, I will try that as soon as I can.
From: Bilky White on 1 Sep 2009 03:47 "Will Kemp" <will(a)xxxx.swaggie.net> wrote in message news:CGMmm.58014$fN.16570(a)newsfe09.ams2... > > > To manually delete a user, delete the line for that user from /etc/passwd > , /etc/shadow , /etc/group . > > Delete /home/<username> and /var/spool/mail/<username> (if it exists). > /etc/group proved to be the clincher, having 2 lines of code pertaining to the deleted user. I have now re-created the account as a desktop user. Thanks so much, you've saved me from re-installing!
From: Geoffrey Clements on 1 Sep 2009 07:50
"Bilky White" <here(a)where.com> wrote in message news:4a9cd18a_1(a)glkas0286.greenlnk.net... > "Will Kemp" <will(a)xxxx.swaggie.net> wrote in message > news:CGMmm.58014$fN.16570(a)newsfe09.ams2... >> >> >> To manually delete a user, delete the line for that user from /etc/passwd >> , /etc/shadow , /etc/group . >> >> Delete /home/<username> and /var/spool/mail/<username> (if it exists). >> > > /etc/group proved to be the clincher, having 2 lines of code pertaining to > the deleted user. I have now re-created the account as a desktop user. > Thanks so much, you've saved me from re-installing! As said elsewhere you rarely need to reinstall unless you do bloody stupid things like I am wont to do on occasion; a year or so ago I copied /etc to go under /home (a different partition) whilst I did some things that were potentially dangerous, this was just meant to be temporary. I couple of weeks ago I realized I still had the copy so to remove it I did: # cd /home # rm -fr /etc DOH! -- Geoff |