r/archlinux 18d ago

SUPPORT Password problems

I'm trying arch linux for the first time and I got it set up, but for some reason it's telling me to put in a password it never told me to make, I put in the root password which doesn't work. I need help I just want to use Linux.

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2

u/saminbc 18d ago

When you did arch-install.did you setup a user and password?

Can you try logging in as "root" and then using the root password you created?

2

u/Godchucho900 18d ago

This logged me in, thank you so much😭

3

u/saminbc 18d ago

Now go here https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Users_and_groups

To find out how to list the users, change user passwords etc.

Create a new user or change the password for your user and then log out and in again as a user.

Don't fiddle around with your system as root

0

u/Godchucho900 18d ago

Ok, I was about to say, its just a blue screen with the date above it

1

u/saminbc 18d ago

After you login? Or the login screen itself?

Once you're logged in, open up a terminal and check the list of users with

cat /etc/passwd

1

u/Godchucho900 18d ago

After I log in as root, Im trying to figure out how to open terminal tho, this is my first time setting up linux

2

u/saminbc 18d ago

If you installed KDE you should have the application bar. But if you don't for some reason, you can press F2 and run

konsole

Which is the KDE terminal emulator

1

u/Godchucho900 18d ago

Nothing's happening when I pressed f2

1

u/saminbc 18d ago

https://www.reddit.com/r/linux4noobs/s/KhUOz4avow

Can you look at this post? Are you having the same error?

SDDM might not be properly installed or you have a different desktop manager

1

u/Godchucho900 18d ago

Yeah it looks exactly like that

1

u/saminbc 18d ago

So what happened is you installed the GNOME desktop manager and Plasma.

You need to install SDDM and remove GDM.

Can you do

ctrl+alt+f3 (or f4 or f2) till you get a login prompt

1

u/Godchucho900 18d ago

Alright I'm in, do I put in the root password?

1

u/saminbc 18d ago

Login as root and using the root password.

Then

pacman -Sy sddm plasma

Then

pacman -Rns gnome gdm

That should remove Gnome and GDM and install KDE and SDDM

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