How can I reset the guest account?

[rchase]

Hoping that I could use a module to transfer desktop settings from the root account to the guest account, I saved my session as root user to a module, logged in as guest, activated the module, and issued "sudo startx" from the terminal. The desktop appeared unchanged, so I deactivated the module. I restarted from the Whisker menu, being careful to uncheck "Save session for future logins". Upon rebooting, I changed "login=root" in my cheatcodes to "login=guest", but the desktop crashed and took me to the signin screen. How can I retrieve access to the guest account?

[Ed_P]

What happens if you leave the login cheatcode off?

[rchase]

What happens if you leave the login cheatcode off?

The same; the screen goes black for a while, xorg restarts, and I am taken to the login screen with username guest. If I sign in, the screen freezes for twenty seconds or so, then xorg restarts and the sequence repeats.

[Ed_P]

Are you using a changes= cheatcode?

[fulalas]

Boot in 'Always Fresh' mode and remove the problematic module.

[rchase]

Are you using a changes= cheatcode?

Yes -- both "from=" and "changes=" -- with "UUID:".

[rchase]

How about opening the USB with Porteus on another distro, grab all the functional modules, bundles and other stuff and rebuilding the system?

That is hardly an easy fix for what took next to no time to screw up! I have a duplicate installation, so I just used the save session function to replace /porteus/changes on the horked stick -- I'd like something even simpler than that! Going back in and picking up the pieces is not my idea of user-friendliness at all.

[rchase]

Boot in 'Always Fresh' mode and remove the problematic module.

The problematic module had already been deleted (or at least moved out of /base and /modules to /optional) before I rebooted. I still don't get how various changes I make survive reboot when I uncheck the box that says "Save session for future logins", but this is one.

[donald]

I still don't get how various changes I make survive reboot when I uncheck the box that says "Save session for future logins"

"Save session for future logins" at the logout prompt and "to save changes" are different things.
To get an idea, take a look at > Settings > Session and Startup

That is hardly an easy fix for what took next to no time to screw up!...I'd like something even simpler than that!
Going back in and picking up the pieces is not my idea of user-friendliness at all.

Even simpler would be not to do stupid things in the first place..
( or to test at least in always fresh mode beforehand )

[francois]

First, I would be surprised that you could easily transfer the root account settings so easily from root mode to guest mode. Let's say that you went for a very lazy shot. And it did not worked.

Second, the save settings of xfce cannot be associated to the porteus save changes mode though they are necessary for porteus save changes to work.

Third you have to know porteus way to save changes to get porteus to save changes. Please read about it:
viewtopic.php?f=81&t=5639

[rchase]

First, I would be surprised that you could easily transfer the root account settings so easily from root mode to guest mode. Let's say that you went for a very lazy shot. And it did not worked.

Second, the save settings of xfce cannot be associated to the porteus save changes mode though they are necessary for porteus save changes to work.

Third you have to know porteus way to save changes to get porteus to save changes. Please read about it:
viewtopic.php?f=81&t=5639

Francois, I just indicated above that I used the save session to folder function (from the Porteus Settings Centre) to restore the usb drive with the damaged guest account; that was relatively painless, but I was hoping that some folder could simply be deleted (without having to replace the entire /changes folder). I'm not sure what you are referring to by "save settings of xfce" -- saving the session is successfully tranferring all my desktop modifications to new installations (just not between user accounts).

[francois]

Then you if you want to modify the save folder, the best procedure would be to reboot in without changes mode (always fresh) and to try to remove some folders within the changes folder and then reboot with the modified changes folder. If you know what you are doing this should work.

As changes folder could become corrupted or with non desired content, intermediate and advanced users have their tricks to keep up with the optimal changes folder:
viewtopic.php?f=48&t=2851
viewtopic.php?f=39&t=985

Some critics from the users and solutions of the developpers, changes function under porteus is mentioned:
viewtopic.php?f=48&t=3270

[rchase]

Then you if you want to modify the save folder, the best procedure would be to reboot in without changes mode (always fresh) and to try to remove some folders within the changes folder and then reboot with the modified changes folder. If you know what you are doing this should work.

Mon Dieu! I don't know which folders to remove; I just speculated that this might be possible -- you confirm my speculation, but do not identify which folders would have to be removed in order to reset the guest account! As opposed to creating a new installation and trying to retrieve what I want from the old one, as opposed to removing folders from /changes (when I have no idea which to remove), I have already found a much easier solution: keeping an original copy of the installation on another flash drive and using it to completely replace the /changes folder when problems arise (using the save session function in the Settings Centre). If you can describe which folders or files should be removed or modified to reset the guest account alone, by all means do so; this could then be made into a script and added to the Settings Centre, could it not?

[francois]

@rchase:
I know that your question was about resetting the guest account, but we get here into a larger topic the function of the changes folder under porteus. In other distribution if you scrap your guest account you I doubt that you could be in a better situation than with porteus.

Make a module of your changes folder as soon as your preffered settings are up on your system.
With the use of porteus you get to know how the changes module works. With time it increases and gets bigger and bigger. The best practice is to set your desktop and usual programs to the point that when you are happy with it, you make a module of it (changes170510) and place it in /porteus/modules folder or extramod folder. This way if your system ever crashes or get corrupted you have got your basic setting in this original setting changes module backup.

Porteus is small and easy to reinstall. Nothing to do with bigger linux distributions and windows. And when these installations crashes, they crashes. A lot of time will be needed to reset your original settings. It is just a question of being a little more familiar with porteus to appreciate its great manoeuvrability. You cannot compare a swift sailboat with a huge oceanic ship. Do you get the metaphor?

There has been good threads on the topic in the past about the ways advanced users would deal with persistence. I have cited a few above, but I know there are better threads on the subject. I will try to dig a little more deeply.

Maybe you could become our popularizer for the changes or persistence feature.

[Ed_P]

Make a module of your changes folder with your preffered settings.
With the use of porteus you get to know how the changes module works. With time it increases and gets bigger and bigger. The best practice is to set your desktop and usual programs to the point that when you are happy with it, you make a module of it (changes170510) and place it in /porteus/modules folder or extramod folder. This way if your system ever crashes or get corrupted you have got your basic setting in this original setting changes module backup.

An approach I use. And the way I make a module of it is basically I copy it adding .xzm to the file's name:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/sh
SAVEDAT=porteus3.2
echo Pls wait, copying in progress
cp -p $SAVEDAT/changes/porteussave.dat $SAVEDAT/modules/porteussave.dat.xzm
DIR "$SAVEDAT/modules/"

I try to do every few weeks and certainly after major updates.