Ubuntu install password always fails

[neufuse Veteran]

I've never had luck with installing ubuntu desktop or server without the user created during setup not working...

I always have to boot into grub go in manually and set the password..... why? what am I doing wrong? I see this at home, at work, everywhere, even the latest version of desktop I tried last night... did a clean install from USB the created user and password set up, reboot.... wont log in... password is wrong...

do the same thing in a VM with server.... same thing... password wont work...

Why no mater what password I pick does the initially created user always fail? I've been down the reddit rabbit hole of explanations but everyone ends on "the user wasn't made right"... I've seen this since ubuntu version 20? and we're on 24 now? and the same issue every darn time....

Why does this happen?

[Nick H. Supervisor]

That's really weird...I can't say that I have ever seen that issue, and I've installed quite a few Linux systems, including Ubuntu.

What is your keyboard layout set to during setup and booting?

[neufuse Veteran]

On 18/08/2024 at 11:00, Nick H. said:

That's really weird...I can't say that I have ever seen that issue, and I've installed quite a few Linux systems, including Ubuntu.

What is your keyboard layout set to during setup and booting?

just the standard US keyboard layout... I know I'm not alone in this, since I've seen a lot of others complaining about it....and I am seeing it on multiple physical and any VM I try to do

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

Sadly, I have seen this, too.

I think what it is doing is overwriting the password, like you said.

I haven't used Ubuntu for years, so wasn't sure if this is still a bug. Apparently so.

[neufuse Veteran]

On 18/08/2024 at 12:14, Mindovermaster said:

Sadly, I have seen this, too.

I think what it is doing is overwriting the password, like you said.

I haven't used Ubuntu for years, so wasn't sure if this is still a bug. Apparently so.

How is this bug stull there 4yrs after I first saw it happen? I don't get it how does anyone install this without having to go nuts 

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

On 18/08/2024 at 11:23, neufuse said:

How is this bug stull there 4yrs after I first saw it happen? I don't get it how does anyone install this without having to go nuts 

IDK, sadly..

Does this only happen when you install it, or after?

[neufuse Veteran]

On 18/08/2024 at 12:33, Mindovermaster said:

IDK, sadly..

Does this only happen when you install it, or after?

only with the initial user you have to create during the install, after that if you go in through grub get in as the root user and do the passwd reassign it works fine

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

Might want to read this: https://www.howtogeek.com/892137/how-to-fix-the-ubuntu-login-loop/

[Matthew S.]

I've been using Ubuntu for my servers since about 2019~ish, I've never seen this issue. Also been running Ubuntu VM's a lot longer than that and have never seen this either  could it be an install media issue or possibly the wrong layout selected?

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

On 18/08/2024 at 13:21, Matthew S. said:

I've been using Ubuntu for my servers since about 2019~ish, I've never seen this issue. Also been running Ubuntu VM's a lot longer than that and have never seen this either  could it be an install media issue or possibly the wrong layout selected?

I think this problem began 3 years ago. So your version (running LTS, maybe?) didn't have that problem. Maybe? IDK..

Ubuntu has gotten weird over the years..

[Matthew S.]

all my servers are running 22.04 lts, my vm's usually are bleeding edge.

[neufuse Veteran]

On 18/08/2024 at 14:21, Matthew S. said:

I've been using Ubuntu for my servers since about 2019~ish, I've never seen this issue. Also been running Ubuntu VM's a lot longer than that and have never seen this either  could it be an install media issue or possibly the wrong layout selected?

this has happened with every version I've used since 20.x up to the current 24.x desktop or server if its a media issue, its persistent across many versions, and I always use the US keyboard layout when it asks

[Nick H. Supervisor]

What confuses me is that you mention it is every install that you make. I could understand one install every now and again, but every install?

No one likes to hear it, but I am thinking it's a PEBKAC issue. But I don't see how it could be installation media - how you load it onto a USB - if you enter the same issue through a VM.

Can you do a screen record going through a VM? That would help a lot.

[neufuse Veteran]

On 18/08/2024 at 19:20, Nick H. said:

What confuses me is that you mention it is every install that you make. I could understand one install every now and again, but every install?

No one likes to hear it, but I am thinking it's a PEBKAC issue. But I don't see how it could be installation media - how you load it onto a USB - if you enter the same issue through a VM.

Can you do a screen record going through a VM? That would help a lot.

I can, but it wont be tonight, but like I said there are a lot of people complaining about this issue I can find examples of it on reddit now back all the way to 2015 at least

 

ex: here's someone having the same issue back in version 15, sheesh this is going back far: https://superuser.com/questions/943222/unable-to-login-to-ubuntu-with-my-user-password-that-was-created-during-installa

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

Are these errors on one computer/server/VM? It might be an BIOS/UEFI setting. I'm not "sure" but hey, it could be anything..

[neufuse Veteran]

On 18/08/2024 at 22:42, Mindovermaster said:

Are these errors on one computer/server/VM? It might be an BIOS/UEFI setting. I'm not "sure" but hey, it could be anything..

I'm seeing this on at least 5 different physical systems and 2 different VM environments (proxmox and ESX)

[Matthew S.]

Do you by chance use the Numpad when entering the numbers in your password?

The only reason I ask is Microsoft forced a change where numlock was off by default on system start up...

[+Good Bot, Bad Bot Subscriber¹]

On 18/08/2024 at 12:34, neufuse said:

only with the initial user you have to create during the install, after that if you go in through grub get in as the root user and do the passwd reassign it works fine

I know no one wants to hear this but in my 30+ years in IT the issue has almost always been the password one is entering is NOT the same as the one originally created. It's as simple as that. Write down the password you want down (destroy later) before typing it in on creation. Don't use any characters that require the shift/Caps lock key beyond the minimum required.  Use actual words as a 4-5 word phase is more than enough security. Be aware of the CAPS lock and NUM Lock key when typing a password.

I have installed Linux and Ubuntu way to many times in my years and created passwords for countless other accounts. Every time I had a message the username/password is wrong it's because I entered it in wrong.

Edited August 21, 2024 by Good Bot, Bad Bot

[neufuse Veteran]

On 21/08/2024 at 09:29, Good Bot, Bad Bot said:

I know no one wants to hear this but in my 30+ years in IT the issue has almost always been the password one is entering is NOT the same as the one originally created. It's as simple as that. Write down the password you want down (destroy later) before typing it in on creation. Don't use any characters that require the shift/Caps lock key beyond the minimum required.  Use actual words as a 4-5 word phase is more than enough security. Be aware of the CAPS lock and NUM Lock key when typing a password.

I have installed Linux and Ubuntu way to many times in my years and created passwords for countless other accounts. Every time I had a message the username/password is wrong it's because I entered it in wrong.

except, in this case it's not the issue.

Doesn't mater what the password is, can even just be password, it always fails every single time when its the initial user creation only, can be 0123456789 still fails when it's the initial one created in the install, but if I go in via grub at boot and set the password manually using passwd to the same exact one it works fine..

I can even repo this in vm workstation by using paste text to make absolute sure it's the same password copied from a text file and same issue still.

We just had it happen today again making a server install, password was copied from a password manager and pasted in via VMWare workstation connected back to our ESX host during Ubuntu setup initial user creation, and the password failed after the 1st reboot happened....

It's not just me having this, it's multiple techs here are seeing the same problem.. and it's only with Ubuntu, other distros no issue

 

Edit: ok so it's not even a password issue on the server, the user we specified on the initial setup isn't even being made on the server install... when we go in as root and look at the user list, they aren't even listed 

Edited August 21, 2024 by neufuse

[+Good Bot, Bad Bot Subscriber¹]

On 21/08/2024 at 10:56, neufuse said:

except, in this case it's not the issue.

Doesn't mater what the password is, can even just be password, it always fails every single time when its the initial user creation only, can be 0123456789 still fails when it's the initial one created in the install, but if I go in via grub at boot and set the password manually using passwd to the same exact one it works fine..

I can even repo this in vm workstation by using paste text to make absolute sure it's the same password copied from a text file and same issue still.

We just had it happen today again making a server install, password was copied from a password manager and pasted in via VMWare workstation connected back to our ESX host during Ubuntu setup initial user creation, and the password failed after the 1st reboot happened....

It's not just me having this, it's multiple techs here are seeing the same problem.. and it's only with Ubuntu, other distros no issue

 

Edit: ok so it's not even a password issue on the server, the user we specified on the initial setup isn't even being made on the server install... when we go in as root and look at the user list, they aren't even listed 

I read a number of Linux sites, forums, and subreddits every day and never have seen this issue mentioned. It would be blasted every where if the problem as you describe it was happening on every Ubuntu install. Right? Can you point to a news article on it? A bug report? I am not asking for a post by a random person.

I am doing a new Ubuntu desktop install sometime this weekend and I will let you know.

[neufuse Veteran]

On 21/08/2024 at 11:57, Good Bot, Bad Bot said:

I read a number of Linux sites, forums, and subreddits every day and never have seen this issue mentioned. It would be blasted every where if the problem as you describe it was happening on every Ubuntu install. Right? Can you point to a news article on it? A bug report? I am not asking for a post by a random person.

I am doing a new Ubuntu desktop install sometime this weekend and I will let you know.

There's a bunch of posts about it on Ubuntu's own forums and a bunch on reddit also... and from what it looks like the failure to make the initial user is happening a good bit...

and you want something odder, tried this on an AMD Epyc server now, worked fine 😶 all my issues so far are on Intel hardware and Intel VM hosts

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

On 21/08/2024 at 12:19, neufuse said:

and you want something odder, tried this on an AMD Epyc server now, worked fine 😶 all my issues so far are on Intel hardware and Intel VM hosts

That does actually makes sense. Intel always had trouble with Linux. Wasn't anything big, but, still..

Can I ask you why you need Ubuntu? IMO (and ONLY my opinion) Debian seems to run better on servers.. Even older ones.

[neufuse Veteran]

On 21/08/2024 at 13:29, Mindovermaster said:

That does actually makes sense. Intel always had trouble with Linux. Wasn't anything big, but, still..

Can I ask you why you need Ubuntu? IMO (and ONLY my opinion) Debian seems to run better on servers.. Even older ones.

no specific reason, we just used it a lot before, but I'm just curious on what is causing this issue really

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

On 21/08/2024 at 13:49, neufuse said:

no specific reason, we just used it a lot before, but I'm just curious on what is causing this issue really

Well, seeing that Debian does not do this to you, it seems like an easy alternative.

[+Warwagon MVC]

On 21/08/2024 at 08:29, Good Bot, Bad Bot said:

I know no one wants to hear this but in my 30+ years in IT the issue has almost always been the password one is entering is NOT the same as the one originally created. It's as simple as that. Write down the password you want down (destroy later) before typing it in on creation. Don't use any characters that require the shift/Caps lock key beyond the minimum required.  Use actual words as a 4-5 word phase is more than enough security. Be aware of the CAPS lock and NUM Lock key when typing a password.

I have installed Linux and Ubuntu way to many times in my years and created passwords for countless other accounts. Every time I had a message the username/password is wrong it's because I entered it in wrong.

Yep, it annoys me when people use the caps lock key to capitalize a single letter.

Secure or not, if I have to type a password instead of having a password manager do it, I first type the password in Notepad, then copy and paste it below what I typed to ensure it has no space at the end, and then paste it in the password / confirm password box. This way, I could see the password and know it was typed precisely how I expected. However, that doesn't work so well for entering the password during an Ubuntu setup.

The problem people have is when it won't show you what you are typing or what you have typed, and you successfully fat-finger a password twice.