# RedHat - User Manager not working correctly? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 13, 2002, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redhat-user-manager-not-working-correctly/108734 "2002-05-13T02:45:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redhat-user-manager-not-working-correctly/108734/1 "2002-05-13T02:45:19Z")
Can anyone tell me what gives? I’m logged in as root. I go to user manager to create a person account for myself. I try to log in as my new entity, and it just returns the windows manager login to me. I try no password, and it says ‘bad password’ (or something like that). Even though I entered a password, in the user manager there didn’t seem to be one encrypted in /etc/passwd. So I opened up a term window and entered passwd [username] and added a password to the new created name. Same problem. I can only login to Linux as the root. It’s also not creating a home directory for the new user, even though I have that box checked in the redhat user manager. Oh… one more thing I just remembered… when I originally noticed that my etc/passwd file didn’t have an encrypted password as i would have expected… and then I added one… the first password it wouldn’t accept because it wasn’t unique enough so it was rejected and I had to type in a new one… but the new one seemed to enter just fine. any Help? Is this something where the window’s manager and the OS require their own password files? E3 ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redhat-user-manager-not-working-correctly/108734/2 "2002-05-13T03:14:22Z")
Isn’t that how it goes? As soon as I post a Q, I try the KDM user Manager and everything seems to be working OK. I would still appreciate any words of wisdom. E3 ---
**Author:** ![Etherman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@Etherman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Etherman)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redhat-user-manager-not-working-correctly/108734/3 "2002-05-13T03:16:54Z")
The Window manager and the OS do not have their own passwords. Is this a machine that is directly connected to the internet? Password/username issues can be a sign that you have been rooted. Otherwise, what are the perms on /etc/passwd? What if you create a totally new user from a terminal? (/usr/sbin/adduser {user})If you can do that, and add a password, then its user manager. Start with addusr from a command prompt. A new password wont show in /etc/passwd since shadow passwords are enabled by default, IIRC. (I am not at my RedHat box) Are you using Gnome, KDE or something else? ---
**Author:** ![Etherman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@Etherman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Etherman)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redhat-user-manager-not-working-correctly/108734/4 "2002-05-13T03:18:33Z")
OK preview is my friend, glad you got it. I’d check the RedHat user manager, looks like it may be confused.