I have been running LMDE3 for over a year without problems on Lenovo ideapad 320. This morning at boot the system asked for my password - it is set to login automatically- and at the password, it just went back to asking for it. I have tried recovery mode, and it gives "cannot open access to consol, the root account is locked". Although I've been using various distributions of Linux for almost ten years, I am really a beginner on any manipulation; the most wonderful thing for me is that Linux hardly ever has any problems. I have no IT training at all. I'd be glad of any help with this problem, thanks!

Have you an LMDE image on bootable media (USB most likely) that you can use as a live image for troubleshooting?
If not, can you make one?
What were the last things that you did or changed?

|Hi, thanks for the response. I have the LMDE3 on disc, from which I installed it, but as for it being a live image, I don't know; can you tell me how I find out? I have the hardware to make a disc, and probably a USB image, but they're not things I have any experience of. I didn't deliberatley change anything, just closed down as usual last night.

Have you tried booting the LMDE installaion disk? should be a 'live' system but that doesn't matter, what matters is that you have another OS you can boot to troubleshoot.

Does LMDE have a root account or did you use sudo? On systems which use sudo by default, the root account is locked and not used.

An online search with the above reported error produces many results, have you tried that.

Here is where I come a bit unstuck, because I'm not really sure about the terms and their meaning, such as 'a root account'. To do some stuff I have to use sudo. I haven't tried booting the disc; is it safe to do this, without losing data?

Just for the record, a "live image" means a disc that acts as a working system as well as an installation disc, one that gives you the experience of using the distro before installing it. Most modern installation images are of this kind and can therefore be used as rescue discs too.

Booting from a live disc image doesn't directly affect any of the data on your hard drive as long as you don't press the install button! However it does allow you to mount your root partition (make it accessible) and modify files. Most Linux problems can be fixed in this way after some careful troubleshooting.

A root account means you can log in as root with a separate root password as well as using sudo with your own. I don't think Mint or LMDE do this as they are both derived from Ubuntu.

Hi Hazel, thanks for the information, it's good to know that I have the necessary for troubleshooting. All I need now is for some kind person to help my shoot these troubles...! From just a little old bloke...

I warn you, this is going to be a step-by-step process. Please follow any instructions people give you about running diagnostic commands, and post the results back (within [code][/code] tags for readability). I repeat: most Linux problems are soluble. You're not using Windows now .

I stopped using Windows after about three days... I'm alright at following instructions, if they're in a language I can understand. You see, I don't really understand your remark in brackets, but I would guess that means to post my results in square brackets, no?

No, it means that you put [code] before your results and [/code] after it. Believe me, it improves the readability of the output considerably.

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Okay, thanks, I would never have worked that out! But you can see the problem I have with the language...

One of the options on the input box you use to start or reply to a thread is a # click it and paste any responses or messages from your computer between them - see the image I've attached

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Oh, right, that's very useful, thanks!