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I'm stuck on a login loop on Elementary OS. Inputting my password I see the Dell boot logo and reaching the login page again.

I have tried logging through the terminal like many suggested (Ctrl+Alt+F2) but I need to input both the username and password. When inputting the username as it appears on the login screen (my first and last name) I'm being rejected. I assume the "true" user name is something a bit different.

I'm on a dual boot system but I have important files on the Linux partition. Anything I can do?

Just before the issue I had a full disk issue and was not able to open the browser. So I've removed some files and restarted, then the issue started.

Was able to boot in recovery mode and see my username (my first name only). I've logged in and I get warnings on having a full disk space. Cleaning files does not help as apparently my /tmp is full. Trying to understand now how to clean it correctly as no one recommended rm -rf /tmp but rather unmounting the /tmp folder. Not sure yet that's the way to go.

Kusalananda
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idoda
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    Any OS can and will have problems when it's used improperly. You're new to Linux, you're gonna have issues and need to learn a few things. So, what have you tried to get by this login loop? There are a multitude of solutions that can be found with a search engine or just using this site's search for "login loop". What have you tried so far? – KGIII Dec 22 '20 at 16:49
  • I'm a software developer working 10 years on Mac, windows and unix systems. Such a severe error is something that you linux users might be accustomed to but to me it's unbelievable. I can understand glitches, not having hardware optimized software etc. but losing your computer when the /tmp folder is accidentally get full? that's crazy. I've updated the current state, would appreciate any help. – idoda Dec 22 '20 at 16:58
  • BTW @KGIII downvoting a legit question since there is criticism on elementary os/linux is a little childish. I've obviously researched enough to understand that I need to login into the terminal. There is no more further research as all answers assume one knows its username even though the day-to-day login shows you a different username. It is what it is and it is not good. Accept it instead of downvoting a legit question. – idoda Dec 22 '20 at 17:04
  • I didn't downvote it. That was someone else... – KGIII Dec 22 '20 at 17:11
  • @KGIII My apologies than.. :) – idoda Dec 22 '20 at 17:24

1 Answers1

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Found the answer here.

So steps to fix:

  • Log in to terminal (Press Ctrl+Alt+F2 - note that if F2 is accessed with the FN key you might need to Ctrl+Alt+F2+FN).
  • If you know your username and password, login. Then run:
    • sudo rm -Rf /tmp/* and sudo rm -Rf /var/log/* to clean temporary files.
  • If you don't know your username, reboot, login to recovery mode as root and do the same cleanings.
idoda
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