SOLVED: Feren OS stuck in a login loop

[Della]

Using Feren OS Hassiun on Dell XPS laptop on Intel processor.
The system was working fine till yesterday, but all of a sudden (likely after a normal update) I am stuck in a login loop. I enter the password after boot up, the screen goes blank and the same login screen reappears instead of the desktop. Multiple restarts did not help. Any way out?

Solution:
After doing some reading, I pressed Ctrl+Alt+F4 on the login screen to get access to tty. Then ran another upgrade with --fix-missing flag which eventually got me out of the login loop, but somehow wiped out custom themes, icons etc. from the desktop.

 

[Brickwizard]

Obvious question, have you run any updates in the last 72 hrs that may have corrupted your system?

 

[Della]

Obvious question, have you run any updates in the last 72 hrs that may have corrupted your system?

Yes, normal system upgrade. Is there a way to repair the damage?

 

[Brickwizard]

Assuming you have apt installed, You could try, from the terminal
sudo apt update --fix-missing
let it run till the package list comes up,
If the package list includes ** packages can be upgraded then run
sudo apt install -f
you will then get another list, if there are any packages to install/update/remove on the last line Y and enter than let it run,
re-boot and fingers crossed it works

if you don't have apt, it can be done with dpkg, but that will be more work and care needed

 

[Della]

Assuming you have apt installed, You could try, from the terminal
sudo apt update --fix-missing
let it run till the package list comes up,
If the package list includes ** packages can be upgraded then run
sudo apt install -f
you will then get another list, if there are any packages to install/update/remove on the last line Y and enter than let it run,
re-boot and fingers crossed it works

if you don't have apt, it can be done with dpkg, but that will be more work and care needed

How can I get the terminal when all I have is the login screen? Is there any keystroke that would take me to the terminal bypassing the desktop itself?

 

[KGIII]

Press CTRL + ALT + 3.

 

[forester]

Is your main concern with recovering files or just getting the system up?
Looks like using another PC for downloading say, boot repair, may be necessary

 

[Della]

Press CTRL + ALT + 3.

Thanks, Ctrl+Alt+F4 did the trick to give me access to the terminal. Then just running an update fixed the login loop.

But somehow, after I log in, it seems like a brand new system, with all my customised themes, icons, wallpapers etc. gone. It looks like a brand new install from the ISO. Cannot even start up latte-dock automatically upon reboot, I have to start it manually. Thankfully, the file systems are still intact, so I could back up my important data.

A bit disappointed with this happening on Feren OS. Have been a Mint user on another PC for quite a while, never faced this. Do not know whether it's a fault of the hardware (Dell XPS) or something I did wrong as a user. But probably should stick to Mint.

 

[Brickwizard]

@Della ,

don't forget to set up Timeshift [or similar]

 

[forester]

. . . or use the Experimental" option of a 20.04 install and eliminate the need for Timeshift with ZFS.

But, with a nVidia GPU, it would be simpler to just install MX-21 "Wildflower", IMO. It's not just another 'pretty' distro -- there is a reason it is No. 1 in user-friendliness for newbies, according to not only polls, but reviews.

These are the two options I would go for, in your shoes. But, like everything, it's just an opinion based on more than twelve years of GNU/Linux experience, distro-hopping all the way -- LOL! So, like every suggestion found here, take it or leave it.

And, "Best wishes!"

 

[KGIII]

Thanks, Ctrl+Alt+F4 did the trick to give me access to the terminal. Then just running an update fixed the login loop.

Oops... There should have been an F in front of that 3.

By the way, if you do this key combination while you're using your OS, you can usually get back to your desktop by holding the left ALT key and using the right arrow button. So, you can drop to a TTY, use HTOP to kill a frozen application, and then resume computing back at your desktop when you're done.

 

[reynoldbarboza]

Another workaround that fixed it for me was to remove (sudo apt remove plasma-workspace) and then (sudo apt install plasma-workspace plasma-desktop) back again after entering ctrl+alt+f3(or whichever works). Somehow plasma is making an issue and corrupting the update. The last time I reinstalled feren and the 2nd time I updated caused the bug all over again. Thanks guys