Rasbian is making me pull out my hair :( no true root access?

[shukero]

Hi everyone,

Brand new to Raspberry Pi and the Debian distro of Linux. (I've been using Arch / Manjaro for a little while now) I've been trying to install some node_modules for Node.js; and I keep getting "Permission Denied" errors for Discord.js installs. When I tried to use su - root / root terminal it asks for the root password. I input the password that Raspbian asked me to create when I installed Raspbian; but it states that password is wrong. I also tried Raspberry, raspberry, and pi just in-case; but with no luck.

So next I thought I might have entered the password I had created wrong; so I checked by SSH'ing into the Pi with my remembered password, and it worked... SO now I'm pulling out my hair because for some reason Debian won't give me full ROOT access.

can someone help me - PLEASE!
Thanks,
~Shukero

[WillBoxOwO]

Try this:

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sudo (your command that requires root access)

[HawaiianPi]

As said above, preface commands that require root privileges with sudo (which I believe is an acronym for Super User do).

To get a root terminal:

Code: Select all

sudo su

In normal Debian GNU/Linux the user must be in the sudo group, and enters its own password for sudo actions. In Raspbian the default pi user is a member of sudo, and has passwordless sudo enabled.

The root account is disabled by default in Debian and its derivatives (Ubuntu, Mint, etc.). With sudo it's not needed, but you can create a passwrod for root if you want to use it.

[shukero]

Hi again you two,

I had already tried sudo, sudo -i, sudo su, and sudo - root; however, when I tried sudo su and sudo - root; it asked me for a password; which I provided correctly - the one I entered when I setup raspbian, and it did not work. So I'm a bit confused as to why NOOBS / Debian does not allow true root level access

I was able to get my discord app off the group without having to result to "true" root access thankfully; but it just sucks that I don't have the ability to get into the root terminal program or use sudo su / sudo - root; as the password I input for root / raspberry doesn't work for these two programs / things.

Very disappointing. If I could easily install arch / manjaro on this PI I would have.
Thanks for trying to help though.
~Shukero

[HawaiianPi]

... So I'm a bit confused as to why NOOBS / Debian does not allow true root level access

It does, so something must have gone wrong with your install. (Keyboard or language configuration?)

Rather than using NOOBS, try installing a Raspbian image from: https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/raspbian/

Download the image you want (Lite, Desktop, Full) and write it to your card with Etcher: https://www.balena.io/etcher/

• Write it directly from the .zip archive (don't extract it first, Etcher will do that for you).
• You don't need to format the card before writing (image contains complete filesystem).
• If you have trouble writing/verifying, check the download against the SHA256 hash sum on the download page.

This skips the NOOBS middleman installer, which saves space and updates properly (NOOBS doesn't update when you update Raspbian).

[scruss]

… but it just sucks that I don't have the ability to get into the root terminal program or use sudo su / sudo - root

There's no root user under Raspbian. Or at least, not one with a regular login. You pretty much don't need it, anyway. The very few things that don't work with regular sudo can be done using sudo -i.

[ShiftPlusOne]

What's "true root access"? If sudo doesn't work, then please explain what you've done that made it stop working. If you would like to use su or login through the ttys, then you just need to set a root password ('sudo passwd root').

Also, you shouldn't be able to install Arch, if you're more comfortable with it. The instructions on Archlinux ARM's site are quite thorough and simple.

[davidcoton]

Also, you shouldn't be able to install Arch,

I think you mean "should"

[ShiftPlusOne]

Also, you shouldn't be able to install Arch,

I think you mean "should"

That's right. Had a bit of a Trump moment, sorry.

[hippy]

Rather than using NOOBS, try installing a Raspbian image from: https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/raspbian/

I don't believe using NOOBS would be causing the problem. Using "sudo su" works for me on my NOOBS installed Pi's, without prompting for any password. It seems it's something else.

[procount]

I don't believe using NOOBS would be causing the problem.

Quite rght. There's no difference to the Raspbian that is installed by Etcher or NOOBs.

This skips the NOOBS middleman installer, which saves space and updates properly (NOOBS doesn't update when you update Raspbian).

If space is a problem use NOOBS-lite.
If you want self-updating, use PINN, now with individual OS backup, restore, replace or reinstall, fschk, passwird recovery and much more.

[bakan]

Try checking your /etc/sudoers and /etc/sudoers.d/ configurations
there should be a line like this in one of those files:

pi ALL= NOPASSWD: ALL

[drushtx]

Also, you shouldn't be able to install Arch,

I think you mean "should"

That's right. Had a bit of a Trump moment, sorry.

Seriously? This is permissible? May I take political potshots at Mrs. May, as well?

[rpdom]

Seriously? This is permissible? May I take political potshots at Mrs. May, as well?

Yes please. Free speech, to an extent.

[ShiftPlusOne]

I think you mean "should"

That's right. Had a bit of a Trump moment, sorry.

Seriously? This is permissible? May I take political potshots at Mrs. May, as well?

Click the report button next to my post and one of the moderators will take a look at it. IMHO, referencing the would/wouldn't incident isn't a political statement for or against anything.

[n67]

IMHO, referencing the wshould/wshouldn't incident isn't a political statement for or against anything.

He's referring to the phrase "Trump moment".

But he's from Texas, which explains a lot.

[ShiftPlusOne]

IMHO, referencing the wshould/wshouldn't incident isn't a political statement for or against anything.

He's referring to the phrase "Trump moment".

But he's from Texas, which explains a lot.

So was I. I'd link a relevant news article, but I'm sure somebody would have a problem with whatever source I choose.

[Burngate]

That's right. Had a bit of a Trump moment, sorry.

Seriously? This is permissible? May I take political potshots at Mrs. May, as well?

Lots of people voted for Trump, just like lots of people voted for May, and are happy, but the ones who didn't are complaining like mad, hoping to change things to the way it "ought" to be.
But Trump has one thing May hasn't: he's got a "Moment" named after him.

Tell you what: You let us have Trump, and you take May. That way we'd all be happy.

[mahjongg]

May I remind everybody that politics is off-topic for this forum.
As I see no new on topic messages, I’m closing this thread.