[SOLVED] Funny behavior of the root password

[Lebarhon]

Hello
I noticed that strange thing, I have a root password with lower cases. If I strike the keys with the keyboard in lower case the password is refused. If I strike the keys with the keyboard in upper cases and the shift key pushed, it works. I have a Swiss keyboard (QWERTZ).
So you have to remember the password plus the state of some keys ! It's a little too hard for me.

[marja]

Hello
I noticed that strange thing, I have a root password with lower cases. If I strike the keys with the keyboard in lower case the password is refused. If I strike the keys with the keyboard in upper cases and the shift key pushed, it works. I have a Swiss keyboard (QWERTZ).
So you have to remember the password plus the state of some keys ! It's a little too hard for me.

Your keyboard was in lower case when you made the password?
If I make a lower case password

Code: Select all

vfr45tgb

set the keyboard in upper cases, keep shift pushed in and hit the same keys I get

Code: Select all

vfr$%tgb

so a different password.

When did you make this password, while installing Mageia 1? Did/do you have more Mageia installs, if so, did/do you have the problem there, too?

[Lebarhon]

Hello Marja
And if you have no figures ?
I first installed Mageia 1 with a root password made all lights off. Then some weeks later I installed Mageia 2 alpha3 with the same password. No problem to connect root in Mageia 1 but it took me a long while to connect root in Mageia 2 because I had to test every combination with upper cases, lower cases, either with caps lock or with shift. Soon I could connect root, I changed the password to a more simple, so I can't make tests any more. This second hand swiss PC is a gift, so I won't complain. It is a qwertz keyboard instead of azerty and I am not familiar with it. For example, there is a key "Num" I didn't find out its utility. May be I was wrong somewhere a the initial keyboarding?
So you confirm, there is no differences between lower case or caps lock+shift?

[wobo]

There IS a difference between lower and upper case in passwords.
The "num" key switches between numerical block on and off. If you have no numerical key block then with num lock the numerical block is a similar block in the 3 main rows of the quertz key board. If yoou have a numerical key block num lock on changes the keys in that block to cursor keys.

If your password has characters which are different between keyboard layouts you have to watch out for different keys for the characters you gave as password.

[Lebarhon]

Thanks Wobo but I have no numerical block and I don't understand what you mean by

the numerical block is a similar block in the 3 main rows of the quertz key board

I tried each key and didn't find any one with a difference, may be the key is out of work, however this key switch a light on.

[wobo]

Thanks Wobo but I have no numerical block and I don't understand what you mean by

the numerical block is a similar block in the 3 main rows of the quertz key board

I tried each key and didn't find any one with a difference, may be the key is out of work, however this key switch a light on.

If "Numlock" is off, indicated by the light not shining, the keys in the middle of the character keys will not display the characters, like u,i,o,j,k,l, etc) but numbers. But I can only tell from a normal keyboard with us or de layout.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numlock for a much better explanation

[marja]

Hello Marja
And if you have no figures ?

What do you mean by figures?

So you confirm, there is no differences between lower case or caps lock+shift?

Your password should be exactly the same as when you installed Mageia. And if in a text editor, your password looks the same when you use lower case as when you use caps lock + shift, then both should work. But for keys that look different when you do this in a text editor, it won't work of course. The row of number keys I have above the letter keys, doesn't work that way. When I hit 5, it is 5 regardless of whether Caps Lock is on or not, and my shift + 5 is %, also regardless of whether Caps Lock is on or of.

Thanks Wobo but I have no numerical block and I don't understand what you mean by

the numerical block is a similar block in the 3 main rows of the quertz key board

I tried each key and didn't find any one with a difference, may be the key is out of work, however this key switch a light on.

Do you have any letter keys, that also have a number on them?

[Lebarhon]

Eureka !
The letters on the right part of the keyboard (u,i,o,k,...) can become the arrow keys by pushing the Fn key. In that situation, these keys become figures when Num is also pushed.
@ Marja : I call 1, 2, 3, .... figures, what about you ?:)
Thanks a lot to you both

[marja]

Eureka !
@ Marja : I call 1, 2, 3, .... figures, what about you ?:)

When I think about how I should call them, I call them digits, but when I just talk about them without thinking, I call them numbers
Figures is a correct English word for numbers, though, I was just not sure you meant the digits, because figure can mean a shape or drawing, too