From: pinnerite@gmail.com   
      
   On Tue, 21 Oct 2025 14:43:12 +0200   
   "s|b"  wrote:   
      
   > I work as a volunteer and help people out with (small) digital problems:   
   > installing apps on their smartphone, explain how they work...   
   >   
   > My "boss" wanted to play around with Linux, so he gave me an old laptop   
   > and I installed Linux Mint 22.2 Cinnamon 64-bit. He was very impressed   
   > and has been experimenting since, but he just contacted me about a   
   > problem. Apparently he changed the name of the Home folder (in the GUI)   
   > from 'Myname' to 'Organisationname' and now he can't login anymore. He   
   > sent me a screenshot that says:   
   >   
   > Myname   
   >   
   > Incorrect password, please try again   
   >   
   > What I found weird is that my name is with a capital; the login I gave   
   > was without capital letter. (But I vaguely remember giving 'Myname' when   
   > it was asked during installation.)   
   >   
   > He says he tried in Terminal with sudo, but it doesn't work. He also   
   > says he can't change the login to 'Organisationname', it seems stuck to   
   > 'Myname'. (I set up the laptop to autologin after boot.)   
   >   
   > I'm in way over my head. I can install a Linux OS, install extra   
   > software, work with Wine to a certain degree, change small stuff, but I   
   > have never encountered this. I still haven't dumped Windows and switched   
   > 100% to Linux. I haven't got the laptop with me (yet), but I've   
   > searched, even asked Grok, and it all seems to come down to command   
   > lines in the Terminal.   
   >   
   > Is there a simple solution to this? I would appreciate some tips.   
   > (Remember, I don't have the laptop yet.)   
   >   
   > Tnx!   
   >   
   > --   
   > s|b   
      
   Here is my two-pennath:   
   1)  Boot on a live DVD/Flashdrive/the Mint install drive.   
   2)  From the Menu, search for Disks and open it.   
   3)  Look for the partition on the hard drive/SSD that is most likely your   
   original /home directory.   
      
   It will not be mounted. You can mount it from there but your boot-up drive   
   will already have a home. Here is whav ChatGPT recommends:   
      
   Here’s how to **rename your /home directory back to the correct name** on a   
   Linux Mint system using a **live OS (USB/DVD)**:   
      
   ---   
      
   ### 🧰 What You’ll Need   
      
   * A **Linux Mint Live USB/DVD**.   
   * Basic familiarity with the terminal.   
   * The name of the partition that contains your Mint installation (e.g.,   
   `/dev/sda2`).   
      
   ---   
      
   ### ⚙️ Step-by-Step Guide   
      
   #### 1. **Boot into the Live Environment**   
      
   Boot your computer from the Linux Mint live USB/DVD and choose **“Try Linux   
   Mint”**.   
      
   ---   
      
   #### 2. **Identify the Root Partition**   
      
   Open a terminal and run:   
      
   ```bash   
   sudo fdisk -l   
   ```   
      
   Look for your Linux Mint root partition (usually something like `/dev/sda2`   
   with type “Linux filesystem”).   
      
   ---   
      
   #### 3. **Mount the Root Partition**   
      
   Create a mount point and mount your system:   
      
   ```bash   
   sudo mkdir /mnt/mint   
   sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt/mint   
   ```   
      
   If your `/home` is on a separate partition, mount that too:   
      
   ```bash   
   sudo mount /dev/sda3 /mnt/mint/home   
   ```   
      
   *(Replace `/dev/sda3` with the actual partition for `/home`.)*   
      
   ---   
      
   #### 4. **Check the Contents of `/home`**   
      
   List the directory to confirm the mistake:   
      
   ```bash   
   ls -l /mnt/mint/home   
   ```   
      
   You’ll likely see something like:   
      
   ```   
   drwxr-xr-x  ...  wrongname   
   ```   
      
   Instead of your expected username (e.g., `john`).   
      
   ---   
      
   #### 5. **Rename the Directory**   
      
   Rename it back to the correct name:   
      
   ```bash   
   sudo mv /mnt/mint/home/wrongname /mnt/mint/home/john   
   ```   
      
   ---   
      
   #### 6. **Update `/etc/fstab` and `/etc/passwd` (if needed)**   
      
   If you had changed the username or home path, verify and fix it:   
      
   **Edit `/etc/passwd`:**   
      
   ```bash   
   sudo nano /mnt/mint/etc/passwd   
   ```   
      
   Find the line for your user:   
      
   ```   
   john:x:1000:1000:John,,,:/home/wrongname:/bin/bash   
   ```   
      
   Change `/home/wrongname` → `/home/john`.   
      
   **Edit `/etc/fstab`** (if `/home` is on a separate partition):   
      
   ```bash   
   sudo nano /mnt/mint/etc/fstab   
   ```   
      
   Confirm it points to the correct device.   
      
   ---   
      
   #### 7. **Unmount and Reboot**   
      
   ```bash   
   sudo umount /mnt/mint/home   
   sudo umount /mnt/mint   
   reboot   
   ```   
      
   Boot normally into your Mint installation — your `/home` should be restored.   
      
   ---   
      
   Would you like me to include the **case where `/home` is on a separate   
   partition** (e.g., LUKS or Btrfs)? The steps differ slightly depending on the   
   filesystem setup.   
      
      
   Good Luck.   
      
   Alan   
      
      
   --   
   Linux Mint 22.1 kernel version 6.8.0-84-generic Cinnamon 6.4.8   
   AMD Ryzen 7 7700, Radeon RX 6600, 32GB DDR5, 2TB SSD, 2TB Barracuda   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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