Strange problem with the PATH

[axiomaabsurdo]

Dear linux users.
I have searched the forum using the search tools if there is a thread with a problem equal or similar to what happens to me.
I have also read what could be the correct way to diagnose and explain the problem I have in my current installation of Linux Lite 3.8

The beginning of the problem is not clear, I will detail what I did and what were the consequences.

I was installing STEAM, in a terminal, already with root permissions.
The installation asked me to confirm a procedure to download some packages.
And to proceed I had to write textually in the console "Yes, as i say!"
With that, after confirming, the download of the packages required by the installation began.

After the installation, the terminal was at its prompt waiting for some new command. At that time I needed to move to the SEAM installation directory and wrote

Code:

cd "route to the directory"

and in a very strange way, the command responded with a

Code:

command not found

I repeated the command and I get the same answer.
I opened a new terminal tab and I see that the prompt marker does not appear and the initial route from where the terminal is opened is not present either.
I went back to the tab with the error messages and I started send different commands but they all returned

Code:

command not found

At that time I see some icons from my taskbar, which lost their icon of the application by the typical icon of the circle with the prohibited signal. I tried to launch those programs from the terminal and they did not run, I had my internet browser searched for a problem similar to what was happening to me.
I could read in an article that the problem could be related to the PATH variable, so I went back to the terminal to see if the variable had been modified in any way.
When I tried to see the value the answer was empty.

I thought to close session, keeping in mind that maybe I could not restart my user session, but I have access to my root user.
When I logged out I could no longer see the login window to the desktop.

Reboot my computer, place a USB with a boot image of the Rescatux system, I use it for these cases of errors.
Since it has a tool to fix packages and also change passwords that you can forget and other tools.

But Rescatux could not recover my user session or password

Well ... and this is mostly everything that happened ...
I await your comments.

Thank you all!

[DeepThought]

Did you actually type :

cd "route to the directory"

if so I think you misunderstood the instructions.

The

"Yes, as i say!"

is a security question and needs to be answered by typing in the exact words, but the

cd "route to the directory"

is an instruction and you should have typed in the actual path to the steam folder. e.g.

Code:

cd /home/user/Downloads/steam-folder

or wherever it was downloaded to.

[axiomaabsurdo]

[member=7644]DeepThought[/member]
Thanks for your answer.
I understand clearly how the cd command works, just put it in the post.
I can't currently access the login screen, I see a black screen with the console tty1 or tty2. And my

And I remember perfectly the access credentials of my user as well as the root user but this console tty1 and tty2 do not recognize me.

Do you have anything that can help me with this?

Thanks again! ;D

[DeepThought]

Have you tried Control-Alt-F7 to get back to your desktop....... but if it is not recognising your password then that won't do any good.

The only thing I can think of is to boot using a live cd/usb, then browse to /etc/passwd on your original system and edit it by deleting the x e.g.
changing:

Code:

root:x:0:0:/root:/bin/bash

to

Code:

root::0:0:/root:/bin/bash

will delete the root passwd, same can be done for your user, then you should be able to login with no passwd. Don't forget to set up passwd's once you are back in.

Hope this will help.

[axiomaabsurdo]

[member=7644]DeepThought[/member]

I have accessed the grub, to select the option recovery, reset the passwords of the users but when I go to the terminal that only starts with a # some commands return an error

Code:

sulogin: failed to execute /bin/bash: No such file or directory

Now, from where I am now what do you think I could do?

[DeepThought]

Can you check your /etc/passwd file again, it looks like there might be an error on the root line, it should look like

Code:

root:x:0:0:/root:/bin/bash

where the x this time will represent your new passwd.

the # at the start indicates you are logged in as root and in a root shell, a normal users prompt is $

[axiomaabsurdo]

[member=7644]DeepThought[/member]
Thank you very much dude, tomorrow I will try to follow what you indicate.
Go to rest and here is late and tomorrow I have another 9 hours to put code ...
Thank you very much again for taking the time to help me.

[DeepThought]

[member=8184]axiomaabsurdo[/member]  No probs, got to go to bed myself, but it does sound like a typo in the /etc/passwd file.... maybe you deleted one of the : as well as the x by mistake.
Anyway off to bed myself, will have a think for other solutions, unless someone more knowledgeable solves it before me

[axiomaabsurdo]

Hi again.
Thanks  [member=7644]DeepThought[/member] for your time and help.

I did not solve this problem the way I wanted, but at least I managed to learn some things I did not know.
I'm already working again, now on a new installation of Linux Lite.

Thanks  again.