Member Avatar for KickAssElmo

I am using Fedora Linux on VMware. When I start it up, it doesn't ask for username or password.
I tried doing useradd on the terminal and it says I don't have permission.
Is it because I didn't install it right, or I have to do something else? Or is it definite that I can't add a username and password?

  • 1 Contributor
  • 1 Reply
  • 128 Views
  • 6 Hours Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by KickAssElmo

Dani AI

Generated

This is a common gotcha with Fedora live ISOs in a VM. The live session auto‑logs you into a temporary desktop so you can try the system without installing it; it does not create a persistent admin user or root password. That explains why useradd failed — you were not running as root (and many live images either lock root or make the session non‑persistent). discovered the root cause: the installer had not finished writing the system to the virtual disk.

After you actually install Fedora to the VM disk, the Anaconda installer walks you through creating a real user and setting the root password. If you need to add a user on an installed system, do it as root (or with sudo). Examples to run on an installed Fedora system:

sudo useradd -m -G wheel username
sudo passwd username

(Adding the user to wheel gives the account sudo rights on Fedora.)

Quick installer / VM checklist

  • From the live desktop, run the “Install to Hard Drive” shortcut and follow the installer prompts to create a user and set passwords.
  • After install, detach the ISO from the VM’s virtual CD and reboot so the VM boots the new virtual disk (otherwise you’ll drop back into the live image).
  • If you still land in a live session, confirm the VM is booting the virtual disk and that the installer actually wrote partitions (check with lsblk or fdisk -l on the live system).

Security notes: create a strong root password only if you need direct root logins; day‑to‑day admin work is safer with a sudo‑enabled user.

Member Avatar for KickAssElmo

NEVERMIND! I had to install it to hard drive. I wasn't done installing...

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.