Re: Not a request for help, but an explanation?

On 2024-05-08, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

Yesterday, I installed the latest kernel in my mint MATE 20.3 desktop
here. It advised me to reboot, so I selected the reboot option after
closing all programs, and away we went. It rebooted fine and I got a
login prompt, that looked oddly different. I think it had my full name
instead of nothing above the login prompt.
>
And no matter what I typed in as password, it wouldn't accept it.
>
Thinking I might have to repair something from a live installation disk,
I decided that at least a hard reboot might be worth trying, and with a
proper power off it rebooted as normal.
>
Anyone have a clue as to what that might have been?
>
I am the only user on the system. It's mine, all mine, and one else ever
uses it.
>
>

We should first establish whether the problem is authentication, or
something else.

Are we talking about a graphical login prompt, or the console, text
mode login prompt?  Do you get an error message?  What does it say?
How does it fail?

Try switching to a text based virtual console, pressing CTRL-ALT-F2
should do it.  Then try logging in with your username then password.
If that logs in, then at least your credentials still work.  Type
'logout' then enter to logout of the text prompt and press CTRL-ALT-F7
to go back to the graphical prompt.

At the graphical prompt, is it asking specifically for your password,
or for a username?  Is there a way to change the username, or type it
in?

Let us know how you go.