actually removing a user

[Mike McMullin]

On Wed, 2009-10-21 at 19:15 -0700, NoOp wrote:
> On 10/21/2009 07:04 PM, NoOp wrote:
> > On 10/21/2009 06:09 PM, Mike McMullin wrote:
> >> 
> >>   I've removed a user or two on my laptop (didn't expect them to use the
> >> system again, my bad, and removed their /home/deleteduser directories.
> >> I want to re-add the user with their old log-in names and create
> >> new /home/<addeduser> directories, but 9.04 complains that the user
> >> exists, even though /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow and /home/ tell me that
> >> they aren't there.  What am I missing and how do I actually, totally
> >> kill a user account to the point that it can be re-created as a new
> >> account?
> >> 
> >> 
> > 
> > I decided to test and used System|Administration|Users and Groups and
> > removed a user via the 'Delete' button. I then also removed the user's
> > home folder. You are correct; it didn't actually remove the user & the
> > user name still shows up when I bring up System|Administration|Users and
> > Groups.
> > 
> > Meaning: it looks like a bug. Google for it and also check by searching
> > launchpad to find the bug report (there must be one already).
> >
> 
> This works:
> @ sudo userdel -r <nameofuser>
> 
> However it should be possible to do the same using the gui (users-admin)
> so I'd look for 'users-admin' bugs in the gnome-system-tools package:
 
  I don't have an account with launchpad.  I found the problem using
adduser on the CLI, it informed me that there was an existing group for
that user name, which I could delete in the User/Group app, and then add
the user in the same app.  I don't know if this is a bug, it's a new
idea to me for users to have their own groups, on my SuSE systems I'm
part of the "users" group, inheriting it's rights.