Linux Mint, stuck in a guest account???

[DavidSpade]

I've installed Linux Mint 18.2 on an old laptop.  It automatically logs me in as a guest.
This means that I have no authority to do anything at all.  I've tried installing another OS in order to re-install LM 18.2, but my guest status means I can't do any of that.  Is there a terminal command I could use to start again please?
Grateful for any help and advice you can offer.
??
Thank!

[Keith]

Hello David - and welcome to the Forum.

Mint 18 is rather old now and if your laptop is very old then this combination might be the source of your trouble.
If your laptop is 64 bit with reasonable memory then I recommend that you install the latest version Mint 20.  The recommended system requirement is:
    1GB RAM (2GB recommended)
    15GB of free disk space (20GB recommended)
    1024×768 resolution
You can download it here: https://linuxmint.com/download.php. 

There are three versions available:
Cinnamon    An edition featuring the Cinnamon desktop
MATE    An edition featuring the MATE desktop
Xfce    An edition featuring the Xfce desktop

Try them all using "Live USBs" to choose the one that suits you the best. If your system is 32 bit or lacking memory, then please let us know the laptop's make/model/memory and I'm sure someone here will be able to advise you.

Keith

[Rich J]

I've installed Linux Mint 18.2 on an old laptop.  It automatically logs me in as a guest.
This means that I have no authority to do anything at all.  I've tried installing another OS in order to re-install LM 18.2, but my guest status means I can't do any of that.  Is there a terminal command I could use to start again please?
Grateful for any help and advice you can offer.
??
Thank!

Hi David and welcome to the forums!

You might try this first -

When Mint boots successfully, click on Menu/Logout/Switch User.  Does this offer you the option to log in with your details?

Rich

EDIT:  I just spotted Keith's post - if my suggestion does or doesn't work, please post back and we can discuss the options available.  Keith is correct - v18.2 reaches end-of-life in 2021 and later versions would be a better bet.  Which one depends on your system specs, but there will be a good option available.