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<TITLE>The Answer Guy 50: Lost Password</TITLE>
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<H4>"The Linux Gazette...<I>making Linux just a little more fun!</I>"</H4>
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<H1><A NAME="answer">
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<font color="#B03060">The Answer Guy</font>
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<BR>
<H4>By James T. Dennis,
<a href="mailto:linux-questions-only@ssc.com">linux-questions-only@ssc.com</a><BR>
LinuxCare,
<A HREF="http://www.linuxcare.com/">http://www.linuxcare.com/</A>
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<H3 align="left"><img src="../../gx/dennis/qbubble.gif"
height="50" width="60" alt="(?) " border="0"
>Lost Password</H3>
<p><strong>From Joy Higgins on Tue, 18 Jan 2000
</strong></p>
<!-- ::
Lost Password
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
:: -->
<P><STRONG>
My boyfriend put Linux <A HREF="http://www.caldera.com/">Caldera</A> on the home computer which means
the only one left is my work one... I know practically nothing
about computers to begin with so be patient okay??
</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>
He was making a third user name and for some reason he not only
couldn't get into that users desktop (wording? I'm sorry!) and
then he found he couldn't log into root either. He tried getting
the password but it didn't work...
</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>
He called a computer guy that told him it sounds like the computer
is now worth the metal it took to make it because of Linux being
on it but not accessible and we could purchase a couple thousand
dollars of a "password cracker" if we wish... we do not. Is
there any way to get roots password because we think it was
changed instead of having the third users password entered in (I
hope that makes sense to you). Can you help us please? I just
want my computer back.
</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>
Joy
</STRONG></P>
<BLOCKQUOTE><IMG SRC="../../gx/dennis/bbub.gif" ALT="(!)"
HEIGHT="28" WIDTH="50" BORDER="0"
>
Wow! The &quot;computer guy&quot; your boyfriend called is
either a scam artist or an IDIOT.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
For the record you can buy
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1562059343/linuxsystemadmin/104-3347499-9099625">my book</a> for less than
thirty dollars (U.S.) and the first thing I cover
in the "Emergencies" appendix is how to recover from
a lost root password. This is also one of the
most common FAQs on the
<a href="news:comp.unix.admin">comp.unix.admin</a> newsgroup.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
For Linux all you have to do is:
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE><dl>
<dt>1. Reboot
<dd>(try [<tt>Ctrl</tt>]+[<tt>Alt</tt>]+[<tt>Delete</tt>])
<dt>2. During the LILO prompt type:
<dd><tt>(kernel/image name) init=/bin/sh rw</tt>
<br>
... note that's usually going to be just:
<br><tt>linux init=/bin/sh rw</tt>
<dt>3. This should start the Linux kernel,
<dd>with the
root filesystem mounted in read/write mode.
The cool thing is that none of your normal
init processes (like the <tt>getty</tt>s that
ask for your name and call the login program)
will be started.
<dt>4. (Maybe) mount your <TT>/usr</TT> filesystem with a
command like:
<dd><tt>mount /usr</TT>
<dt>5. Change your root password with a command like:
<dd><tt>passwd</tt>
<dt>6. Flush the cache buffers:
<dd><tt>sync; sync; sync</tt>
<dt>7. (Maybe) unmount <TT>/usr</TT>:
<dd><tt>umount /usr</TT>
<dt>8. Remount the root fs in readonly mode:
<dd><tt>mount -o remount,ro /</tt>
<dt>9. Let <tt>init</tt> clean up and reboot the system:
<dd><tt>exec /sbin/init 6</tt>
<br>... there is a "6" (six) at the end of that
command.
</dl></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
That's it. Don't worry about the couple of lines
where I said '(Maybe)' --- you can follow those steps
too, if you don't understand. The errors from unnecessarily
executing those steps are harmless.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
You can follow a similar procedure using a "rescue"
diskette. However, I'll let you buy my book (or
visit <A HREF="http://www.toms.net/rb"
>http://www.toms.net/rb</A>) for the details on that
approach. That book is "Linux System Administration"
by M Carling, Stephen Degler, and me (New Riders
Publishing).
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<em><p>[ You can read a bit more about the book at the website
that's been setup for it:
<br><tt><a href="http://www.linuxsa.com/">http://www.linuxsa.com/</a></tt>
</p>
<p>It's a bit plain as yet, but don't worry, it will get
nicer as time goes on. -- Heather ]</p></em>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
Hope that helps. Don't let that "computer guy" near
any of your Linux boxes. (Even if he knows quite a bit
about MS Windows I wouldn't let him near any of my systems,
his advice was horridly uninformed and it sounds like he
delivered his misinformation with an air of authority
and conviction that exacerbates the problem).
</BLOCKQUOTE>
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<H3 align="left"><img src="../../gx/dennis/qbubble.gif"
height="50" width="60" alt="(?) " border="0"
>Linux password lost</H3>
<p><strong>From Joy Higgins on Tue, 18 Jan 2000
</strong></p>
<P><STRONG>
Thank you so much for your quick response!! I'm printing it out and
bringing it home... and the "computer guy" isn't getting any more business!
</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>
<IMG SRC="../../gx/dennis/smily.gif" ALT=":)"
height="24" width="20" align="middle"> Thanks again!
</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>
Joy
</STRONG></P>
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<P> <hr> <P>
<H5 align="center"><a href="http://www.linuxgazette.com/copying.html"
>Copyright &copy;</a> 2000, James T. Dennis
<BR>Published in <I>The Linux Gazette</I> Issue 50 February 2000</H5>
<H6 ALIGN="center">HTML transformation by
<A HREF="mailto:star@starshine.org">Heather Stern</a> of
Starshine Technical Services,
<A HREF="http://www.starshine.org/">http://www.starshine.org/</A>
</H6>
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