Root password problem

[Guest Belgarion]

Hello,

 

I have very big problem with the "root" user and password.

I've lost my root password yesterday (my last connection as root was 6 months ago) and I try to follow a how-to to recover it :

 

boot in "linux single"

delete line "root" in etc/passwd

delete line "root" in etc/shadow

 

enter passwd to set new root password.

 

BUT when I try "passwd" the system answer "can not identify you"

and when I try "passwd root" it says "unknown root user"

 

Now when I reboot my system I no longer have root user I can't do "su root" it says "unknown root user" (and I also have to start Xserver by log in and enter startx, I no longer have graphic mode to log in)

 

I've downloaded the mandrake 10.0 ... (mdk 9.2 now)

Do you think that if I try to upgrade my system it will recover these problems without losing users datas ???

 

thanks a lot for your help

 

[Guest anon]

Welcome.

 

Never had to do this, but from what i remember readinging somewhere, try this.

Boot into a consol and type

linux single

then enter. Then type

 passwd root

press enter.

It then (i think) asks for your new password. enter it and then reboot.

[Michel]

I'm interested to hear if anon's recovery-method works, but if it doesn't ...

 

*I'm not sure, but I don't think you had to delete the complete root-line .. now you don't have a root-user anymore. Add it again. You can use the command "adduser" for this.

 

you can also start using "linux init=/bin/bash".

 

*Not sure if an upgrade will help ... since I suppose that it doersn't touches your user-configuration. I don't think it's needed anyway.

 

*If the above fails .. try to use a bootable cd like knoppix and change add the users from there if possible ... (I suppose so). You could try this then:

 

Mount your real root-partition. Execute the chroot-command to make your real rot-partition the root instead othe knoppix one. execute the useradd-command : you'll maybe have to specify the absolute path (/sbin/useradd or something like that), but I sdon't think this will be necessary.

 

That's it I suppose ... Check if /etc/passwd, ... contain your new user root.

With usermod, you can change data about users.

 

Hopes this helps.

Edited November 28, 2004 by Michel