Fedora 16 root Password Lost.
 

Hi, I am running Fedora 16 on my Asus Eee laptop, from an SDHC Card, I know two passwords, but do not recall a third one for SU root. The two password I tried do not go in the terminal. What can I do?

Re-Install?

I have just started trying to tweek it, and only used it for netbank and email so far.

I wanted to install compiz and other software. I found out that it needed to finish a task and tried SU to finish it, but no luck.

reboot, on the grub boot screen hit "e" to edit, and add a "1" to the kernel options. then "b" to boot. this will log you in as root where you can run "passwd" to set it again. then reboot.

do not reinstall!
http://www.linuxforums.org/articles/...ssword_54.html

I managed to change the password, but it does not accept the new password in the terminal after "su". After a restart, the main password is the same, then the password after my name of the opening screen, the new password was accepted. But not in the terminal.

Could it be a bug?

no, it won't be a bug.

main password? You have a password for each user. including root. if "main" means root here, then good, that's fixed. if you've now forgotten your normal password, you can change that as root.

When Fedora16 starts, it asks for a password, then there is a pictire of a chasm and a sub, with my name and another password request, this latter one I changed as root. Neither passwords are accepted in terminal.

This is a new configuration on my sdhc card, no software downloaded... only been banking and buying with Fedora 16.

a chasm and a sub? What on earth does that mean?

if you run "su - " and enter the correct root password, you'll get root access. I can't think of any reason when this doesn't work perfectly. It's not like sudo where you have a level of granular control around the criteria to execute it, it just works if you know the right password.

can you log in as root on a proper vt? Hit Ctrl+Alt+F2 to log in outside of X