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Old 01-07-2007, 04:13 PM   #1
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Deleted root account - Ubuntu 6.06


I can't beleive I just deleted the root account. SO I try to get it back:
Code:
[05:04:49][dv5000t>~]$ useradd root
useradd: unable to lock password file
[05:05:04][dv5000t>~]$ sudo useradd root
sudo: no passwd entry for root!
Now I'm just thinking, ohh no. I can't do sudo commands anymore, so I can't add the user root back!
 
Old 01-07-2007, 04:34 PM   #2
raskin
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Boot from Ubuntu CD. Mount your installed system. Run 'chroot /mnt/installed' (or whatever it is called). Run 'man useradd', read the key name to set uid to 0 (or everything will be more difficult; if you still make a mistake - usermod will help), and run useradd with needed options.
 
Old 01-07-2007, 04:47 PM   #3
jschiwal
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Check if you are missing entries for root in /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow.

Adding these lines may help if they aren't present. Edit the files offline using a rescue disk or live distro. Then if you can reboot, into single mode, make sure you run "passwd" to give the root user a password.

/etc/password
root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash

/etc/shadow
root::13289::::::
 
Old 01-07-2007, 05:38 PM   #4
reddazz
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You did not delete the root account. Its still there, but on Ubuntu, the root account is locked i.e. has no password. Just do "sudo passwd root" to give root a password and you should be able to login to the root account.
 
Old 01-07-2007, 05:53 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by reddazz
You did not delete the root account. Its still there, but on Ubuntu, the root account is locked i.e. has no password. Just do "sudo passwd root" to give root a password and you should be able to login to the root account.
Code:
[06:42:19][dv5000t>~]$ sudo passwd root
sudo: no passwd entry for root!
Quote:
Check if you are missing entries for root in /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow.

Adding these lines may help if they aren't present. Edit the files offline using a rescue disk or live distro. Then if you can reboot, into single mode, make sure you run "passwd" to give the root user a password.

/etc/password
root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash

/etc/shadow
root::13289::::::
Too bad cdrecord requires root privlages.
 
Old 01-08-2007, 02:20 AM   #6
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Wait, do I need a rescue cd, or a live cd?
 
Old 01-08-2007, 02:40 AM   #7
raskin
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You need any CD that gives you shell. Rescue CD or Live CD - no matter.
 
Old 01-08-2007, 04:58 PM   #8
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This is why I asked the previous question. I booted from the ubuntu live cd, (on the install cd there is a livve cd of ubuntu too), and I opened up a terminal, opened up /etc/passwd, and it was nothing like the file that I have when I don't use a live cd.

I will try a slackware install cd I have lying around, and say how that goes.
 
Old 01-08-2007, 05:00 PM   #9
raskin
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Did you open LiveCD /etc/passwd or your system's /etc/passwd (to view the latter you need to mount your system first)?
 
Old 01-08-2007, 05:43 PM   #10
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Code:
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ mount /dev/sda3
mount: can't find /dev/sda3 in /etc/fstab or /etc/mtab
/dev/sda3 was my partion for /, and since I'm not in /dev/sda3, I won't be able to acess /dev/sda3.

I'm so stupid for doing this.

edit:
Whats wrong with just editing the file while I am not in a live cd?

Last edited by User Name.; 01-08-2007 at 05:48 PM.
 
Old 01-08-2007, 05:58 PM   #11
Ynot Irucrem
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Code:
mkdir /mnt/sda3
mount /dev/sda3 /mnt/sda3
Mounting doesn't need fstab, it's just to mount things automatically (most importantly, at boot).

Quote:
Whats wrong with just editing the file while I am not in a live cd?
I can't see a problem with it, but I'm a n00b.

Last edited by Ynot Irucrem; 01-08-2007 at 05:59 PM.
 
Old 01-08-2007, 06:35 PM   #12
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Thanks, I don't know why I didn't think of that.
 
Old 01-09-2007, 12:36 AM   #13
jschiwal
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I thought that you couldn't use sudo anymore. You can only edit /etc/password as root. In the live distro, mount your old root partition somewhere. You said it was /dev/hda3.

If you are using the ext3 filesystem then
mount -t ext3 /dev/hda3 /mnt/
will mount it under /mnt.

If you are using a rescue disk, it may not have vim but instead vim-minimal.
You need to check if the root entries exist in /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow.
 
  


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