password
 

Okay I'm new at using ubuntu linux and I don't go on my computer much. I have forgotten my password is there anyway to get it back or find out what it is? Any help would be great. Thanks

Boot from any "live CD" Linux. If you have a recent Ubuntu version, you may already have this. Otherwise, there are many options, including Knoppix.

Once you are running, you will need to open a terminal, find the Linux partition (on the hard drive, not the virtual partition created by the live install) which contains the /etc directory, and edit the "passwd" file. Find the line containing your user name, and remove the "x" following the first colon. The modified file will look something like this:
mherring::1001:100::/home/mherring:/bin/sh

Save the file and re-boot, and you will be able to log in with no password.

If you need more details--eg on how to find the right partition--let us know

Ok so I finally found a live cd that works. And I have tried to find the right partition but I can not do it! So if someone could help me kinda step by step it would be freaking awesome. Wow I never thought it would get so manning to do something like this!!! Maybe now I will always remeber my password..lol

Can you show us the output of 'fdisk -l'?

edit: just in case you had problems:

1. Go to Applications => Accessories => terminal
2. type: sudo fdisk -l
It'll show you all your harddrives and partitions

Ok I did that and I am trying to get into the linux hard drive and it keeps telling me I am unable to open it??? What do I do now?

What exactly are you doing? And what exactly does it say?

I am trying to change or get my password and I type in sudo fdisk -l and it comes up with the list of my partitions. I need to get in to the first one which says /dev/hda1 So I can change my password on it. When I type in that command it says unable to open or access denied.

ok type the following:

sudo makedir temporary
sudo mount -t ext3 /dev/hda1 temporary
sudo gedit temporary/etc/passwd

it should open the file you want to modify

I have to do it from a live cd. I could not log into my computer because I forgot my password. I have booted from the live cd and everything. So yea....
I typed in what you said it came up with this

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo makedir
sudo: makedir: command not found
ubuntu@ubuntu:$~ sudo makedir temporary
sudo: makedir: comand not found
ubuntu@ubuntu:$~ sudo mount -t ext3 /dev/hda1 temporary
mount: mount point temporary does not exit
so i have to get onto the linux partition from the live cd and change my password from here. I cannot get it.

The command to create a directory is mkdir.

okay I did that and it came up ass

ubuntu@ubuntu:$~ mkdir
mkdir: missing operand
try 'mkdir --help' for more information.

.

ooops, sorry:)

should be:
mkdir temporary

You obviously need to tell it what directory you want to create..

Okay so I did that now it didn't work....because I just tried to long in. So maybe I didn't do something right.