Unknown login username and password

Karl Godt · 04-21-2010, 12:05 AM

While startup try to get to GRUB-Bootloader-Menu by pressingESC-key.
There would show up a menu.
Choose one of the entries by using the up/down-keys.
Press 'e' for editing the menu-entry and write the whole syntax on a paper.
It is nasty but has to be done.
The posts at http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...ssword-802742/
will help you much.
Then press 'c'
grub> command-line will be provided.
First press TAB-key to get an overview.
Then try:
>root (hd0,0)
>find /boot/TAB
All files in that directory will show up.
The kernels and initrd are everywhere slightly different.
>kernel ....
>initrd ....
>bootENTER
An QWERY-keyboard would be helpful, too.

Good Luck !

Carl Filby · 04-21-2010, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grail

Well assuming new password has been set for your daughter's login, to confirm you should have received 2 prompts and 1 message:

If you received all of the above it should be changed successfully, so you can force shutdown by holding down the power button.
Leave for 10 seconds or so and then restart.

Fingers crossed

To add an Ubuntu foot note to the above correct response. Ensure you reset the password for the user account. As by default Ubuntu does not allow user "root" to login via a traditional login screen, only at the command line.

Karl Godt · 04-21-2010, 12:17 AM

Power OFF the computer or better RESET and start new. 'shutdown -r' or 'shotdown -h' did not work for me either.
Then start the computer !
Laptops often have no RESET-button.
Hopefully it does not harm.
Laptops seem to be more vulnerable.

Carl Filby · 04-21-2010, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Karl Godt

Power OFF the computer or better RESET and start new. 'shutdown -r' or 'shotdown -h' did not work for me either.
Then start the computer !
Laptops often have no RESET-button.
Hopefully it does not harm.
Laptops seem to be more vulnerable.

The shutdown command is: "shutdown -n now" now being time frame for the shutdown

Gaby Wilkens · 04-21-2010, 03:55 AM

Thankyou Grail

I left it for a while, before I threw it in frustration. Finally managed to get it to work. Took a few goes to get it to actually work. But have finally got in.

Thank you again

Gaby Wilkens · 04-21-2010, 03:58 AM

Thankyou also to all others who replied to my query. I think the problem is now solved. I look forward to exploring the world of linux

grail · 04-21-2010, 07:49 AM

Good luck Gaby. Glad it is working now, please mark query as SOLVED. This helps others know you had a solution that worked

Karl Godt · 04-24-2010, 03:13 PM

First of all I want to apologize for »shotdown . (Simeon and Levy their swords are murderous weapons)
I want to add that I found out about how to reboot the computer after password-change : Control+Alt+Del did "as usual". Interesting commands at that shell are «help, info, top, ls, dir, lsmod, lsusb, man(ual)».

This I added as a third option to my /boot/grub/menu.lst for managing future password-trouble:

Code:

title		Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-9-generic ro init=/bin/bash
uuid		69cb0650-8a55-4187-aea9-d75f2bad591f
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-9-generic root=UUID=69cb0650-8a55-4187-aea9-d75f2bad591f vga=794 ro single init=/bin/bash 
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-9-generic

With the high resolution vga=794 that often is not possible on laptops, I could see all help-output at once. Also editors ed, vi(m) and nano are possible.
It seems also be possible to go on further after password-change by starting the graphical environment by using the commands «startx and gdm» and most likely also «twm, fvwm(2), kdm a.s.o.» Because of using «ro readonly» {after I used «rw» at one 8.04 installation that wrote "." to all inodes and sectors running filesystem-repair/check fsck at failsafe with all the «root/sudoers» trouble that I did not understand the first times} I could not startX because it wants to write a special file or folder to the harddisk when started from this shell.
I hope the lappy survived that torture.
I have the problem that my slateblock does not start when I want it to; just leaving it without power by battery and cable for hours or even days seems to empty some condensators; so I put my lappy to «sleep» mode until the next day (not «hibernate»-mode).It is said that a rechargeable battery could be loaded up to 1000 times; so the battery may last two or three years. And then the technology also is further to get a new one (64-bit perhaps).

ps.:Thanks for the time ("now") correction, Carl!