Lost root passwd and can't enter resuce mode

musikalg · 09-18-2005, 08:48 AM

Hi,

I'm running Mandrake 10.1 as a web/fileserver. By misstake I lost my root password. Since that has happened before there was no course to panic, instead I tried to boot from my install CD and then entered rescue mode.

But when entering rescue mode I get the following error:

hda: 43403252 sectors (2222MB) w/4112KiB Cache: CHS: 2136/127/16
hda: INVALID GEOMETRY: 127 PHYSICAL HEADS?
ide-default: hda: Failed to register the driver with ide.c
Kernel panic: ide: Default attach failed

However, I can boot my system and log in as any user, but I can't do anything with the system since I don't have root priviledges.

Does anyone know a way to fix this corrupt file system?

/musikalg

homey · 09-18-2005, 09:07 AM

Quote:

However, I can boot my system and log in as any user, but I can't do anything with the system since I don't have root priviledges.

I kind of doubt it's all that corrupt if users can login ok.
Login to level 1 ( one ) by appending init 1 to the end of the boot loader.
This will allow you to changed the root passwd without knowing it first.
For example:

Code:

title Fedora Core
	root (hd1,1)
	kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.12-1.1447_FC4 ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet init 1
	initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.12-1.1447_FC4.img

musikalg · 09-18-2005, 09:09 AM

Thank's a lot. I'm using Mandrake, is it just to exchange FC to mdk?

/musicalg

homey · 09-18-2005, 09:33 AM

You will need to work with the operating system that you have. Also, my example was using the GRUB and you may be using LILO boot loader.