Father passed away, admin of all computers. Can I fix this?

frieza · 06-08-2017, 10:02 AM

i suppose another way to do it with a live cd would be to mount the target system on say /repair, then

Code:

# for dir in {proc,sys,dev}
> do
> mount --bind /$dir /repair/$dir
> done
# chroot /repair
# passwd
  *change password*
# exit

then reboot the computer and test

hazel · 06-08-2017, 10:55 AM

Yes, that would work too. And it means you can use the passwd command without the -R option.

@OliviaVictoria: Are you familiar with the chroot command? It's incredibly useful for fixing problems while booted from an external drive. Basically it changes your root directory to the specified one (in your case the mounted hard drive partition where Xubuntu lives). Then you can use any command as if you'd booted that drive directly. You have to be root to use it, but you are root automatically when you boot from an installation disk.

sundialsvcs · 06-14-2017, 12:59 PM

My thoughts are with you and with your family ...

(The good news is, there is no Microsoft Windows in Heaven ...)