when you get a bash prompt, type 'whoami' ... who knows, you might be root...

and DON'T type login, as you are already logged in .

I am gina....not root.

I type "whoami" and it says "cannot find username for UID 0"... I guess I am root, but I cannot change directory to /etc to edit the passwd file... What can I do from the bash prompt?

On my machine, it was not bash but sh# that was started. I could edit /etc/passwd. Don't you have permission ? probably not hu?

cant you do cd /etc ?

if so, goto sh like I did (type sh)
and then try.
(and everytime tell me what he says to)

I'm going home now. I'll cu tomorrow.

download this: www.toms.net/rb and from there edit your passwd file.

Surely if booting toyour Linux bootloader into the bootsector of your main Linux partition, and use something rl1 (linux single) logs you in as uid 0 you will still be able to edit the file, even if the user that is associated with uid 0 doesn't exist? In which case, you might be able to fix this without having to download anyting!

You should be able to just boot from your install disk, stop the
install w/o rebooting, mount the relevant partition (the one that
contains the /etc/ directory, either edit /mountpoint/etc/passwd
and add the user root, or copy the passwd.bak over passwd (do
you know root's passwd?). If your installation doesn't allow you
to stop the install w/o rebooting, simply hit: ALT-F2. This should
give you another console, from which you can log in as root
(the install has a user root), usually without a password. Then
go on to mount the partition.

Downloading and having tom's root boot has saved me dozens of times... I think that even if you don't use it for this particular case you should have it.

BTW... how did you manage to delete the root user... I mean.. that is something that only the root can do. Does anyone else have access to the root on that server? you should talk to that dude anyway.

lol, Just re-install the entire system!, you'll save youself from doing all these things....

what the heck happened anyway??, it's not likely that any distro installation let you install without making a root account...

did you get hacked or something??

Come on!!! reinstalling the entire system is a Micro$oft solution. Linux System Administrators know how to solve these kind of problems. I insist, all you need it to boot from a rescue disk and add the root account With UID and GID 0 and you'll be able to do anything. Or even boot in single-user, but if the root was properly deleted you shouldn't be ablo to log in.

get Toms root boot and fix it by mounting the filesystem and adding root user. Because when you boot Toms root boot you will be root

You'll have to mount your root partition and chroot there before adding the user (so it will be added to your root partition /etc/passwd)

Okay, I don't mean to sound useless, but I created the boot disk from toms.net and I booted up the Linux Server. Can someone tell me how to change to my local drive so that I can change the etc/passwd file? I've been looking in books, but nothing helpful..

Thanks for any help you've given me or can give me.