my password just got changed and i have no clue why When i go to log in it acts like it wants to bring up my desktop but it just goes back to the password screen and i dont know what to do. I never changed it. now i cant get in. is my only option to reinstall linux or am i even able to reistall it without the previous password. would someone tell me what my options are from this point and because i am still am a complete newbie i also tried to install a screen reader i coulndt uninstall and when i powered down thats when it wouldnt except my pasword i am using a linux mint 17.2 on a sony vaio laptop

Behavior like this doesn't indicate that your password was changed (you would just get a message that you have used the wrong password instead). It rather points to a problem with either your graphical subsystem (if it crashes you are logged out and the Xserver is restarted, bringing you back to the login screen) or that your users home-directory is either full, not present (in case you have /home on a separate partition) or not writable.
So, the questions are:
- Have you made changes to the system that may crash the X-server (updates, installation of a different driver, ...)?
- Do you have /home on a separate partition?
- Did you probably fill up the disk/home-partition?

1 members found this post helpful.

before it happended and i was locked out i installed a sreen readr from the respository that i could not uninstall then when i powered down it just wouldnt except my password by the way i am using linux mint 17.2 on a sony vaio laptop

i am not sure if i filled the home partion or not and i dont think that i have the home partion somewhere else

At the Login screen, do not login.
Press Ctrl+Alt+F1 and then login as yourself.
Run this and report the output:
Thank you.

BTW, when you log in to the shell and type your password, it will not echo to the screen. You won't see any evidence that the keyboard is working. That's normal, just type in the password and press Enter. It's a feature, not a bug, to prevent anyone looking over your shoulder from seeing your password.

Check that the caplocks key isn't enabled. Or other hardware issues. You can boot a live linux version, then mount the other linux. Setup the chroot, and use passwd to change your password. And various other ways to restore your old linux to a usable state.

If there's nothing important on that install, a fresh install is fairly easy and fast. I can do a debootstrap install of a minimal debian to include X and a web browser in less than an hour, most of which is waiting on slow internet speed and slow USB storage write speeds. YMMV