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Old 02-09-2017, 05:30 AM   #1
hawksfan92
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Resetting admin password ubuntu 15.10


So I'm trying to reset my admin password for Ubuntu 15.10 and I followed the instructions I found online

1.Reboot your computer.
2. Hold Shift during boot to start GRUB menu.
3. Highlight your image and press E to edit.
4. Find the line starting with "linux" and append rw init=/bin/bash at the end of that line.
5. Press Ctrl + X to boot.
6. Type in passwd username.
7. Set your password

Everything worked great until step 5 when I did that my laptop showed the screen that's the first picture and my caps lock button started flashing I also found this way to try it,

1. Restart you Ubuntu system.
2. On Grub loading screen press ESC to view list.
3. Now select “Advanced options for Ubuntu” and press enter.
4. Now select following (recovery mod) option and press enter.
5. Here you will see Recovery menu. ...
6. Change password of your administrative user

And everything worked well too for this process until step 6 where I'm supposed to select root on the recovery menu then it ask me for root password as in second pic, that's supposed to be the admin password also isn't it? I am lost don't know what else to try.
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Old 02-09-2017, 05:55 AM   #2
beachboy2
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hawksfan92,

Very similar procedure, but try this:
http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/resetpassword
 
Old 02-09-2017, 12:15 PM   #3
yancek
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Are you trying to reset the password for the primary user who has 'root' privileges or have you set up a password for the root user?
Can't read anything on your first image. This doesn't have anything to do with your problem but, 15.10 hasn't been supported since last July.
 
Old 02-09-2017, 12:25 PM   #4
hawksfan92
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Yeah, trying to reset it for the root user, but in the second pic ita asking for it to go in and reset it. I wasn't expecting anyone to read it, just see what it was doing. And yeah I know this is an outdated os I don't have internt, to update.
 
Old 02-09-2017, 04:10 PM   #5
yancek
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On the Ubuntu 14.04 I have installed, both methods you posted work as expected. Using the first method, using the mouse arrows to scroll down to the linux line and then to the end of that line, leave a space and append rw init=/bin/bash and selecting the option to boot should take you to a root prompt. You then enter: passwd username (substituting your actual username or root if you have root where username shows). If you then hit the Enter key you should get a prompt: Enter new UNIX password.

The second method selecting Recovery Mode, you should get a page with 9 different options including root. If you select that and continue you should again be at a shell root prompt and would again enter: passwd username as above and you should get the same prompt to enter a new password. Which option did you select in Recovery Mode?
 
Old 02-09-2017, 10:55 PM   #6
TooTechie
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hawksfan92 View Post
Yeah, trying to reset it for the root user, but in the second pic ita asking for it to go in and reset it. I wasn't expecting anyone to read it, just see what it was doing. And yeah I know this is an outdated os I don't have internt, to update.
If you're just trying to reset the password for the user "root" and you still have access to a user account on the box with root privileges you can simply type sudo passwd root and change the pw. If you're saying you don't have access to any privileged account on the box then you'd have to use one of the other methods already discussed.
 
1 members found this post helpful.
Old 02-10-2017, 12:39 AM   #7
Jjanel
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PID: 1 Comm: bash Not tainted (panic ...)

First, @OP: can you login and use sudo? (first user created during install should have this ability, to do: sudo passwd) +1rep for post#6

Interesting troubleshooting puzzle! I magnified first thumbnail; it says (tho NOT the issue)
CPU: 3 PID: 1 Comm: bash Not tainted <kernel release which == `uname -r`>
(web-researching this, turned up just a few *NON-related things*, for me.)

Just before it, at very top of screen, there is an *'interesting'*
second-half of an error message, from some command that just scrolled off (1 line too late)!

I'm guessing that something 'incorrect' was entered in step 6, which is the command:
passwd (*NOT* password, followed by just the <ENTERkey> implying root)

**I was able to reproduce that panic, by entering just Ctrl-d (EOF/exit)!
So, in step 5, try F10 *instead* of Ctrl-x (to avoid typing anything 'incorrect')

IF still stuck, post the prompt that appears (where you typein passwd), like:
root@(none):/# passwd
(IF you can get that far! IF not, maybe something went wrong in 4 init= Try sh
&manually post that one top line from 1st picture: -abefhlmn?BCMP or -o option)

On the second method being not-usable, second screenshot thumbnail,
I'm -guessing- this is because you, at an earlier time, set a root password
which changed it from the -default- of 'lockedout' (which this 2nd technique checks for)
The default first line in /etc/shadow is: root:!:....
By setting a passwd root (long ago), you changed that ! to an encrypted string.
I'm -guessing- on Debian/Ubuntu/etc, that manually setting a root passwd,
locks this method out, requiring the correct root password (which you lost/don't have).

Maybe an LQguru can validate my -guess- (or ...)
Note that in #4, the OP clarifies that "admin" in #1 meant root!

Last edited by Jjanel; 02-10-2017 at 03:01 AM.
 
Old 02-10-2017, 03:09 AM   #8
hawksfan92
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Yeah, I had to remove the password cause I passed my laptop a long time ago. I can log in as admin yeah cause I disabled the password. And is this during the boot process or in terminal your typing all these commands?
 
Old 02-10-2017, 04:03 AM   #9
Shadow_7
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The fist picture looks like a kernel panic. The second picture looks like a busybox shell. Both happen when you don't have a bootable linux, so there is no changing the password. Or at least the bootloader isn't configured to boot a bootable linux. Also ubuntu doesn't have a root login (god admin) by default and design. You can break it's methodology pretty easily, but it not what you're supposed to do. In ubuntu the first generated user tends to be the admin and can do root things with sudo.

As far as resetting passwords, you can chroot to the install you wish to do that too and use passwd.

(chroot)# password {USERNAME}

or

(chroot)# su - {USERNAME}
(chroot)$ passwd

Although not really something you can do until you have ANY bootable linux. Which the original two images indicate that you do NOT have at the moment. Although it may just be a poorly configured bootloader, or a bootloader that got messed up by the windows 10 anniversary update.
 
Old 02-10-2017, 04:06 AM   #10
Jjanel
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Actually, `passwd` is the -only- command we are trying to run!
(maybe preceded by `sudo` -if- not at a 'root' AlsoKnownAs # prompt!)

Is "admin" a user's [login] name on your system, instead of jjanel (on mine)?

Can any user login? "GUI"? Run a 'terminal' (or Ctrl-Alt-F1)?
If so, Then try (at ... $ prompt):
id; sudo id; sudo passwd
(this might work -only- for the 'first' user, created -during- the initial install;
does `sudo` say: "[WHO?] is not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported."?)
(another 'way' here, without sudo, might, tho doubtful, be: [... $] su

If not, when booting method 1, Attached thumbnail picture/image 1 http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...1&d=1486638712
can you get to a ... # prompt? (IF so, then use just: passwd)
OR does it 'panic&die' (as pic 1 shows), using method 1, -before- any # prompt?

@#9: (chroot)# password {USERNAME} is confusing! Is it a 'typo'?

Last edited by Jjanel; 02-10-2017 at 04:51 AM.
 
Old 02-10-2017, 09:00 AM   #11
BW-userx
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this is the big reason I do not use a Distro that the people that put them out think they know better then I. So they "take away" something that is essential to the Operating System. Root user to be specif.

not that that statement helps you in anyway other than maybe it will spark an idea in your head to get rid of it. Then get a Linux Disto that does not do what that one you are now having needless issues with as a direct result of it does. Removing as best they can the root user account.

Last edited by BW-userx; 02-10-2017 at 09:01 AM.
 
Old 02-10-2017, 03:42 PM   #12
Jjanel
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@OP hawksfan92: Don't give up (or fall into chrootJail);
we're only a few [magic] keystrokes away!

Yes, it can be totally confusing the first time encountered! (/ root UID 0 /root adm admin user usr /usr password passwd su*; grub gui, mouse arrows! Copy&Paste panic msgs.....
Hang on to Patience even if over 70 posts)

@myBWhero: comforting words always! Let's have a General thread:
"Love my XP: no users nor passwords for me!"

A successful click of the "Mark thread Solved" ThreadTools button at top
is only a few more posts away! Think Positive!

Last edited by Jjanel; 02-10-2017 at 04:07 PM.
 
  


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