I got an OpenSuse magazine from Borders and I'm trying to install it on my old PC.

During the first install, the process reboots itself, and then is supposed to ask me to insert disk 2. Well, it didn't, so i rebooted again, and after going thru the pre-install steps again, it asks me if im doing a "New Install" or an "Update". I chose Update, since I didn't want to reformat and reinstall disk 1 again.

So it went through the rest of the disks just fine, and then was done. Then it asked me for a password.

I tried to go back and redo the configuration steps post-install, but I cannot find a way through the install wizard. I cannot do the rescue because I dont have a password.

Is there something I can do from a command line perspective rather than reformatting and reinstalling all 5 disks? Like can I use the install disks to get to edit configuration files without the password?

Or am I better off just starting over and doing a whole new install?

I'm comfortable once I get to the command line, but when it comes to getting there, I have no idea. I've seen things like GRUB and LILO and run-level and I'm completely green to that, so if thats part of the recommendation, please dumb it down!

Thanks in advance,
Chuck

It didn't use the same password from the previous install? If not you can try logging on as a user and doing passwd root to create one. Some of the newer distros like kubuntu don't create a root by default, they do everything with sudo,and that's what you have to do on those to get a normal root account.

see, i had only finished installing disk 1 (of 5), and creating the root password is after all files are installed.

after disk 1 is installed, the computer reboots, and thats where it went wrong.

i just did a clean install. after reading around, an "update" install is one where the software is updated, but the configurations on the system arent, so it skipped alot of things i needed to do: root pwd, user setup, hardware config, network config.

im sure i just clicked the wrong thing upon restart, but im surprised it lets you do an update - it should be able to tell that everything hasnt been installed/configured!

oh well...

thanks,
Chuck

I had a similar problem: due to some package checksum-error yast2 (on opensuse 10.1) crashed and left me with a login-prompt after reboot (but before asking for any username and password, in particular no root password). Login without password however impossible.

booting again with the install cd 1 and using the 'update' option, i could complete the installation of all the packages - however, as you say, no option anymore to set a root password or configure the network, etc.

what worked afterwards (the system being installed, including the boot-manager grub):
1) boot the installed system into single-user mode by adding the boot command 'single' in grub
2) i was not prompted for a password but just got a root-prompt where the 'passwd' command worked, so i could set the root-passwd
3) reboot, login as root & use yast to complete the setup