[clue-tech] recover root? Ubuntu 10.4 netbook remix

[Jim Ockers]

Mike,

You should never need to reinstall a Linux system unless the filesystem 
got corrupted somehow due to some sort of software glitch, which is 
really unlikely.  (If it was bad hardware, then replace the hardware of 
course.)  The easiest way to get access to a Linux system to which you 
don't know any passwords is to either not run the startup sequence 
(init=/bin/bash) or else start up in single user mode only.  Either way 
you ought to be able to reset the root password.

To make the system do nothing but mount the root filesystem, edit the 
kernel boot command line to include "init=/bin/bash" at the end of the 
command line.

To make the system start in single user mode, edit the kernel boot 
command line to have an "s" at the end of it.

There are a lot of different ways you can tackle this problem but these 
ought to get you on the right track or at least so you start to get the 
idea of how it all works and fits together.

Hope this helps,
Jim

Mike Bean wrote:
>
> Hey cluebies,  I'm trying to help out a friend, I think she managed to 
> blow out/change her root login somehow.  Not sure if it can be 
> recovered.  I know I can always reinstall, but I'm wondering if 
> there's a faster method?
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