[ILUG] root problem

[Gary Coady]

On Thu, Jun 24, 1999 at 08:42:56AM +0100, kevin at suberic.net wrote:
> Bernard Murphy burst across the net:
> >Having logged in for months under root suddenly I am told that either the user
> > or password name is incorrect.
> >
> >Nothing in that area has been changed ??
> >
> >SU keeps me locked out as well. Can anybody throw some light on that one - or 
> >how can I get back - or am I dead !!!!!!
> 
> is root in /etc/passwd?  when was /etc/passwd last changed?  might you
> have typed passwd in a root window when meaning to do it in your own
> account?
> 
> you might want to do an init 1 at the console which should bring the machine
> down to single user...  wait, you don't have root.  reboot, and type linux 1
> at the boot prompt.  then you'll get a shell prompt.  then run passwd.

I dunno - I've found that Redhat seems to ask for the root password when
booting into single-user mode - if it does in this case, try instead

linux init=/bin/sh

at the boot prompt, and that'll get you a shell.

-- 
Gary Coady - gary at netsoc.tcd.ie - http://www.netsoc.tcd.ie/~gary/
|  It might look like I'm doing nothing, but at the cellular level I'm
|  really quite busy.

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