Root won't recognize root password

[Member mizpa]

Believe me when I say this, I’ve tried to fix my root password about a dozen times! When I login, I use the root password that I verified on install that the two words were exactly the same. I checked the box so I could see the text, and they were the exact same words, and I wrote it down on a pad right beside the laptop so it would’t be a question of “did I forget the password?”.

I don’t know how to use a live CD to change the passwords (never learned, and never lost my root password before), so I went online for an answer. I found one for Debian:

1) Boot to Grub, but don't press 'Enter'
2) press e for edit mode
3) scroll down to: "linux/boot/vmlinuz ........" line
4) go to the end of that line, add a space, and type "init=/bin/bash" OR "init=/bin/sh"
5) press "ctrl+X" to boot to the root prompt
6) press "Enter"
7) type "mount -n -o remount,rw/"
8) press "Enter"
9) type "passwd"
10) type in new password/& repeat when prompted
11) type "reboot"

I got as far as putting in the passwords, but it wouldn’t accept them – “authentication failure” – UPDATE: the actual words were “Authenication token manipulation error:
Then when I tried to get out of it, I tried “reboot” and “shutdown” (with all of the different -a, -f, -r endings, but nothing worked. I ended up having to use the power button and restart every time – at least a dozen times trying to make this work. I’ve used antiX in the past, and I like it, so please don’t think I’m ragging on the distro – I’m loading it onto 3 different laptops!

If anyone has some advice about recovering my root password, I’d love to hear it, just don’t think I’m and idiot please, I may be a computer illiterate after all these years, but at my age, the memory is going fast, and I still hate (with a passion), Winblows!

• This topic was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by mizpa.

[Forum Admin anticapitalista]

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Since you have just installed, it would probably be quicker to do a re-install.

Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.

antiX with runit - leaner and meaner.

[Member mizpa]

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anticapitalista wrote:

Since you have just installed, it would probably be quicker to do a re-install.

Thanks, now that I have spent half of last nite and most of this morning installing all of the bookmarks, apps I think I might want! Where were you last nite just after I installed (j/k)??
I was afraid that might be the best option …. this install is on the D610. Win7 didn’t appreciate being on the Grub loader, but it will either have to get used to it or get gone!

[Forum Admin anticapitalista]

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sleeping

Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.

antiX with runit - leaner and meaner.

[Member mizpa]

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anticapitalista wrote:

sleeping

No excuse, you’re the Big Kahuna, you’ve no need for sleep! j/k THX

[Member mizpa]

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Now to go back and re-install on the D610! THX Anti, I actually do appreciate your response, even tho I like to joke/make-light about it! mizpa

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