Re:

["Bill Jones" <tetragondzein@gmail.com>]

On 6/30/06, delanna m hess <dmh081646@earthlink.net> wrote:

> I just purchased a used computer with your system on it and the person never
> gave me a user name or log in password is there a way to get these items to
> be able to log on?  Please e-mail me above address.

Get a Linux Boot CD that matches your system -- i386, PPC, etc.
I would suggest a FC5 Rescue CD.  Boot off it.

If you are using a FC5 rescue CD - at the linux prompt type:
linux rescue [Hit Enter]

Follow the on-screen instructions -- do not start networking, do mount
any partitions it finds as Read-Write.

At the # prompt cd to the /mnt/sysimage/etc  directory and type:
nano shadow [Hit Enter]

The first line is root; the junk you see between the first two colons
( : ) is the md5digest password -- delete it so that the first section
of the first line looks like this:

root::soemtotherstuff...

Hit Ctrl-X and save the file.

At the # prompt type
exit [Hit Enter]

The system should boot and there will no longer be a root password;
you can sign in as root and change it using this procedure:

Ctrl-Alt-F1
User: root [Hit Enter]
password: [Hit Enter]

At the # prompt type
passwd [Hit Enter]

Now just enter a password you can live with -- keep in mind security
issues ect if you choose an easily guessed password.

HTH/Sx
--
WC (Bill) Jones -- http://youve-reached-the.endoftheinternet.org/