Computing.Net - Forgot username/password-locked out: " First, the file is called /etc/passwd, not /etc/password. You should see your account name in the results of 'tail /etc/passwd'.

If Ubuntu uses GRUB, and I'm reasonably sure it does, all you have to do is press 'e' when it briefly pauses before booting. You will then be able to edit the boot options. Go to the end of the line and enter 'init=/bin/bash'. This will bypass all startup procedures and give you root access. Run the 'tail /etc/passwd' command I mentioned earlier to identify your username. Your root filesystem will be mounted readonly, so you'll want to run 'mount -o remount,rw /'. Then set your password with 'passwd yourusername'.

It's possible to password protect GRUB. If you encounter this, use Paracomp's method. You will need to edit etc/shadow. If you completely remove the longest string of junk between two colons, your password will be removed. Reboot, login, and set a new password with 'passwd'.


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Response Number 3
Name: Paracomp
Date: September 10, 2005 at 21:37:52 Pacific
Subject: Forgot username/password-locked out
Reply:

Thanks Jake for the correction of /etc/passwd
Trying to get over a bout of pneumonia.


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Response Number 4
Name: 3Dave
Date: September 12, 2005 at 03:50:30 Pacific
Subject: Forgot username/password-locked out
Reply:

With Ubuntu, in the grub boot menu simply choose 'recovery mode', this will boot you up to a root prompt without asking for a password. Then you can set a password for yourself as Jake says with 'passwd yourusername'.

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