Forgotten Password

I'm REALLY sorry for posting this, I'm sure this is a nuisance-post. I've forgotten the password for my Acer. It runs on Linux Linpus and is the 8GB 512MB version. It's not the BIOS (?) password I don't think. I don't have to enter it to log in, or anything else really, but I do have to enter it to install new applications and unfortunately the password, which I thought to be a certain someone's name spelt in numbers, with a few choice ones added at the end is just not working.

If anyone could suggest a way to reset the password without resetting the entire netbook, I'd be very happy. Any suggestions are appreciated, and if anybody could guide me to a previous topic with the same information I'd be very grateful.

Thanks in advance,

Lisa-Kirsty

 

Sounds like it is asking for your root password.

 

Yes I do believe it is the root password. Do you perhaps know how to reset it? Preferably without resetting the entire netbook?

Thanks for your reply.

P.S. I am a Linux newbie, but I do know the basics of it. At least I know how to get into the terminal, but not to mess about with it!

 

In a terminal do

Code:

sudo passwd user

This should allow you to reset the user password. Linpus doesn't use a separate root password.

 

@ daldred

Thanks a million for your post. I managed to open the terminal without breaking something, but did find it a bit disconcerting when I typed something to replace my password and nothing came up! Eventually I just typed my desired password and hoped for the best when I hit enter and it accepted it!

I really would like to know if there is perhaps some sort of crash course I could utilize to explain all of these sudo/root commands. I must admit I'm a Linux virgin and have been brought up using the Windows OS. I'm only fourteen years old and have had my own computer since I was seven, but I always used Windows! Linux is just totally different, and for someone using Windows for several years to just jump from one OS to a totally different one is quite confusing. I do like Linux Linpus Lite, but I would really appreciate it if someone could direct me somewhere that provides simple commands and what they do, how and when to enter them and the like. I'm going to take a look at the Beginners' section and try and glean as much information as I can.

Thanks again,

Lisa

 

Password is "invisible". But you did good job.


Talking about basics. If you want to learn more about commands used in terminal look at this:

http://www.ss64.com/bash/

There is no specified course regarding Linux Lite for AA1 but you can look at this section:

http://aspireoneuser.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=5

Probably you can find there most answers, tips, tricks etc for your Netbook.

 

Heh. Yes, Linux for a Windows user is rather like learning a whole new language...

Password typing is invisible (as melhiore says); also if a simple Linux command runs successfully, it usually gives no output telling you it has done so. This can be a bit disconcerting at first!

Someone started a list of useful console commands here: http://www.aspireoneuser.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=8694, but that's really just a list rather than an explanation. A lot of the commands are very short - less typing! - but they usually reflect their meaning in some way (cp - copy, mv - move for example). Then there are other useful shortcuts:

[*] when you start to type a filename, type the first few characters and press 'tab' - it will autocomplete as far as possible. This actually works for commands too.
[*] press CTRL-R at the prompt, then start typing any part of a command you've already used. It will bring up the last command you used which contained those letters.

Root and User commands: in general, Linux has ordinary users, and a special user called 'root'. It's careful about what files and commands an ordinary user can use: that's part of the approach which makes it so much more secure in ordinary use - unless you choose to do something to 'become root' you can't usually do anything too serious to the system as a whole. This arises from Linux coming from a tradition of operating systems which is multi-user - no one user should be able to foul up the system for everyone else. So generally, an ordinary user can't install software system-wide, or delete any important files.

There are two ways of running as root in a console:
[*]su switches you to be another user - if you don't sepcify the user it makes you root until you come out of root status again by typing 'exit' or CTRL-D.

[*]sudo applies only to the one command after it - so 'sudo passwd user' means 'pretend I'm root and let me change the password for user'.

Linpus is actually far less thoroughly secured than most Linux versions. You can just put 'sudo' before any command and it will run it as though you were root. Usually you'd be asked for your password each time, and indeed you might not have the ability to use sudo for a lot of functions anyway. This makes some things easier in Linpus, but it is a bit of a trade off against security.

Linux advice tends to focus on the command line - that's because there are any number of Linux programs to do things graphically, so it's easier to say 'do this in the terminal' than start with something like 'which sort of user admin utility have you got?' then find out it's one you've never seen before! Open source programs are almost always free, so people tend to try out several until they find one they like: that's why there are loads of programs and loads of Linux versions - it's all about choice....

If you want to learn more about Linux generally, there are two main ways to do it. First, read: either on the Net or, probably better, find a book at a local library. Most of the Linux books at our local library are some years out of date, but the basic concepts don't change. Second, find some other people who use Linux and talk about it with them. I'm a little hesitant to suggest contacting a Linux User Group, given your age - LUG meetings are often in pubs, and it's not a good idea to go to a pub to meet a group you've only contacted electronically before - but if you have a trusted adult who might be interested as well, you might be able to fix something up. Most LUGs run a mailing list, though, so you can usually get advice and help without going to any meetings.

Hope this helps!

 

Hey again.

Thanks for your posts, they really did help. I've even managed to get off of the hideous user interface using one of the topics here (How to get your desktop in 10 easy steps, or something similar?) and it did involve a lot of typing commands and going into one dialog box to type something then flicking back! It was quite fun, and my Dad and I laughed for a good while afterwards. Especially with the picture we chose for my desktop background (it's a picture of my dog.. but that's not important).

I'm not going to say we're Linux Legends (yet!! I've got to be optimistic, haven't I?), but I'm definitely going to buy a couple of books with my work-money and read up on the different commands and such.

Thanks again for all of your help,

Lisa

 

Fun, isn't it?

Happy birthday next week..... (Assuming your Linux locale is 'UK', not 'US'!)

 

It is indeed extremely fun! I never though trying out all of those different commands would prove so amusing, but then again, I've never played with Linux before.

It is my birthday next week, and I'm assuming the my "locale" is whether it is UK-format or US-format for the date. It's UK, at any rate.

Well, I've to go get ready for work,

thanks again for your wonderful help,

 

LisaKristy, I have to say, I admire how you're tackling this. Your approach to the often confusing situation of encountering a new OS is spot on, and way more mature than what you'll often see in various Linux support forums all over the web. I can give you a few starting hints, although it looks like you're on the right track already:

1) Take your time. Remember how long it took you to get to your current level of knowledge with Windows. Learning Linux will probably go quicker, but still, it will take a while.
2) Don't despair if something seems illogical or weird. Often, once you've reached a certain level of understanding, you'll see why things are done like they are in Lunix, and not like they were in Windows
3) Be willing to read, and google, and read more. I doubt you'll ever manage to run into a bug that never been seen or documented before. But finding where it's described online can be a tedious task.
4) Don't let the snotty gurus get you down. These guys started out just like you did, and they feel frustrated too when something doesn't work on their system.

 

Rapax, thanks for your wonderful comment. I do hate it when I go onto a forum and some poor soul has asked a question that perhaps didn't make sense to them, but they get flamed for it by the people that have perhaps had more experience with a certain topic or just know the answer without thinking! It discourages them from learning how to get the answer through a social network and does discourage people from socializing full-stop!

I am quite willing to read (it's a favorite hobby of mine), so I will definitely pick up a couple of books. To begin with, some of the commands do seem a bit confusing, but after I looked at them, I've discovered most of the commands seem quite normal and logically named.

Hopefully Linux won't take that long to learn. Windows was very easy for me to pick up, even when I was younger.

As to your first point of my seeming more mature than other Linux users looking for answers on a forum... well, I'm a year or two ahead in my schooling and I've had to mature a little faster than most fourteen-going-on-fifteen year old girls. I'm told it's a natural reaction to being pushed into work perhaps too advanced for my age, but that it is nothing to worry about and can often be advantageous for the future.

Thanks again,