Root password missing

Yes, I have there
- Supervisor password (set at BIOS)
- User password (set at BIOS)
- User password for screen saving (set at settings)


Now I try to install Java
- and it says: root Password ? What is it? How can I define it?

"3. At Terminal, type su and enter
the root Password.
This is the same Password enter
by user during the initial open
box Linux OOBE password."


I even remember (wrote down) my all first password. It does not work in caps or non-caps on.
Then I tried to use Supervisor PW.
Nothing helped. What to do?

 

Hi

Ive had a simular prob to.
Half way through my very first turning on setting up password i shut the machine down not setting a password, as i was at work. (to exited till i got home to have a look) Next time i booted it just went straight to the desktop screen

I have gone into BIOS and set up passwords also following a tip from erith about caps on regardless how you entered it.

When i come to add remove programes its asking for root password which i never set beacuse of the above circumstances.

Can any body help with the appling a rot password or know the default password.

Very helpful forum. And great product by the way.

 

Just use sudo to reset the root password. Type "sudo passwd" and it will prompt you to enter a new password. You can also use sudo to get a root shell without typing the passwd, just type in "sudo -s" or "sudo su".

 

It appears that the 'default' root password is the same as the password you chose as your user password. Or at least this is what is appears to be on my box.

I tested this by:

1. typing 'su' from a terminal and then typing in the user password.

2. Using John the Ripper password cracker to crack the password. Both password's were reported to be set the same.

Of course, I should stress that I have changed my root password to something totally different.

I would welcome external confirmation of this finding.

Rik

 

The passwords are the same. I confirmed it by looking at the hashes for the root password and the user password. I didn't try John the Ripper since it shouldn't be able to crack my password in any reasonable amount of time.

 

Good confirmation and at least now we can point new users at what their root password is.

I will admit for the purpose of the test I seeded JtR with a copy of my complex user password - so I sort of cheated a little

Rik

 

I have now three different passwords:

1. Admin (root)
2. Supervisor
3. User

For practical reasons, I changed 1 = 3.

Pretty interesting, these issues should not be trial and error, but should be immediately available from specs/ search. But Linux seems to be just a living organism with some good and some evil practices, which can be found only at forums of the parish.