Recover your lost root password in Linux
Once in a lifetime you might forget your root password. If that happens, reboot your distro and at the GRUB prompt press “e” to edit the first line. Make sure the new entry sais “linux single”. Press “b” to boot the new entry line. You’ll be thrown into single user mode and given a BASH prompt. Do a
cd /etc
nano passwd
Now see that line that sais
root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
somewhere at the top of the file? Make it look like
root::0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
by deleting the “x” between the two “:“. Save the file. Now open up the shadow file in nano:
nano shadow
Make the first line look like this:
root::::
by deleting every encrypted password. Save.
Reboot and log in as a normal user, then set a new root password:
su
passwd
Maybe I’m missing something, but as soon as one gets to cli prompt in single mode, they can simply use passwd command to set a new one.
The rest of the tip is for people running older versions of Linux distributions. I - for example - still have a FC3 box laying around on pretty old hardware. Some people run even older Linux versions. The “edit your passwd file” part is for them.
…not to say of user accounts that are not in the sudoers file and cannot therefore change a system password. No administrative rights.
in single user mode you are root.
So no need to use sudo and there for no need to be in the sudoers file.
Have you ever logged into single user mode?
That last comment of yours amaze me if you ever did.
@rico: you’re right, that sudoers reference slipped my mind. Somehow it made sense when I wrote it :))
No need to reboot - after you’re done with runlevel one, you can just continue with the normal boot process (init n) where n is your default runlevel.
how delete the X from this root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
Please show me how to delete the X as you did
please show step by step
Thank you
i got it thnk you, how to do