[SOLVED] A lost Rootpass and sinlge user mode troubles

[SBloke]

Hi all,

I've done it, I lost my root password, and am running an encrypted home folder. Not the biggest problem because until a few hours ago I could sftp into my box and I managed to grab everything I couldn't afford to loose.

But now for the conundrum.

I want to drop to single user mode and set a new root password. However, in the grub (version 1.99, running 64 bit mint 11, dualbooting with win7) I can manage to hit 'e' to edit the boot commands. But there doesn't seem to be a definite 'kernel line' in there that I can append a 1 or 'single' to in order to get my coveted single user mode.

My complete boot command reads:

Code: Select all

setparams 'Linux Mint 11 64-bit, 2.6.38-13-generic (/dev/sda5)'

recordfail
set gfxpayload=$linus_gfx_mode
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root =(/dev/sda,msdos5)
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root **some long charstring**
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-13-generic root=UUID= **that same charstring** ro     quiet splash vt.handoff=7
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.38-13-generic


From the preview I see that this board might do some codewrapping, everything from linux /boot until handoff=7 is on a single line.
How do I edit this in order to boot in single user mode and being prompted to enter a new root password without having to first give the old one?

I really don't feel like having to reinstall my entire system as you can imagine.

[SBloke]

Well, I managed to solve the problem, partially.

After having a look at the safe mode in the grub, I noticed an appended 'single' to one of the lines. So apparently that already worked. It dropped me to a terminal asking for my password. Fu.
So I replaced 'single' with 'rw init=/bin/bash' and dropped to a rootterminal. Yay.

Passwd worked out just fine, and I got back into my computer, only to find (as expected) the home folder to be encrypted, without means to recover it. Fu^2.

After some deliberation, I threw in the towel and did a clean install. My important files were already safe so all I lost was an extensive flac collection and the last season of SG: Atlantis I still had to watch. Now my box is running Arch, and I'm no longer using an encrypted home as there is nothing there that needs encryption at the moment.