irc channels

[defy0]

I have read the rules and the faq but where are the irc channels how are they accessed i dont see a link to irc . my main problem is and i know it is self inflicted is that after installing linux mint 19.1 cinanamon on a lenovo t430 Intel© Core™ i5-3210M CPU @ 2.50GHz × 2 8gb ram 4.15.0-42-generic i cannot now recall what the password is when prompted after start up as i became distracted at the time. Is there a way around the requirement at start up / i have held the shift key but nothing changed and also the escape key at start up as well as the space bar . None of these actions made any difference the machine boots as normal.So the system is installed but i cannot get into it , reading elsewhere it seems a recurring problem that there are no options at start up to choose something other than normal boot. !!!

[JeremyB]

The IRC channels can be accessed by going to https://community.linuxmint.com/ click the community tab, then chat. If you have access to Linux Mint, you can click chat on the welcome screen, in 19.1 it is under help

[Moem]

i cannot now recall what the password is when prompted after start up as i became distracted at the time. Is there a way around the requirement at start up

That won't fix it, because you will also need that password to update the system and to install software. Since this is a new installation, you're probably not going to lose much if you simply start over.