password change for admin account

[Slowpokevtx]

I initially setup admin account with a password and changed my mind. I went back and changed the password to nothing (just hit enter). Now I cannot unlock to change the password for the admin account to sign in if I wish to. Keeps telling me it is the wrong password. Did I goof or is this a possible bug?

[oobetimer]

It is a bug, which is caused by user ..

This may help you: http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 00#p584894

[Recondra]

I'm new to linux and I find myself in the same situation as Slowpokevtx.

The reply by oobetimer was not much help as I'm not that familiar with what to do with the instructions. I already had to reinstall once due to poor instructions.

Is there another way to reset the password or actually just nix the whole authentication process period (it really is annoying having to enter a password for every little thing i want to do in linux) ?

Cheers

[Anakinholland]

Slowpokevtx and Recondra,

Can you still use

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sudo su -

or

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sudo -i

?

If so, use that and run the command

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passwd

so you can change the password to root.

The reply by oobetimer was not much help as I'm not that familiar with what to do with the instructions. I already had to reinstall once due to poor instructions

The instructions oobetimer linked aren't poor, they provide exactly was is asked for. "All" you have to do is execute them on your machine. I agree on them not being elaborate or verbose, which is probably what you meant?

I personally would boot my current install however, into "single user" mode and change it there. Possibly this manual should be able to help you out better?

Is there another way to reset the password or actually just nix the whole authentication process period (it really is annoying having to enter a password for every little thing i want to do in linux) ?

Did you disable UAC in Windows as well? Or did you just do the equivalent to typing your password and click on Allow/Accept/OK every time?

If you're willing to ommit this blockade, you can indeed disable the asking for passwords. First, you need to become root (after password has been fixed of course) and run the following command:

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visudo

Note: DO NOT EDIT /etc/sudoers MANUALLY!

Next, add a line at the BOTTOM of the file, by doing the following:

• Press Shift + g, this will bring you to the end of the file
• Press lower case o, this will put you into input-mode. "-- INSERT --" will show up.
• Type "xxyyzz ALL=NOPASSWD: ALL" where xxyyzz is your username. Do not include the quotes, they're just to present it better here.
• When done, press Escape. "-- INSERT --" will be gone.
• Save the file typing ":wq", again without the quotes.

If you have done something wrong, press Escape to go out off input-mode, and enter "u" to undo, ":e!" to go back to the situation when you opened the file, or ":q!" to Quit from vi. Again, don't include the quotes.

Mind you, and regretfully I cannot find a source on this at the moment, there are plans in the making to greatly reduce the amount of times you're being asked for your password. It is being recognized that the amount is to high, in turn generating more windows-like behaviour of "Just click on Allow" instead of actually reading the message and think about the implications.

Good Luck!!

Anakin

[Recondra]

I do appreciate the replies but this is WAY TOO MUCH TROUBLE!

After another day of re-installations I still have yet to have a basic desktop operating with a wireless keyboard/mouse/printer.

I guess this is where the average PC user wanting to try Linux gives up and goes back to Windows.

Linux is still in the dark ages!

[Anakinholland]

I do appreciate the replies but this is WAY TOO MUCH TROUBLE!

After another day of re-installations I still have yet to have a basic desktop operating with a wireless keyboard/mouse/printer.

I guess this is where the average PC user wanting to try Linux gives up and goes back to Windows.

Linux is still in the dark ages!

/wave

If you find 3 minutes of your time, once, too much trouble, then it seems to me that you're not really willing to open up for something new, and it is indeed better to go back to Windows. Which is fine, to each their own! Make sure you set the password for administrator properly though, or you'll be using a unix-bootcd to recover it

Anakin

[oobetimer]

Windows is a tent where almost everyone can go in. About 99,8% of people has not set an Admistrator password, so everyone gets inside Windows via safety mode. The rest 0.2% can hacked using Ophcrack or chntpw programs (and many more).

Linux is not Windows and least I sleep better when I know that my system is secure ..