"I got it up, but cant get in!

I want to play with Linux, starting with Mandrake 9.2. I played with Mandrake move and I like it a lot. So I downloaded all three ISO images, burned to disc, installed and get stuck at the log in screen. I get an invalid name/password message. I installed 3 times thinking I missed an entry, misspelled, etc., any ideas? “I want to divorce Bill!"

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pandimus

ummm, you might want to rephrase your topic title... (just a suggestion)

Did you try logging on root?

and try with no password.

Also, a point i have noticed. Linux at first is not for the feint of heart. I had a difficult time getting it down. I took me several weeks just to be able to install a usb device. Raid was nearly impossible. Make sure you have an MS installation with one partition formatted in fat so you can download all the driver files you will need

RussS

pandimus is rihg there - did you try root?

Worst case scenario (short of blowing the install away) is try the Ultimate Boot CD - from memory there is a utility there.

pandimus

Oh, i forgot.. If you dont already know, root is same as administrator account.

Last time i installed redhat, I think there was an option to add additional accounts during install

bellboy

don't worry about linux just yet. it might be a diversion from a+ study, but i tried it. too much stuff to remember with the exam alone

linux needs patience. i didn't have either it or time to look at it. there is a version of linux that will run from a bootable cd, if you want to know what it looks like. otherwise, i would suggest, like i intend to do sometime, buy one of those big books with the free distro (usually redhat), that will guide you. i tried to install a version of mandrake that was probably requiring better hardware than i had, and have set it aside for another day.

mysticgoose

Linux is easy. Windows blows. Oh, and it's simple to install and run. I use slackware linux http://www.slackware.org/

If you can turn on a computer you should be able to follow the step by step prompts to install. And don't use mandrake... it has a setup.exe file and autrorun incase you are stupid enough to try to run it in windows! wtf?? Anyone that dumb should be shot anyway. (this is just my opinion of course. if you are this dumb, i'm sorry for stating the obvious and most likely offending you)

Sartan

Try your root account!!
If that doesn't work, and you need to login to your computer and fix it through root, theres a few things you can do:

If your boot loader is LILO, you can simply type the kernel name followed by some other stuff, like so:

LILO: Linux-24 root=/dev/hda1 init=/bin/sh
That'll drop you to a nice pretty prompt in which you can do system recovery with.

If you've forgotten your root password:
Boot using that method, or using a fancy-dancy recovery or installation CD ~ (Like knoppix, gentoo, slackwares' CD, redhat recovery...)

Open up /etc/passwd with an editor (vi is installed on nearly every system, instructions at the end)
The top line is usually root, if not, find it. If it's not named root, look for the username and in the third column the ID will be zero. Remove the "x" and make that column blank.

Then, open /etc/shadow.
Make the second column blank, for a null password.

Reboot the computer and let it boot as normal. When it prompts you for a username, just type root with no password, and it should let you log in.

*immediately* afterward, issue the "passwd" command to change the root password.

VI instructions for opening and editing a file:

To open a file: vi (or vim) <filename>
*all commands are case sensitive"
There are three modes in VI/VIM:
Command mode
Edit mode
Insert/Append mode

To exit to edit mode, just press 'esc' a few times.
To enter command mode, press ":", and one should appear.
To enter insert/append mode, just press a corresponding character.

To insert text, press "i"
To append text, press "a"
To delete a line of text, press 'd' twice. 'dd'
To undo, press 'u'
To delete a single character, press the delete button if your keyboard has one, if not, press 'x'
Page up/page down scrolls up and down pages, as well as the cursor keys.

To save your file, enter command mode, and issue the command "w"
If it's read-only, (/etc/shadow is) issue "w!" - The ! overrides the command.
To exit vi/vim, press "q"
You can combine commands, like "wq!"
Enjoy

Other editors that might be included that are slightly more intuitive:
nano/pico -- operates with on-screen instructions, self-explanatory.
emacs -- menu-based, function keys do specific things
joe -- CTRL-K, H for help.

viper75

Sounds like you have a problem there buddy. Did you try to go in slowly??? lol...

Lexxdymondz

Just a comment,

I've been thrown in to a job with the military as a HP-UX Systems Admin (the whole "Your a computer guy, you can do it") and have had a really "crash" course with UNIX. I can say this only once

I HATE VI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry I just had to get it out.

rcoop

Sartan wrote:

...fix it through root, theres a few things you can do:...

If you've forgotten your root password:
Boot using that method, or using a fancy-dancy recovery or installation CD ~ (Like knoppix, gentoo, slackwares' CD, redhat recovery...)

Huge thanks to Sartan... had an old SuSE 8 intallation that I thought was going to be a reinstall because I couldn't remember the root password and so had been sitting idle for nearly a year...

And although I had to mount my root partition, after using my recovery CD, prior to editing the passwd and shadow files, you saved me a whole heap of time buddy!!! Huge Thanks for your detailed (and educated) reply.

Now... to the patching 8^)

Oh and writing this note using Konqueror 3.0.1 (on SuSE

... also, I'm glad Webmaster added the Linux+ section, now I'm spending more time learning Linux rather than continuing studying for my Microsoft tests... oh no!

big boi

same with me. i came into a place that i was told has a firewall running on openBSD and pf. got in here and "oh, btw there is an smtp relay running obsd and postfix, a box running obsd and squid as well." talk about learning on the job?!?! i've hardly touched any *nix variants before this.

i must say one thing though- I LOVE VI!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lexxdymondz wrote:

Just a comment,

I've been thrown in to a job with the military as a HP-UX Systems Admin (the whole "Your a computer guy, you can do it") and have had a really "crash" course with UNIX. I can say this only once

I HATE VI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry I just had to get it out.

henkk

just wanted to say i love vi/vim!

If you hate it, there's only one reason for it: You DIDN'T do the tutorial that comes with vim. Do it and you'll never look back!

Henk Kleynhans

Disley

lmao at the title to this thread

Vi is awesome once you spend a bit of time learning how to use it. Its probably my favourite text editor; and i use it for pretty much everything :]

(id be tempted to suggest trying Emacs; but its my most hated app ever ever ever ><)

Seems a bit strange getting stuck at that point. With Mandrake 9.2 you set a root password originally, then it makes you also create an extra user account. Make sure your not trying the root password on the user account, or vise versa.

With mandrake the root user doesnt appear at the login screen does it? (So you have to Su - into it from a terminal instead) So just make sure your entering the right one! (and check for things like caps lock being left on)

Isnt there an option in the Mandrake installation that lets it login automatically as the main user account (not root, just a user account) as soon as you startup? I think thats actually what iv done on my laptop, since im the only user on it atm

rkholmes

for general editing of things like simple configuration files and such nothing beats Nano. It doesn't have the horsepower that Vi has but for ease of use it can't be beat.

timharpur

Somehow, I think this thread has gotten off topic.

And for the record : I don't like Vi either.

crc32

mysticgoose wrote:

Linux is easy. Windows blows. Oh, and it's simple to install and run. I use slackware linux http://www.slackware.org/

If you can turn on a computer you should be able to follow the step by step prompts to install. And don't use mandrake... it has a setup.exe file and autrorun incase you are stupid enough to try to run it in windows! wtf?? Anyone that dumb should be shot anyway. (this is just my opinion of course. if you are this dumb, i'm sorry for stating the obvious and most likely offending you)

Slackware still is and always has been broke. The only people that ever
seem to be interested in it are the ones who are trying to feed their egos thinking they have instaled a hard distro themselves they are installing a tuff distro. And your condecending post only seems to only backs this belief up.

Any reason why you didn't try gentoo?

JOblessELement

Just had to say that's a hilarious thread title!

And LOL @ Disley's solution :

So just make sure your entering the right one!