Resetting a forgotten root password on suse 8,9

To perform system administration tasks, you have to know the root password. What happens if you forget the root password? Not to worry: Just reboot the PC and you can reset the root password by following these steps:

1. Reboot the PC (select Reboot as you log out of the GUI screen) or power up as usual.

Soon you see the graphical boot screen that shows the names of the operating systems you can boot. The text cursor rests on a line labeled Boot Options.

2. If you have more than one operating system installed, use the arrow key to select SUSE Linux as your operating system.

3. Type the following and then press Enter:

single init=/bin/sh

Linux starts up as usual but runs in a single-user mode that does not require you to log in. After Linux starts, you see the following command line prompt that ends with a hash mark (#), similar to the following:

sh-3.00#

4. Type the following command, and then press Enter:

mount / -n -o remount,rw

This makes the root file system — the forward slash (/) in the mount command — writeable so that you can change the password (which is stored in a file in the root file system).

5. Type the passwd command to change the root password as follows:

sh-3.00# passwd

Changing password for user root.

New password:

6. Type the new root password that you want to use (it doesn't appear on-screen), and then press Enter.

The passwd command asks for the password again, like this:

Re-enter new password:

7. Type the password again, and press Enter.

If you enter the same password both times, the passwd command changes the root password.

8. Type the following command and press Enter.

mount / -n -o remount,ro

This remounts the root file system in a read-only mode.

9. Now type /sbin/reboot to reboot the PC.

After SUSE Linux restarts, you can again become root by typing su - and entering the new password. When GUI utilities such as YaST prompt for the root password, enter the new root password