Login problems

[msclee]

I finally managed to get Debian Woody to configue last night however when I rebooted and tried to login - it just won't work. I have tried every possible combination of user name and password but I just cannot get it working.

I have couple of questions which I am hoping someone can answer -

firstly - I seem to remember that when I entered one of the user names (I cannot rememeber if it was the root or not) that the first half of the box had been completed with the words 'Debian User'. Is this correct? Or is the login name JUST the letters I typed?

Next - would the fact I used the numeric keypad make any difference because number lock defaults to off when I boot up. So -would the numbers have been recorded or should I press the buttons without number lock off or miss them out completely?

Failing all of the above - can I get to the reconfigure point again without having to go through the entire install process again??? I fear I know the answer but would like it confirming. Or can I login some other way and amend passwords later.

Please help - its taken hours to get this far......

Many thanks

M

[SuperNu]

There are a few things you can do to fix your password problems. You can boot into single user mode, you could use your Debian install cd as a recovery cd, or you can use a live distro cd to fix your password problems. I would think that your easiest choice would be booting into single user mode. I believe that Debian gives you a recovery mode option in lilo. If they do, that will boot you into single user mode giving you a root command line. You now can edit files as root. If the recovery option isn't available from your boot manager (lilo by default), then you are going to have to look online on how to get into single user mode using lilo.

First place to check is /etc/passwd. The first column is the username. Verify that your username is correct. If it is, then you can use passwd from the command line to change your user password. If your username isn't correct, then you will have to use useradd or userdel to add or remove users from the system. Be sure to read man pages or online documentation before attempting anything.

The numpad won't have any effect on your passwords at all. A 9 is a 9 no matter where you type it in.

--SN