How do I run things "as root"?

[Dr. Shim]

This program "sndconfig" wants me to run it "as root". i have no idea what that means or how to do it.

[bdg1983]

You have to type SU .. and then the password for the root account. After that you will be running as the "superuser" or in other words .. the "root"

[Dr. Shim]

type SU where? Please explain how I do this in more detail...

[bdg1983]

Do you run linux in plain text-mode or do you have graphical login ? In x-windows you have to open a terminal ... then you type su and that other stuff. If you are in textmode you just type su. If it says you have to run as root, it is clear that you are not logged in as root. You are logged in as a regular user. To use sndconfig you have to have root priviliges. That means you have to login as root, or do the su thing in a terminal or directly if you use plain text.
It will look something like this:
yourname@somemachine # <hereyoutypesu>
password <here you type the su (root) password>
If the password is correct you are logged in as root and you have the privilege to do almost whatever you want.

[Dr. Shim]

Yes my Mandrake distro is graphical. I think I'm logged in as "root". When I click the file to open it nothing happens. :(

If I press CTRL-ALT-F2 to get to the prompt it says it can't find the program. How do I lunch programs in text display? Maybe I'm doing this wrong...

[redhatter]

At the command line, type:

whoami

It will then tell you if you are root or another user.

If you are root, you should be able to type:

sndconfig

Which will bring you to a blue screen, which is where you want to be.

If you are not root, type:

sndconfig

Which will then ask you for root's password. Either that or type:

su root

then root's password, and you'll be ready to do sndconfig.

[mychl]

you have to open a terminal, there should be an icon for it in your menu bar at the bottom of your screen, or in your <start>sorry for the windows terminology.... button.

It will open with a prompt, you really need to practice working with the command line, its the only way to accomplish some things in linux. And there is where you type su
then root password, then you open sndconfig.

[Dr. Shim]

I LOV YOU!!! THANK YOU YOU THANK YOU!!!!! :D :D :D