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From: Wolfgang Helbig <helbig@MX.BA-Stuttgart.De>
Message-Id: <199705301809.UAA00308@helbig.informatik.ba-stuttgart.de>
Subject: Re: Never thought I could be so stupid!
In-Reply-To: <338EE26B.5A1@cableinet.co.uk> from Andy Pendry at "May 30, 97 02:21:30 pm"
To: andy.p@cableinet.co.uk
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 20:09:07 +0200 (MET DST)
Cc: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG
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> 
> I was changing user passwd's in root, and I enterted passwd without a
> user name (I was distracted). When I rebooted, I couldn't get into root
> because I had unwittingly changed the root passwd.
> 
> I have tried using a boot floppy. The change root passwd option is
> avaialable in the menu, but when I select it, it just redisplays the
> menu.

It would be *very* nice if this would work! But at that time
sysinstall does not know anything about your harddisk and your
configuration, and it would compromise security of the installed
system, if everybody with boot.flp can become root.

But there is another way out:
Boot from harddisk in single user mode (enter -s at the boot:
prompt).  This will let you use the sh as root without having to
know the root password. (unless you marked the `console' entry
`insecure' in ttys(5))

Then mount all filesystems  (mount -a) and enter passwd(8) . After
changing your password, exit the shell (^D) and you will be put
into multiuser mode.

Wolfgang