Lost Password

[jorge1]

I can't remember my password for Mandrake 9.1? When I installed Mandrake I gave it a root password and now when I lock my screen it won't respond to my password. Can anybody help me find the file where it is kept. The sys boots on to KDE desktop no password is needed. What gives? I've read some where that somebody can hack into your sys and change your password? I put a password on the CMOS just for the same reason (thank goodness that one works).

[linux_guru]

At the boot: prompt, type "linux S" or "linux single" this will get you into single user mode as root. From there, just type "passwd root" and enter a new password.

[jorge1]

linux_guru,
I will try that and let you know. Thanks

[nukes]

Its probably that you enabled auto-login for XDM. There should still be a normal user account that you run things under. This is the password that you need to restore a locked X session. to change it, switch to a VT or open a console, su to root and type passwd username where username is the user you use for day to day stuff.
If you're logging in as root all the time, thats bad (not really, so long as you don't mess anything up, but sort of devalues the whole security base in Linux, if you run a dodgy program it could do your system some damage.)