Gary Roach wrote at 2012-11-26 18:43 -0600: > I've done the unthinkable. I accidentally changed root to qroot in > my /etc/passwd file and then proceeded to log out of root. All of > the files in /etc were changed to owner qroot and the root password > doesn't work any more. I have a new Knoppix CD and a new Debian > network install CD. Can I use either of these to edit the passwd > file and correct the problem. If so, how.
Probably either Knoppix or the Debian CD will work. With Knoppix, just boot from the CD, mount the partition on which is /etc, and edit the file. Commands used will be approximately (you will need to use the correct block device): # fdisk -l # mkdir /mnt/tmp # mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/tmp # nano /mnt/tmp/etc/passwd # umount /mnt/tmp # reboot
signature.asc
Description: Digital signature