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CaldwellYSR
Asked: 2011-11-23 18:19:24 +0800 CST

Login failure after new install

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I recently installed Ubuntu 10.04 on my MacBook. I have it running smoothly on here, but when I used the same disk to install Ubuntu on a friend's Dell Laptop it isn't working correctly.

After the installation process finished, he logged in and everything ran just fine. However when he shut the computer down and later turned it back on, he can't log on. He's using the same login information as before but he keeps getting an authorization failure. I've had him try using his short username and the full name but neither will work.

Is this a hardware problem because of his computer or did something go wrong with the installation?

10.04

2 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    Whatever the cause, resetting the password will most likely fix the problem.

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  2. You can reset your password using Live CD:

    Boot from your Ubuntu Live CD, choosing “Try Ubuntu without any change to your computer” from the boot menu.

    Once the system boots, open up a new Terminal and then type in the following command:

    sudo fdisk -l

    This command is used to tell what device name the hard drive is using, which in most cases should be /dev/sda1, but could be different on your system.

    $ sudo fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 120.0 GB, 120034123776 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14593 cylinders, total 234441648 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x000e4165

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *        2048   234440703   117219328   83  Linux

    Note the device name having * under Boot column.

    Now you’ll need to create a directory to mount the hard drive on.

    sudo mkdir /media/dir

    Now mount the hard drive in the /media/dir folder.

    sudo mount /dev/sda1 /media/dir

    Now chroot to the mounting point of your disk

    sudo chroot /media/dir

    Now you should be able to use the passwd command to change your user account’s password

    passwd user-name

    Unmount the disk and reboot.

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