Resetting Ubuntu password is easy

Never having “lost” my password in Linux, I’ve always bypassed articles about how to reset passwords (though I’ve noticed that Linux software available to reset XP administrator passwords are not gratis). Not sure why I set the Ubuntu server password to something I’ve forgotten, but I thought, “Oh, well. I guess I’ll reinstall.” But then, I figured it might be worth a shot to see about resetting it. Within minutes I had it reset! There seem to be many sites that give various guidance, but specifically for Ubuntu (6.10 Edgy Eft in my case) here’s all it took:

1. At system boot, when Grub menu appears, select Recovery. Eventually, a root (#) command line appears.
2. Use “cd /etc” and “tail passwd” to see the last part of the password file. You’ll see your login name.
3. Use “passwd login name” and it will prompt you for a new password.
4. Press Ctrl-D and the X window will begin and you’ll be able to login.

Sure glad I took the 2 minute route instead of the 2 hour route!