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From: news@adm.BRL.MIL (The News System <news>)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.internals
Subject: Received:
Message-ID: <24418@adm.BRL.MIL>
Date: 7 Sep 90 08:00:05 GMT
Lines: 34

Via:        UK.AC.DL.DLGM;  7 SEP 90  8:39:53 BST
Via:        UK.AC.DARESBURY.CXA;  Fri, 7 Sep 90 08:39 GMT
            (V40 at UK.AC.DARESBURY.DLGM
From:       Bill Purvis <wh%cxa.dl.ac.uk@pucc.princeton.edu>
Date:       Fri, 7 Sep 90 08:38:10 +0100
Message-Id: <14310.9009070738@uk.ac.dl.cxa>
To:         unix-wizards%arpa.brl%earn-relay@dlgm.dl.ac.uk
Subject:    re: changing root passwd

We run ATT System 5 R 3.2 and have had the same problem - the `official'
procedure is:
1)	Boot the system using the (first) distribution floppy disk.
2)	When it asks if you are ready to install Unix, break out by
	typing Ctrl-\ (The ATT manual says Ctrl-Break but its wrong!).
3)	Run fsck:
	# /tec/fsck /dev/dsk/0s1
4)	Mount 0s1 (hard disk root partition)
	# /etc/mount /dev/dsk/0s1 /mnt
5)	You can then edit the passwd file using `ed'
	# ed /mnt/etc/passwd
	Don't try anything subtle here, all you need is to delete
	the `x' on the first line.
6)	Unmount the hard disk
	/etc/umount /dev/dsk/0s1
7)	Remove floppy disk and reboot.

Its a bit fidddly to do, especially when the distribution floppy has
so little of unix on it. It doesn't have `ls' even !. It can be done if
you're reasonably careful.
	Have fun!!

Bill Purvis	System Administrator
Daresbury Lab
Warrington, Cheshire, England.