Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!smsc.sony.com!tin
From: tin@smsc.sony.com (Tin Le)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.internals
Subject: Re: Getting to root when the password has been lost
Message-ID: <1990Sep9.000609.1562@smsc.sony.com>
Date: 9 Sep 90 00:06:09 GMT
References: <24411@adm.BRL.MIL>
Organization: Sony Microsystems Corp, San Jose, CA
Lines: 29

In article <24411@adm.BRL.MIL> SCEF0003%WSUVM1.BITNET@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu (James N. Petersen) writes:
>Recently, we had a graduate student leave, after having changed the
>password for root on our UNIX V/3.2.2 system (AT&T UNIX/386).  Is there
>any way we can get in and reset the password to a known value?

Since it's on an 386 system, I assume you can boot MSDOS.  I've had it
happened to me where the passwd file got erased (Microport V/286) but
the file systems were fine.

The fix is to boot DOS, run a sector/disk edior like Norton, search
for /etc.  It's should be easier for you to fix things as your passwd
file is still there.  Search for that file, by looking for

	"root:"     without the quotes

Then erase the encoded password by retyping that line, moving all other
information from the right side over.  That's all there is to it.

In my case, I was lucky enough to have an old password file laying
around call /etc/opasswd.

Good luck!

-- Tin Le

-- 
. ---------------------------------------------------------------
. tin@smsc.sony.com | {uunet,mips}!sonyusa!tin
. (408) 944-4157