hli@acsu.buffalo.edu (Huiping Li) writes:

quoted text
>Newsgroups: com.os.linux
>Subject: HELP ME TO ENTER MY LINUX
>Summary: 
>Followup-To: 
>Distribution: usa
>Organization: UB
>Keywords: 

quoted text
>I just installed linux in my 486DX-33. When I tried to establish a new user
>account, I made a mistake. I changed /etc/passwd. I replaced "root::" in the
>first row of /etc/passwd by "hli:pass:", I also replaced the user id by a
>number. Once I exited my system, I could not login anymore. Can anyone tell
>me how to repair my mistake ? Thank you.  

Here are a couple of solutions.  Both require mounting your system via
your a1 disk (SLS 1.02) or a1 & a2 disks (SLS 1.00).
First start up your system with the a1 (a1 & a2) disk (s).

Option --
1: If you used one of the account building tools.   Then mount your Linux
   partition/disk with mount -t <file_system_type> <device> /root
   cd to your etc directory (/root/etc), and copy the backed up version
   of your shadow and passwd files (shadow~ & passwd~) to the active
   shadow and passwd files.
2: If you were manually editting the passwd and shadow files, then you
   need to get a new copy of said files.  So first mount your Linux
   partition/disk (see option 1) and move your etc directory to etc.old.
   Now umount your Linux and do a doinstall of Linux.  This time answer
   yes to the question "do you want to be prompted...".  Say 'n' to
   everything up to the etc package.  Answer yes to the etc package.
   After the etc package is installed <CTRL>c the doinstall script.  Your
   Linux should me mount on /root at this point.  (A left over from
   doinstall.)  Copy the new passwd and shadow files in the /root/etc
   directory to the /root/etc.old directory.  A suggestion here, move
   the /root/etc to /root/etc.new, then move /root/etc.old to /root/etc.
   Pull the a1 or a2 disk out of the Floppy drive and reboot your system.
   Log in as root with just a return for the password.  And you're off
   and racing.

Good Luck & Best Wishes...

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