Reset forgotten/lost main user password in Linux Mint

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Score: 11
votes: 15
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You can reset your password following the next steps:

Reboot your computer / Turn your computer on.
Hold down the Shift key at the start of the boot process to enable the GNU GRUB boot menu (if it does not show)
Press ESC at the GNU GRUB prompt.
Press e for edit.
Use the Arrow keys to highlight the line that begins with kernel and press the e key.
Go to the very end of the line and add rw init=/bin/bash
Press Enter and then press b to boot your system.
Your system will boot up to a passwordless root shell.
Type in passwd yourusername
Set your new password.
Restart your system.

Tags: reset user password
Created: 1 year ago.
Last edited: 1 year ago.
Reviewed: 8 months ago by oscar799.
Read 3122 times.

Comments
4 weeks ago	Alexio	@bugmenot & @compuman2004 - You are welcome!
4 weeks ago	bugmenot	In Linux Mint 12, the line to edit begins with "linux" and not "kernel" Follow steps 1 through 4 above. In step 5, navigate to the end of this line: linux /boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-12-generic root=UUID=[letters and numbers]\[letters and numbers] ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7 replace ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7 with rw init=/bin/bash so it looks like this: linux /boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-12-generic root=UUID=[letters and numbers]\[letters and numbers] rw init=/bin/bash Press Ctrl-x or F10 to boot with these options Follow steps 8 through 11 in Alexio's tutorial as normal Thanks to Alexio. Saved my box from a reinstall.
1 month ago	mcfaiaz55	It does not work.
5 months ago	Tazmanian-Hat	Thanks for this. but I can't get past step 3. It won't respond to anything at the GNU GRUB screen.
6 months ago	cutabovehost	There is no line that begins with kernel as described in step 5
8 months ago	compuman2004	Thank-you for this tutorial. With it I was able to fix a computer for someone that had forgotten their password.

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