Help!! Can't Log In

I am completely 100% new to Linux. I bought a Dell Optiplex FX 160 preloaded with Suse Linux Enterprise (GNU GRUB v 0.97). When I booted up the device – I set passwords (it didn’t ask to set user names). I must have clicked auto login for the Guest name – because now when it boots it takes me to the guest log-in, which is a blank screen. when i Ctrl+Alt+Del to Log out – i don’t know the user name to put in to log back in!

I’ve tried booting in single user mode but it keeps asking me to “give root password” and when i try to type, my keyboard doesn’t respond, except when i press “enter” and it’s telling me its the incorrect password.

I don’t have the option of reloading a CD - because the cpu doesn’t have a CD drive!

PLEASE HELP!! I REALLY need to get this computer up and running, properly. I just want to log in as the system administrator and start over.

Please help!

Hello leecj02,

Welcome to these Forums. I understand that you try asking for help here because of your situation (not being able to do anything usefull with your system). Now it is posible that usefull hints will be posted here, but as you say you have Suse Linux Enterprise (I suppose Desktop) preinstalled you may be better off with the SLED forum: SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED) - NOVELL FORUMS

Thank you!

leecj02 wrote:
> I am completely 100% new to Linux. I bought a Dell Optiplex FX 160
> preloaded with Suse Linux Enterprise (GNU GRUB v 0.97). When I booted up
> the device – I set passwords (it didn’t ask to set user names). I must
> have clicked auto login for the Guest name – because now when it boots
> it takes me to the guest log-in, which is a blank screen. when i
> Ctrl+Alt+Del to Log out – i don’t know the user name to put in to log
> back in!
>
> I’ve tried booting in single user mode but it keeps asking me to “give
> root password” and when i try to type, my keyboard doesn’t respond,
> except when i press “enter” and it’s telling me its the incorrect
> password.
>
> I don’t have the option of reloading a CD - because the cpu doesn’t
> have a CD drive!
>
> PLEASE HELP!! I REALLY need to get this computer up and running,
> properly. I just want to log in as the system administrator and start
> over.

congratulations on purchasing a computer preloaded with Suse Linux
Enterprise Desktop (SLED)…i wish i had one, really…

SLED is a commercial version of openSUSE…it is supported by the
folks over at http://forums.novell.com/

NOT trying to get rid of you, but like me most folks here don’t have a
lot of experience with SLED…while you might get good advice you
certainly should expect it over on the Novell site…

i guess they see this question a time or two a day…you might even
begin by using their forum search page to see if the answer is
there, already…hundreds of times…

by the way: do NOT log into Gnome/KDE or any other Unix like desktop
environment (windows) as the system administrator, superuser, or
root!! doing so 1) opens you up to several different security
problems, 2) too many too easy ways to damage your system no matter
how careful your actions (example: just browsing in your home
directory while logged into KDE/Gnome/etc as root can lock you out
later as yourself due to permissions damage), 3) and, anyway logging
into KDE/etc as root is never required to do any and all
administrative duties…

so, always log in as yourself, and “become root” by using a root
powered application (like YaST, File Manager Superuser Mode) or using
“su -”, sudo, kdesu, or gnomesu in a terminal to launch whatever tool
is needed (like Kwrite to edit a config file)…read more on all that
here:

http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Login_as_root
http://docs.kde.org/stable/en/kdebase-runtime/userguide/root.html
http://tinyurl.com/6ry6yd
http://tinyurl.com/ydbwssh

ask over there if they have a different idea on that? there is plenty
to learn about how to use the system the correct way…(correct here
does not work on Wii, Playstation, Mac or any Redmond product, and
vice versa…using what you know from other systems on your SLED is a
real good way to load it down with lead and park it…dead stop…)


palladium

Here is th thing about passwords in a terminal. They DO NOT echo to the screen. just type the password and hit enter. Don’t let the fact that you see no output on the screen stop you. Also in Linux case matters.

it must of asked you for a password have yo tried it with caps ON and OFF

Please people, there have been lots of complaints about posts not being where they belong. The OP clearly states hesh is running SLED, which has it’s own fora. HCVV points that out clearly. If we do start replying to these posts, how can we expect users to post in the appropriate forums? They will get their answers anyway.
This just for consideration. Have a nice Easter