Re: tlug: How to install Linux (Part 1) ...

["Manuel M. T. Chakravarty" <chak@example.com>]

Ulrike Schmidt <798a5047@example.com> wrote,

> Thanks for the quick help!
> 
> The installation is finished, well, almost ... (cough, cough) there is a
> little
> problem ... it does not let me logg in with the password I think I gave
> to root
> ... Since it is a password I use quite often in variations I don't
> really think
> I made a mistake, and I had to repeat it, but ...

Do you have a Japanese keyboard?  Depending on your
configuration, the symbols on the keys and the characters
that the computer receives may be different, which can get
you into trouble if you use symbol characters in your
password (ie, you type the right keys, but the computer gets
the wrong characters -- and you don't notice because the
password is not displayed).  This is easy to verify.  Try
all symbol characters that occur in your password at the
`login:' prompt, where you usually enter your username and
verify that the correct characters appear.

> What should I do? Install everything again? At least I now know what to
> do.

It is not necessary to re-install.  Use a boot disk (often
called rescue disk), which is probably supplied on your
RedHat CDROM and boot from disk, mount your harddisk, and
change the password (you may have to edit /etc/passwd by
hand).  If you don't have a boot/rescue disk and you don't
have a computer to create one from your CDROM, you may have
to ask somebody around you to produce the disk.

(This should also show you, how easy it is to get into your
system without knowing the password if either your BIOS is
not protected by a password or you enabled booting from
floppy.)

> >  > I want to install Red Hat 5.0 with a CD on a Japanese Aptiva.
> >
> > I'd suggest 5.1. 5.0 was ... hmm, perhaps "factory second" would be a
> > good way to put it.
> 
> Someone else suggested TurboLinux, especially the new release. I will
> practice
> installing and check what these different "sects" in the Linux-world
> have to
> offer before I choose my faith ... RedHat was available because of
> convictions
> in my nearer environment.

TurboLinux has the advantage of being available in a
Japanese version.  So, you get Canna, kterm, kinput et
al. without any additional hazzle.

Cheers,

Manuel
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