Passwords dont work after install

[thecompguru]

Ive been trying to get gentoo on my laptop for a few months now. Eventually got it on with the 2007 cd and i couldnt logon cuz it wouldnt take the pw i set. Couldnt get the password changed chrooting in either from a livecd for some reason (awhile ago). Figured it typoed or something somehow, and it was such a pain to get onto that computer in the first place i decided to wait for 2008 cd so i wasnt having to install the hard ways. So now i got it installed off the 2008livedvd and it installed without any problems, but again, it refuses my password. Im not linux expert, but im not retarted either. I know i typed the password right this time. Its not a upper/lower/caps thing or anything like that. Whats the deal?

[deno]

I think that could be problem with keyboard layouts. you probably set password with say english keyboard and then you are trying to login with other one. Try first with simple password like 'thecompguru' or something.

btw. as this is a support question I wouldn't say it belongs here.

[nixnut]

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[thecompguru]

I still havent gotten this thing working. Ive seen just about every explanation of how to reset the password via booting from a livecd and i still cannot get it to reset. The problem all seems to be.. i cant get it to 'mount' any my partitions.
sudo mount /dev/sda4/ mnt/gentoo
even if i have the wrong patition, which i dont, it doesnt work on any combination.
all i get is mount poiner /mnt/gentoo does no exist. Mainly was useing this site for my refrence recently. But i have never been able to mnt a drive this way. Nor do i really no exactly whats going on when i do this stuff. Any help would be great. Thanks

[deno]

First, don't type /dev/sda4/ but /dev/sda4. Second, did you create dir /mnt/gentoo? So you want to chroot to your installed system and change password... Actually the procedure shold be the same as when installing.

You can also try booting into single user mod and typing 'mount -o remount,rw /' (without '), and then passwd.

[thecompguru]

I did what this said: http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Reset_a_Lost_Root_Password
I have no idea if i created the directory /mnt/gentoo Im booting from a livecd, ubuntu beta1 to be exact. If im supposed to create this /mnt/gentoo folder where would i create it. Which partition. I dont know enough about linux file system to follow i guess. I assume the livecd creates a virtual harddrive or partition that it pulls from on memory? or is it all from the cd. Also im not sure the logistics of mounting and accessing other os's to change their password. Everything linux is very cloke and dagger. No real explanation of whats going on. Peoples explanations of thems make think that they dont actually know the details behind what they are doing either. I perfer to know exactly whats going on. Trying to make this linux transition and i know im doing it the hard way with gentoo but it feels more open and striped down initially so i can take one piece at a time. An in depth explanation of why mounted and partitions show up in a directory and which ones mean which when compared to the unmounted and such. Got to be a good linux overview doc somewhere. But right now i just want to sign in. Ive seen mention of the single user deal as well.. but those explanations are even more cryptic.

[thecompguru]

Yay the sudo mkdir /mnt/gentoo was what i needed, thanks so much.