Linux -- "Debian ; Version 8" Distribution -- does not recognise my Login Password

[Our Man in the Tropics]

Linux -- "Debian ; Version 8" Distribution -- does not recognise my Login Password despite I using this password successfully with it for many months already.

 

Computer is a Lenovo Ideapad 100

 

Please accept that I am a complete novice Re ; computer operating systems ;

I am still on the beginning of the necessary learning curve ;

Still, I aim to do so get quite competent ;

And, with no small help from participating in this sub-forum.

Perhaps regular Meet-up Groups for Linux from this sub-forum will sprout up around Thailand.

 

Returning to the matter at hand ;

I relied on a Thai retailer to chance their general knowledge & skills with installing Windows as part of their repair service to do me a favor [ but at nominal price for me ] in installing Linux from Debian website [ I think 8-) ] ;

I gather that even now that they would not be competent or even confident to deal with this problem.

Indeed, all the Thai service prospects that I approached prior to them for to install Linux Debian revealed that they were ignorant of how to proceed with any Linux installation, & thus declined my requests.

 

VIP ;

I was in process of preparing major amount of my data for transfer to external storage devices ;

Here is hoping that all the data & bookmarks are easily recoverable.

 

Thanking you all in advance for your helpful replies.

 

Regards,

 

Our Man in the Tropics

[doctormann]

I can't really help you with why Debian doesn't recognise your password.

 

However, it should be easy enough to recover your files, provided that your data is stored on a separate 'HOME' partition and has not been encrypted.  Just boot your machine from  a 'live' Linux disc or USB stick - any flavour should do, doesn't need to be a Debian disc.

 

You should be able to access all partitions from the 'live' session and thus read and copy your files.

 

You could, of course, install another Linux distribution - or re-install Debian - and provided that your 'HOME' partition is not formatted in the process, you could access your files from there.

 

If you encrypted your 'HOME' partition, on installation, you may be stuffed as you would need to use the 'unrecognised' password to decrypt the files.

 

I am assuming here that a Debian live disc works in the same way as in Linux Mint, which is what I use.

 

[RKASA]

Check function keys and ensure numbers lock is not on.  Keyboard maybe is reading the letters as numbers.

[Our Man in the Tropics]

Thank u Doctormann, & RKASA, for ur constructive replies.

 

My apologies for delay in returning to yee ;

 

 

Reasons for that delay ;

 

1_

delay in pursuing Doctormann's suggestions until I found good contenders for to help me pursue them

 

2_

relative mental slowness in my efforts of trying to understand the possibilities of :

2_1_

Cause

2_2_

Solution

 

NOTE #1

Polymath friend is adamant that problem can only be user forgetting the Password.

Not in my case is it that I forgot Password.

However, he concedes that, upon my interjected reminder of it being so in my situation unfortunately, a hacker can change the user's Password, & thus render User snookered.

Yes, I have had at least 1 hacker -- through the internet -- at my computer & email & social media into the very recent past.

 

NOTE #2 ;

I have entered the Password through the virtual keyboard also whereupon I was able to view the actual text as correct ;

Thus, RKASA's worthy point is not a factor in this situation.

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>..

 

LATEST NEWS

 

Staff at Thai retailer chain where I got Linux_Debian_8 installed originally tried yesterday to download Mirror-Copy -- through Bit-Torrent -- onto USB inserted into a Windows only computer

But, to no avail would it run on my machine ;

And, this with view of doing exactly what Doctormann recommends.

Staff  there explained that their Mirror Copy failed to download properly from internet, & thus failed when required to run my machine.

 

I have a new Seagate Sata-type Solid State Drive ready for receiving copy of all my Data [ although, 120 GB may be not sufficient ] ;

I have yet to personally acquire a SATA-to-USB Adapter so as to enable this SS-D to connect physically with my computer "simultaneously" with the Hard-Drive [ inside the computer ].

Yesterday, Staff kindly used their workshop Adapter.

[Gumballl]

If you have a Linux distro (debian?) you may be able to boot into the system without the need for a password. You will need to boot your system with init-level 1.

 

Read here for instructions: https://www.debuntu.org/how-to-change-boot-runlevel-with-grub2/

 

Once you are in, then you can change your user's password by running the following command (without the hash-tag):

 

# passwd userid

 

When you done, just run the 'reboot' command to restart the system.

[HAKAPALITA]

You Linux Guys are brighter than us Windows Dumies, can i ask you if Linux can use the Net without going throug Google, i hate its Google Leads N Cookies sending me invasive adds every bloody Day..If so ill try Linux.Tried Red Hat but a bit dim As a newbie.[emoji85]


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[doctormann]

1 hour ago, HAKAPALITA said:

You Linux Guys are brighter than us Windows Dumies, can i ask you if Linux can use the Net without going throug Google, i hate its Google Leads N Cookies sending me invasive adds every bloody Day..If so ill try Linux.Tried Red Hat but a bit dim As a newbie.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

Well, you are going to need some sort of a browser to do anything with the internet but it doesn't have to be Google.  Use whichever browser suits you best.  Firefox comes with Linux Mint but you don't have to use it permanently - just use it to download the browser of your choice.  All the popular ones will be supported.

 

If you find ads invasive - and don't we all! - you could just use an ad blocker, such as Adblock plus to block them.  Some sites object to this but there are ways round the problem.  An internet search will reveal the solutions.

 

By the way, Red  Hat is not really a distribution that I would recommend to a Linux newbie.  The easiest distribution for someone changing from Windows is probably Linux Mint.  Ubuntu is also very popular.

 

 

 

[HAKAPALITA]

Thanks, most helpful,Googles bloody crafty at getting round Adblock, if you block their Cookies they block the Site from working.EG. Delete any Google from the unsafe, or safe sites and it even renders Thai Visa inopretive as well sa Paid TV online. It does flood my PC with Thai Porn n Gambling stuf and im too old for either.!,[emoji85]Thanks again Ill take my spare PC for Mint later today, shuld get to figure it this year.


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[Our Man in the Tropics]

Just a quick update pending an elaborate one later ;

 

Technician at venue A suggested substituting the troubling Hard-Drive into another machine [ regardless if it Windows operating system only ] ;

Entailing removal of hosting machine's own hard-drive.

 

Technician at venue B thought this interesting ;

But, declared that to do so in machine of his responsibility on the premises would cause malware from troubling Hard-Drive to load onto the hosting machine.

 

Friend thought that the suggestion would not overcome the snookered situation ;

Login Password step refusing to accept my password.

 

I managed to get a computer repair shop to successfully get me a mirror copy of Linux, "Ubuntu" distribution onto a blank DVD.

 

Technician at venue B :

 

1_

substituted my newly acquired Solid State Drive into troubling Laptop.

 

2_

turned on this machine.

 

3_

inserted Ubuntu DVD

 

4_

turned off this machine

 

5_

turned on this machine

 

6_

ran Ubuntu DVD ; 

Did NOT install it.

 

7_

connected the troubling Hard-Drive

 

8_

Bingo !

I able to access the folders & files of the troubling Hard-Drive.

 

9_

However, I have yet to back them up ;

Because I mislaid the AC-to-DC Power Adapter at venue A.

I intend to go to venue A today for to retrieve the power adapter.

 

After, the next step "10_",- I will return to yee with new update.

 

I now wanting to scan all my files with Anti-Malware software.

 

Here is hoping that yee will recommend such an Anti-Malware software for Hard-Drive with mix of files :

.odt

pdf

MS Word

etc.

 

Perhaps, ... :

 

1st 

install Windows as extra Operating System on troubling Laptop so as to avail of Windows Anti-Malware Scanning + Cleansing Software ?

 

2nd

store the files then in Linux ?

 

Read the 1st 2 posts by :

 

Gumball

 

Doctormann

 

INTERESTING ... INTERESTING ... INTERESTING

 

I slept only 2 hours ;

So, just about to nod off for nap.

Thanks for baring with me.

 

 

Regards,

 

Our Man in the Tropics

[jerome1976]

Question Linux target (not only Debian): Why a password is not recognized ?

Answers:

1/ forget password (not your case you said)

2/ charset encoding (or locales environment variables) and/or keyboard has been changed and key pressed doesn't provide anymore the same required character

3/ password has been changed and you don't know it

4/ encryption problems due to disk/system administration errors (rare)

 

How to fix that the easy way ?

1/ create a bootable and usable USB key with Gparted system tools system (download it) on it (Etcher software for noobs help a lot...)

2/ boot on Gparted with your data support (HDD or SSD) connected

3/ recognize the data partition and write carefuly the UUID

4/ if you have more than only one partition (who should be a good administration idea), then delete your root or other unusable partitions where your system is located, hold only your /home dir file sustem container (i expect it to be ext4 fs format)... if it is ciphered... no way...

5/ backup your partition where your personnal data are

6/ re-install a noob distro (ubuntu most of the time is the more accessible for noobs)

7/ at install time, don't erase your data partition, just mount it has.

 

and voila...

total time work should be between 20 minutes and 4 hours maximum (depend on your knowledge and understanding most of the time).

 

Next step for safety should be to learn Unix own distribution administration requirement.