[Klug-general] My earlier plea re Skype

[George Prowse]

PatRichardson at aol.com wrote:
> I had been directed from the Skype home page to their download options. 
>  From there, I had downloaded a couple of the listed programmes but, as 
> my plea for help indicated, had not been able to make them install.
>  
> In truth, I think the problem will have to be on my system because, 
> related to "System Install Packages". I am asked for "Authentication as 
> "Root"". It needs an administrator's password.
>  
> This first Linux purchase is a little Acer AOA110-AB Q1. When going 
> through the set up welcome process, I may well have been asked to set a 
> password. I've always felt that the threat to my security by not being 
> password protected was less than the threat were a password to be 
> forgotten or the file containing it to be corrupted. As a matter of 
> course therefore, I do not set passwords on this or any computer.
>  
> However, where there is no option such as with eMail accounts etc, I 
> have three or four standard passwords. If the setting of a password had 
> been mandatory when first firing up the Acer, though I'm pretty sure it 
> wasn't it would still have been one of these that I would have used.
>  
> Since I've tried all of these when trying to invoke these Skype 
> programmes with no success, I can only assume that this 'Root 
> Authentication' must be a factory setting.
>  
> If anyone's got any ideas how I might get into the system and free it of 
> this password requirement - or discover what the password is - I'd much 
> appreciate it.
>  
> Even without the password and, therefore, Skype communication, I'm still 
> taking the Acer on my next trip and leaving on Wednesday. I'm taking it, 
>  rather than my Widows equipped laptop even though it currently can 
> only be used for eMail - and Office/Open Office type work - and not, as 
> I'd hoped for audio and video communication.
>  
> That's unless anyone can help me in the next couple of days!!!!!!!
> */
> Patrick Richardson/**//*/
> /
> 
You have no option but to set a password when installing linux, it is 
the first part of the security.

When you boot you may see a list of options of operating systems you 
have installed or a message saying "please hit the esc key for a menu...".
Hit the escape key.
Go to the top entry.
Press E, that will edit that line.
Put "1" (without quotes) and the end of that line.
press esc
press b
when it boots and you get > type passwd root
type in a new password for root
REMEMBER IT!
boot as normal