Password help

[venop]

Hi there,

This is my first time using linux, I decided to use Gentoo. I'm running it on a Livecd.

I'm having problems with my password, Im currently logging in on the username gentoo that does it automatically but I want to set up my own account. When I try to go to 'users and groups' I don't have the password to enter.

A lot of the folders are locked so I can't edit anything ex. my root password.

I've tried a few things but can't get anywhere.

I'd be highly greatful if someone could help me, step by step.

Regards

[pavlo_7]

Hi venop,
First of all, Live CD is not a real distribution in a sense that all your changes (accounts, passwords, whatever you do will be gone once you reboot your computer. This version of Linux is loaded from a CD, and you cannot save your changes to that same CD. Live CD distributions will let you see what Linux is but they will not give you much benefit of learning because they are like evaluation versions of the real thing (although Live CDs are also useful for other things like password or data recovery). Therefore, if you are new to Linux, may I suggest that you start with some simpler distribution like SuSE, Fedora or Ubuntu by installing it to your hard drive. The best way to learn Linux is to learn it it on a real installed distribution.
However, for the time being, if you want to use Live CD to practice some commands that require root privileges, you can still do so. You can even set a root password on a Live CD version like Gentoo (which is not really necessary). The process depends on which version you are using. For example, at the moment I have two different versions of Gentoo Live CD. First CD boots into command line interface with default user “root" without asking for root password. Although not necessary, I can still set root password by typing:

passwd root

and then entering new password. The second CD I have boots into GUI (Graphic User Interface). In this environment, the previous method does not work the same way. In this environment to to get root privileges I first need to click on "Gentoo Linux Installer" icon on my Desktop, then open terminal, and type:

su

and hit "Enter".
Only then I can run commands as root.
Now that I have root privileges I can also set new root password by typing previously mentioned command:

passwd root

Remember, if you use Livce CD, all your changes will disappear after you reboot your computer.

Hope this helps.