Help

[ebonysurfer]

I am new period I can't even get the new section to work :( I have loaded ubuntu at least five times trying to use root and still can't even after reading directions and yes i have the password right.

[basketcase]

so at the prompt you type su ? It asks for a password, and then what?

[Dr. Nick]

Not sure I understand the entire question but can say that using "su" in ubuntu by default doesnt work. If you want root use sudo command then user password from the 1st user made in installation

[basketcase]

Not sure I understand the entire question but can say that using "su" in ubuntu by default doesnt work. If you want root use sudo command then user password from the 1st user made in installation


Forgot that in my advertures of the weekend with a trip around Linux (5.04/Vector/Suse 10.0/5.10)

Sudo.....

[Kvark]

"su" doesn't work but "sudo su" works perfectly fine. Just add sudo or gksudo (gksudo is the gui version of sudo) in front of the command whenever you need root access.

[ebonysurfer]

Thanks now let see if i have this right in the orignal(first) log in screen for user name i type sudo su and then it will prompt for the password which i then type in correct](*,)

[Ampersand]

No, you log in with your usual username, then use sudo when running commands from a terminal.

[basketcase]

Thanks now let see if i have this right in the orignal(first) log in screen for user name i type sudo su and then it will prompt for the password which i then type in correct](*,)


No, you would have created a user account during install. You use that username and password.

[Kvark]

You open a terminal and put "sudo" in front of any command you need root access for.

For example if you want to edit the sources.list file with gedit you'll have to add sudo in front of the command like this: "sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list".

If you have a lot of stuff to do that requires root access then you can type "sudo su". After that you will have root access for everything you do in that terminal and don't need to put "sudo" in front of every command.


Sudo is safer then to log in as root because now you have root access only for the commands you need it for. If you would go through the hassle of logging out from your normal user account and re-login as root then you would have root access for everything, which is why you can't log in as root.