Administrator account with no password is unusable

Question

I tried removing my administrator account's password. Now that there is no password set for it, I cannot put a new one nor do any actions which needs administrator privileges.

I tried different fixes found on askubuntu, including resetting of password using recovery mode. However my problem is that when I'm on the part where the console asks for password, I cannot type anything, thus I can only send a blank respond.

Then it's unchanged. I also experience this kind of problem that I'm unable to enter password on consoles like when I tried on the free Debian server I got (just putting it up an example just in case you can help me to this problem).

Thank you very much! And I'll appreciate immediate help. More power to Ubuntu.

Solution 1

Here's a shorter one if you can still log in:

1. Open Terminal
2. Type "passwd."
3. You will be asked to type your new password right away since you currently have none. Type away!

Done!

I had this problem too just yesterday. I changed the admin password at the login options to none so I wouldn't have to type anything at login. That was terrible placement because the password at the log-in options is "the password." You can't have an administrator without a password but it's a bug that it allows you. Fortunately, I had auto login turned on.

Solution 2

There is no administrator account, per se. There is an admin group, but that has no password; the password is the person who may be a member of that group, along with many other groups. Groups never have passwords

There is an account for root, which is equivalent to an administrator on some systems like windows. But on Ubuntu, this defaults to effectively not being set, and is unknown to you unless you change it. I think it may be set to a GUID, which is a very long number, but it doesn't really matter.

So, I'm guessing what you did was to remove yourself from the admin group; permissions on linux are by user or by group, and SUDO allows use either by user or by group, admin group being one parameter.

This happens a lot, it seems, and can be seen in this topic, or this one.

This problem illustrates one of the reasons that normal users are not allowed to do things like you did. Originally, you would need to be more knowledgeable to do these things that can mess up the system and lock people out.

Comments

[Eliah Kagan]

Since you found the solution to your problem, I recommend posting an answer of your own, detailing it. You can then (48 hours later) accept that as the correct answer. This will help other people who come here with the same or a similar problem.

[Deepak Verma]

@wojox: oops, thanks for fixing my typo; I should have checked it closer before posting

[Vineen Manarang]

Yes. I have disabled the password on the main account, which is the only Administrator. Now, when I do actions which needs authentication from an Administrator account password, the old password doesn't work nor a blank password does.

[Vineen Manarang]

The problem was solved through this tutorial: psychocats.net/ubuntu/resetpassword It wasn't told it can't be visually seen. That's why I was betting I was entering only 1, yet nothing appears, and when it says it should be longer I told myself, maybe because the password is blank it doesn't really accept it. But thanks for the answers!

[Vineen Manarang]

The problem was solved through this tutorial: psychocats.net/ubuntu/resetpassword It wasn't told it can't be visually seen. That's why I was betting I was entering only 1, yet nothing appears, and when it says it should be longer I told myself, maybe because the password is blank it doesn't really accept it. But thanks for the answers!

[TrailRider]

ok then the link to the other question will help you, it is about the same problem.{edit} your second comment came just a second before mine. That link is a good one, I didn't point you there because last I new it would not work if you completely removed your password, it gave you a bad token error. glad you got it fixed{edit}

[Peachy]

Welcome to Ask Ubuntu! Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference.

[0xSheepdog]

@MartyFried sorry to nit-pick, but there is indeed an 'administrator' account, if they are using the word 'administrator' in an abstract sense. root is still a valid account on Ubuntu systems, it is simply disabled as an interactive account that can be logged in normally. The only way to 'achieve' or invoke root access is via privilege escalation, such as sudo or su or other methods. Yes, sorry, minor niggling point. I find myself answering these questions a lot since the 17th though... =)

[Deepak Verma]

@0xSheepdog... I'm confused; you sound like you're disagreeing, but if you actually read my post, you would see that I said the same thing, but perhaps a little more precisely than you (see my 2nd paragraph). Or am I missing something?

[BlueWizard]

you saved my day