after changing root password...

[Fatcharlie]

Hi all, another newbie realises that Windoze is rubbish!

I have managed to change my root password (Hooray!) and I am trying to set myself up as a Super User so I can access the files mydaughter encrypted before I rebuilt my machine and then she couldn't access them because etc. etc. etc.

Without Super User status I am unable to get access because they are still protected in some way.

However, having changed my Root password to something I know, I can now get to the Super user - not!

When I enter the new Root password in the Super user screen I get a message saying I need to check that DSOPserver is running.

I have been to the root console and typed 'sudo dsopserver', but then it tells me 'dsopserver appears to be running, remove home/knoppix/.dsopserver_knoppix__0 and run dsopserver again' (or something like that)

What am I doing wrong?
Cheers,

fatcharlie.

[Fatcharlie]

Help - no-one has posted any replies - can anybody help?

[Harry Kuhman]

so I can access the files mydaughter encrypted before I rebuilt my machine and then she couldn't access them because etc. etc. etc.

Without Super User status I am unable to get access because they are still protected in some way.

However, having changed my Root password to something I know, I can now get to the Super user - not!

When I enter the new Root password in the Super user screen I get a message saying I need to check that DSOPserver is running.

I have been to the root console and typed 'sudo dsopserver', but then it tells me 'dsopserver appears to be running, remove home/knoppix/.dsopserver_knoppix__0 and run dsopserver again' (or something like that)
Just a few thoughts, no real help:

If your daughter encrypted files, it will be important to know what tools she used to do this. And even what operating system and software she used. Knoppix is not an excryption breakingtool. It can and often is used to access unencrypted files from Windows partitions, but accessing encrypted data is an entirely different matter.

Why you would need to deal with a superuser password is not clear. Knoppix booted from the CD should let you examine normal files on the disk, but will not break encryption.

What "etc. etc. etc." means is anyone's guess, but it might be important to someone trying to help.

Are you talking about using Knoppix from as Live CD or DVD as intended, or did you "install" it to the hard disk but decide to not tell anyone? I can't see why you would care about a root password unless you "installed" it?

Do you really mean dsopserver? You used the term a couple of times. KDE uses a dcopserver. which is the Desktop Communication Protocol daemon. Never heard of a dsopserver. Don't remember seeing any problems with either name, and I suspect that problems with such a server would be more likely after an attempt at a hard disk install (but maybe that's just a bias on my part). Not clear what this would have to do with attempting to access encrypted files or root passwords.

[Fatcharlie]

Thanks for getting back to me!

Sorry for the lack of detail - will try to rectify that.

My daughter made her files private in Windows XP. I then had to rebuild the machine and of course her user identification number changed. Hence now no-one can get to her files.

Using Knoppix live from cd I can see her files and open them, but I cannot move or copy them.

When I tried to make myself a super user the Knoppix asked me for a root password. I looked on this forum to get the informatio on how to do that - which I have now done sucessfully. But now it is telling me that DCopserver is maybe not running - sorry for the error before. I have not tried to install Knoppix and am using it live from the cd.

I was under the impression that as a Super User I would be able to move and copy her files into another directory so she can once again get acces to them - seems I may be wrong on that point.

I am a Linux convert now nd will be switching my operating system in the next few weeks - but in the meantime she needs her Biology coursework!

Any ideas on how I can lift the access ban left over from rebuilding the machine?

Thanks again,

Fatcharlie

[OErjan]

a quick and not verry clean way is to mail it to yourself as an atachment:-)

[Harry Kuhman]

My daughter made her files private in Windows XP. I then had to rebuild the machine and of course her user identification number changed. Hence now no-one can get to her files.

Using Knoppix live from cd I can see her files and open them, but I cannot move or copy them.
If you can open the files in Knoppix and there is actually something readable there, then you can certainly move that information elsewhere. If the data is encrypted when you open the file then Knoppix is not going to be of much use to break any encryption.

Assuming that the files are readable and contain the information that you want, the problem is likely two part: By default Knoppix opens partitions (and files) as read only. This is a design choice since Knoppix is often used to introduce new uses to Linux and it is felt that Knoppix used this way on an existing Windows system should do no harm. The good news is that you can override this default. The bad news is that you can only override it sometimes; that's where the second part comes in: Microsoft has apparently gone to a lot of effort to make sure that Linux cannot write to a NTFS partition without corrupting it. So while you can read a file on a NTFS partition safely, you can not write to an NTFS partition. You need to write to a FAT partition or to move the file elsewhere.

Some common techniques for recovering files from trashed Windows systems with Knoppix include: Moving the files to floppies (the default format on a floppy is FAT, which Linux can read and write just fine), move the files to a flash USB device, Move the files to a USB or firewire hard drive with a FAT partition (not a NTFS partition), e-mail the files to yourself, upload the files to a website like yousendit.com and retreive them later from a windows system, transfer the files to another computer on your network (or even on the Internet) with samba / Lin neighborhood or FTP (I like FTP) or any other file transfer technique.

If you do have a FAT partition available that you can see from the Knoppix desktop, then you can right click on it and use the actions ... submenu to make it writeable. Unfortunately XP defaults partitions to NTFS and not FAT and most users stick with that.


I have not tried to install Knoppix and am using it live from the cd.
Not a problem; I don't generally help people who try a hard drive install. (If you do decide that you want a Linux install that is a lot like Knoppix, consider Debian rather than Knoppix.) I'm not sure what server you are trying to run; I generally do transfers by running a FTP server on a Windows system and using the Knoquror window that opens with Knoppix boots as a FTP client. But that is not to say that it is the only way to do transfers. There are almost too many ways, you just have to find one that works for you.



I was under the impression that as a Super User I would be able to move and copy her files into another directory so she can once again get acces to them - seems I may be wrong on that point.
You shouldn't need to be root/super user to do any file transfer. You might need it if you were starting some server on the Knoppix system to help you do a transfer to another system, but if you can run an FTP server on a Windows system then you can use Knoppix as an FTP client without ever becoming root. You may also be able to use the networking built into Knoppix; I've had good luck with it at times and bad luck at other times. Your results may be better but FTP always works for me.


I am a Linux convert now nd will be switching my operating system in the next few weeks - but in the meantime she needs her Biology coursework!

Any ideas on how I can lift the access ban left over from rebuilding the machine?
I'm not clear on what the access ban is refering to, but hopefully the above will give you some ideas on recovering the files.

[Fatcharlie]

Thanks for the advice - I am trying to get the email programme working (or an internet connection) but I normally use BTopenworld braodband - there doesn't seem to be any reference to Broadband i9n the Knoppix User help files - how do I connect to my ISP?

many thanks,

Fatcharlie

[Harry Kuhman]

Thanks for the advice - I am trying to get the email programme working (or an internet connection) but I normally use BTopenworld braodband - there doesn't seem to be any reference to Broadband i9n the Knoppix User help files - how do I connect to my ISP?
We have a forum where people discuss connecting to broadband all of the time.

You didn't even bother to take the time to tell us if your provider is DSL or cable, so I'm not going to bother to try to track down that information. DSL is sometimes slightly more complex than cable but not by much. My advice is always use a home DSL/cable router (for may reasons, mostly safely and security, not just ease of use) - if you do then using Knoppix on your high speed connection is really as simple as the folowing steps:1) Boot Knoppix

2) You are already connected to the Internet. Click on a link in Knoquror if you need to prove this to yourself.

[Fatcharlie]

Hey Harry - sorry! It's not that I didn't bother - just didn't know I needed to tell you. I think I am DSL - in other words I have a special Broadband modem which goes down my normal telephone line - I'm pretty sure I'm not cable. I'll look at the Broadband Forum. Thanks again.

[Harry Kuhman]

I have a special Broadband modem which goes down my normal telephone line -

That's DSL. We still don't know the make and model of the modem so I can't tell you if it includes a router or not, some do now but many still do not. Since you are having problems getting on the Internet I suspect that your modem does not (however if it has multiple ethernet ports on it then it very likely does). I strongly suggest that if your modem does not have a built-in router that you buy one. These are very inexpensive now, and will protect you from many attacks that a computer without a router is very vulnerable too. I also suggest that after adding a router you get and run software to find and remove the many viruses, spywares, trajan horses and other evil software that has very likely infected your Windows system. With a router you should be able to boot the Knoppix disc and be on the Internet with all of the proper settings as soon as the boot finishes. Without a router you can try running the PPPoE software and setting things up manually but I do not advise this; it is not safe.

[Fatcharlie]

Sorry Harry I am a bit useless!

It's a Thompson Speedtouch and I can now see there are numerous postings about it in various other Forums.

As I see it, one can either install Knoppix to the HD and then run the various scripts to 'enable' the modem, or one can re-master the Knoppix cd (my preferred option) and then Internet will be available when one boots Knoppix from the cd.

I will look at how to do the second option - I am assuming that one must somehow include the extra scripts into the iso image of the cd - but I haven't read it all up yet so I'll have a good look first.

Thanks again

[Harry Kuhman]

As I see it, one can either install Knoppix to the HD and then run the various scripts to 'enable' the modem, or one can re-master the Knoppix cd (my preferred option) and then Internet will be available when one boots Knoppix from the cd.

I will look at how to do the second option -
I still don't know exactly what model of modem that you have or why you might think that you need to remaster. If it's USB only then you might have problems (I would strongly suggest insisting that the ISP supply a safe and workable modem instaed). If it's ethernet then you don't need to do either of the things that you listed. I have a Speedtouch Home and I use it with Knoppix all the time - but I have that very important router (my Speedtouch Home does not have a router built in).

As for installing Knoppix to hard disk; that is the surest way I know to have networking problems. I don't believe in it. There are distros intended for install to hard disk, such as Debian, the distro that Knoppix is based on.

And I've been assuming that you know for a fact that you are not on the Internet already (which seems likely, but I would hate to go several more days and then have you post "oh, I was connected to the Internet fine all along"). When you click on a link in Konquror it does fail, right?