How about logging in as root as an F2 option

**audioaficionado** · 03-08-2003, 10:57 AM

sudo is fine when you're in a terminal and so is the root terminal.

However tryintg to drag and drop files into my other Linuix partiton, I keep getting a permissions error. I also got one trying to clicking on an Opera.deb package to start the dpkg install. It kept asking for the non existant root password. Trying to key in the exact path is not easy for us n00bs.

It would be nice if you could start out as root and set your own password durring the F2 boot cheat codes option.

**mabhatter** · 03-10-2003, 06:28 AM

I may be wrong...
but according to the samba FAQ all I had to do was ctrl-alt-F2 to get to root shell and then passwd to create a password. It worked for most setting-related things after it was set. Except for installing programs...

I think there might be a problem with some settings/programs because they only exist on the compressed drive--you don't have the write access [you can't get it either] without moving everything to something writeable! I ran into that with a a .deb I tried to install. It couldn't write to the folders it expected--because they were burned on a CD--not read/write-able!

**audioaficionado** · 03-10-2003, 01:14 PM

I want full root so I can write, edit, drag and drop files on the HD of my other Linux installation in case I screwed up a config file so badly it won't boot. Doing it all from the console as su is a RPITA.

Why crawl there when you could just drive the car.

**Robert Michel** · 03-10-2003, 02:14 PM

Salve audioaficionado,

>I want full root ... Linux installation in case I screwed up

Sorry, but I have the feeling you have to worked to long with M$.
"full root" - nobody needs at the same time all rights to do everthing. What drag & drop may be faster - it makes sences to
think first, and act than.

AFAIK does Debian standard installation not allow to use X-Server
as root.
I'm quite new with GNU/Linx but I have understand that I have to
learn and love the shell. Giving support to solve problems and
find support is texed-based much easier

IMHO would be such a CheatCode contraproductive - and dangerous,
people would worked everytime as "full root" because they are to
lasy to learn GNU/Linux.

It is a good idea to speakout ideas, but as I tried to explain is this
one in my eyes not an idea to make Knoppix better. Greetings
rob

**audioaficionado** · 03-10-2003, 07:03 PM

You aren't getting my point. I want a way to be full root in Knoppix while in the rescue mode, not running in root all the time.

Of course we have to learn Linux but we need powerful tools once in a while to extract ourselves from very deep holes that we can fall into. I want a tool that will let me into any file of another fubar linux installation on my computer to get it back in working order rather than blow it away and reinstall.

I suppose in the wrong hands that could be dagerous as they could blow past security on other people's machines by simply rebooting the computer with a Knoppix CD and then becoming root.

**Robert Michel** · 03-10-2003, 08:11 PM

Salve audioaficionado!

>You aren't getting my point. I want a way to be full root in Knoppix
>while in the rescue mode, not running in root all the time.

I got your point, and that you like to have this feature can I
understand, also I would not like to use it personal. But the
question is, would it make Knoppix in average better, or would this
feature miss-educate a lot of newbies and also produce trouble,
becouse people did things they haven't understund, and lost
data or productivity and say in the end - Knoppix = GNU/LINUX = trouble?

>Of course we have to learn Linux but we need powerful tools once in a
>while to extract ourselves from very deep holes that we can fall >into.

You will not like my answer, but I would say, a person down't know
to use the GNU/Linux tools can make his problems only bigger.
Especaly for rescue tasks most commands haven't a "redo" or
second chance.
Before a Newbie will use KNOPPIX as rescue-tool, maybe also for
M$-world-problems, he should know what he is doing.

>I want a tool that will let me into any file of another fubar linux
>installation on my computer to get it back in working order rather
>than blow it away and reinstall.

There is no tool like this - it is the admin who will get it back in
working order. But what could go wrong?

- Biggest problem, the bootloader is disconfigured
But if you don't know how to use "lilo -C /tmp/mylilo.conf"
you have no chance

- Other idea the xserver is not running anymore
Knoppix is no special help, but you can look what Knoppix is using

- Data lost, you have made a backup & restore strategie before

- wrong, missing packages and conflicts- try to use the orignal
system.

General it is extreame to manipulate one system with another.
If you don't know what to change, you have no chance.

OK, lets make an example, "/" is full, because of this, KDE will
not start anymore. A graficaly system could be helpfull to delete
unnesseccary files or make free space by tar unused files.
IMHO if someone start to administrate his system this way, he
will never learn the power of GNU/Linux.

This brings us in disscussion, what is neccessary know to run
GNU/LINUX and administrate it himself?

BUT I see big differance of a Desktop System and a live-Linux
for demo, educadional and testing reasons.

Maybe some other in this forum join our disput and say ehat
they think about if such a grafical-root-modus as CheatCode option
at boot time.
Our position should be clear enough.

Friendly greetings
rob

PS: "disput" = fight for better solutions, not to harm persons

**RockMumbles** · 03-10-2003, 08:58 PM

You can set a root password by using:

sudo passwd root

and entering a password for the root user.

or

If you want to use kde as root, you "should" be able to press <CTRL><ALT<F2> and then use the following command:

startx -- :1

Note: startx<SPACE>--<SPACE>:1
startx space dash dash space colon one

This will start up a second X session on a new virtual terminal, leaving your existing X session running (with knoppix from CD I would expect it to use vt6 (so <CTRL><ALT><F6> is your root virtual terminal and your normal vt is <CTRL><ALT><F5> -- on a hard drive install you will use F7 for the first vt and F8 for the second).

or another possibility...

if you want to use knoppix as a root rescue system, you could use knoppix 2 to starup in console mode and then at a root prompt use: startx and then you will have a root GUI environment.

HTH

rock

**audioaficionado** · 03-10-2003, 11:41 PM

Thanx RockMumbles,

This is the info I need.

Robert Michel, you are a linux purist and there's always a need for that. I'm learning Linux any way I can. I read the Linux for Dummies book and several online sources. However Linux on your HD is a whole differant animal than auto-detecting Koppix live CD Linux. I have installed Libernet/Debian Linux on my HD and it had all kinds of issues after it installed. I found out where grub was and how to edit the configuration files so now it dual boots to the windows boot loader. /etc/fstab was only letting me access the root partition and I didn't know how to fix it. I just booted into Knoppix and copied its fstab file over commented out and moved the rest of the partitions over and read the 'man mount' file to good effect. I did most of this while in Knoppix. I then created the mount point directories. It's all good so far.

I now know about GRUB config and fstab config thanx to Knoppix and a lot of help from my on line friends.

**audioaficionado** · 03-28-2003, 08:01 AM

Originally Posted by RockMumbles

You can set a root password by using:

sudo passwd root

and entering a password for the root user.

or

If you want to use kde as root, you "should" be able to press <CTRL><ALT<F2> and then use the following command:

startx -- :1

Note: startx<SPACE>--<SPACE>:1
startx space dash dash space colon one

This will start up a second X session on a new virtual terminal, leaving your existing X session running (with knoppix from CD I would expect it to use vt6 (so <CTRL><ALT><F6> is your root virtual terminal and your normal vt is <CTRL><ALT><F5> -- on a hard drive install you will use F7 for the first vt and F8 for the second).

or another possibility...

if you want to use knoppix as a root rescue system, you could use knoppix 2 to starup in console mode and then at a root prompt use: startx and then you will have a root GUI environment.

HTH

rock

I tried that

Code:

<ctrl><alt><F2>

<startx -- :1> and it worked great

I had trouble getting back to the Knoppix user screen though

Code:

<ctrl><alt><F5>

. When I finally got the screen back by repeating the command several times using F5 F6 F7 F8 intil it switched. Then I kept getting errors. How long do you have to wait for the switch to occur? How do you shut down the root term without killing the Knoppix/KDE session?

**RockMumbles** · 03-28-2003, 03:26 PM

You should be able to logout of the root session which will take you back to the console you used to start it and then you should be able to use <CTRL><ALT><F5> to get back. It seems to work best if you hold down CTRL and ALT and then press the function key, also you may want to try to move back to a console and then to your knoppix X session.

I have been doing this on my (11-08) knoppix that I'm running on a computer in one of our chem labs at school.

If you are running knoppix live and want it to stay running for a while I always boot into runlevel 2 then if you logout or crash kde etc. the system is still running, and you can start up kde again, etc., ie. you won't halt the system.

rock