SU password not working

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Level 1

10 points

SU password not working

When I type su and enter my admin password in the terminal, it rejects the password as invalid. Is my admin password not the same as the superuser password. If its not the same, then how do I retrieve my su password. I never set it anywhere. The only password I set was my admin password. Any idea anyone?

Thanks in advance...

Mac OS X (10.4.6), Macbook 1.83 Ghz, iPod G5

Posted on Jun 21, 2006 4:40 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Gary Kerbaugh

Level 6

18,040 points

Jun 21, 2006 8:42 PM in response to Huckster

Hi Huckster,
One doesn't login as the root user on Mac OS X. By not giving root a password, in one fell swoop Apple has stopped the script kiddies in their little tracks. The "preferred" method for accessing root privileges is via the sudo command. Preface a simple command with sudo and you will be prompted for the password of the current user. If that user is an admin user, the command will run as root.

If you want a root shell just execute the command:

sudo -s

After authenticating that command you will be running in a root subshell just as if you'd typed su with no arguments.
--
Gary
~~~~
There are worse things in life than death. Have you
ever spent an evening with an insurance salesman?
-- Woody Allen

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Answer 2

Ang Moh

Level 2

470 points

Jun 23, 2006 12:50 PM in response to Gary Kerbaugh

from the terminal

"sudo su" should switch you to you root user
"passwd root" will reset your root password, so you can su in future.

Someone correct me if i'm wrong.

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Answer 3

Jun 23, 2006 1:14 PM in response to Ang Moh

Correct on both.

Personally, I feel enabling the root acocunt is unnecessary and a bad idea, but that's just me.

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