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When I got Linux put onto my personal laptop, I wasn't asked to create a password. Now, whenever my screen goes black, I've got to power it down and restart it in order to get back to the screen I was originally on. How can I create a password so I don't have to do that any longer?

Glenn Sellers
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  • Do you have root access? – Yaron Jul 22 '19 at 15:21
  • Why do you have to power it down? – mrfr Jul 22 '19 at 15:23
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    If you installed Ubuntu, you almost certainly *were* asked to create a password - although you may have checked the box to not require it for logging in. If you've forgotten it, please see [How do I reset a lost administrative password?](https://askubuntu.com/questions/24006/how-do-i-reset-a-lost-administrative-password) – steeldriver Jul 22 '19 at 16:18
  • I didn't install Ubuntu, my computer repair people did it for me at my request. – Glenn Sellers Jul 22 '19 at 22:55
  • I have to power it down because after I press the power button to bring my computer back online, I don't have anything on my screen except a blank screen with the time and arrows showing. When I power down and back up, I get my icons back. – Glenn Sellers Jul 22 '19 at 22:57

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Open a terminal window and enter the following command:

whoami

This will return your user name.

Assuming you have root privileges, enter the following command on the terminal:

sudo passwd your_user_name

where your_user_name is your real user name returned by the whoami command. Enter a new password (two times for verification).

Use that password whenever the system prompts you.

Note: The above may not work if sudo prompts for your current password which you do not know.

FedKad
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  • `passwd` should NOT be run with `sudo` - `passwd` uses `setuid` to gain file access. `sudo passwd` changes `root`'s password. – waltinator Jul 22 '19 at 17:20
  • Actually this was a shortcut for `sudo -i` and then `passwd your_user_name`. If the first command (`sudo -i`) prompts for current user's password then this method will not work, since the current password is not known. – FedKad Jul 22 '19 at 17:34