Author Topic: How do I change passwords for live USB made from live CD iso?  (Read 1423 times)

Offline outdoorart

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 30
Using the Nov 2009 PCLinuxOS magazine instructions, I've made a live USB stick.

How do I change the root and guest passwords from "root" and "guest"?  I can't seem to figure out how to do this.

Thanks for any help,

Art

Offline Was_Just19

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6852
  • MLU
Re: How do I change passwords for live USB made from live CD iso?
« Reply #1 on: April 10, 2010, 05:34:04 PM »
Using the Nov 2009 PCLinuxOS magazine instructions, I've made a live USB stick.

How do I change the root and guest passwords from "root" and "guest"?  I can't seem to figure out how to do this.

Thanks for any help,

Art

You would need to have 'persistence' working and then it should be possible but I have never tried it.
Other than that it would be a matter of remastering after changing the passwords, and using the files from the remaster on the USB stick.

There may be other means but I don't know of them.

regards.

Offline outdoorart

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 30
Re: How do I change passwords for live USB made from live CD iso?
« Reply #2 on: April 10, 2010, 05:52:30 PM »
Thanks for the response.

I haven't been able to get persistence to work, and my changes to the guest password aren't retained.  I don't know how I would change the root password even on a standard install.

This is all new to me.  If I were to configure my system and then make a custom ISO to use on the USB, would that still autodetect hardware (so I could move from machine to machine) or is the LiveCD iso needed for that?

Presumably I can't just install PCLinuxOS on the USB stick like I would on a hard drive.

Art

Offline Rudge

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9686
  • I'm Just A Dog.
Re: How do I change passwords for live USB made from live CD iso?
« Reply #3 on: April 11, 2010, 12:09:12 AM »
outdoorart you need to install the OS, change the passwords and then create a new ISO.

Change the ROOT password by logging in as root and then entering "passwd" it will then walk you through changing it. Do the same for "Guest" , then do the remaster onto your medium of choice. That should retain the passwords.
 
I think... I am not a "guru" .


-If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe-  Carl Sagan

Offline Was_Just19

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6852
  • MLU
Re: How do I change passwords for live USB made from live CD iso?
« Reply #4 on: April 11, 2010, 02:41:55 AM »
Thanks for the response.

I haven't been able to get persistence to work, and my changes to the guest password aren't retained.  I don't know how I would change the root password even on a standard install.

You did not say what version/release of PCLOS you are using, but persistence was not functioning in the kernel used for the 2010 Beta.
Hopefully it will be working for the final release.

Quote
This is all new to me.  If I were to configure my system and then make a custom ISO to use on the USB, would that still autodetect hardware (so I could move from machine to machine) or is the LiveCD iso needed for that?

Presumably I can't just install PCLinuxOS on the USB stick like I would on a hard drive.

Art

If you configure an installed system, and use the remaster tool, that produces a livecd ISO which is a duplicate of your installed system.
That ISO is then bootable in a variety of hardware in the same manner as the original ISO released by PCLOS, with the added changes you have made to the installed system incorporated.
In that way you can determine what accounts are included and what passwords they require, and what additional software is installed and have it maybe updated before the remaster is made and so on.

It is also (I believe, never tried it) possible to create a new master from a running & updated live environment. If that is the case it would be a matter of making changes and then remastering the liveUSB environment, then using the remaster with the changes made as the liveUSB.

Flash sticks are not suitable media for an install of the OS because an install will shorten their life considerably.
Nonetheless you can indeed install the OS to a flash drive ..... just select that drive as the location for the install and the installer should do it. It would need to be a larger sized flash stick though as it would soon begin to fill when the OS is uncompressed from the live CD and some software and updates are added etc etc.

For changing passwords and other stuff to do with user accounts I suggest you look at Configure your Computer (PCC) - System - Manage users on System.  You should be able to do what you need from there.


regards.