I received a donated
laptop computer several months ago and have no contact
information for the gentleman who programmed it. He chose
a gnome desktop for me, because it is easy to use, and
mostly, I have found it so, except for one problem. He
forgot to give me the root and admin passwords for it, and
they are required for a number of important things I need
to do.
I don't know how much information you need, in order to
help me, as I have no expertise in these matters. But
here is a list of the main programming on the computer:
Debian
GNU Grub 1.98-1
Gnome 2.30.0
Iceweasel browser 3.5.9
Build identifier: Mozilla /5.0 (XII; U; Linux i686; en-US;
rv:1.9.1.9) Gecko /20100501 Iceweasel/ 3.5.9 (like
Firefox/ 3.5.9)
Because I don't have the admin and root passwords, I am
unable to configure anything, which means I often cannot
use the Iceweasel browser. A lot of wireless networks are
not configured for it, and I am unable to do this
procedure myself.
I also cannot install anything, including any of the
updates that are available. All installations require an
admin password.
I cannot even correct the time on the computer's clock.
This requires the root password.
A friend advised replacing the entire programming. He
lent me an Ubuntu disc. But I could not get the computer
to read the disc, because I did not have the admin
password. I looked at the listing of files on my computer
and found that Ubuntu is already installed, though I
cannot find a way to use it.
I don't necessarily dislike the programming that I have.
But I need to be able to, at least, configure internet
networks, run updates, and install things. Is there a way
to bypass the demand for the root and admin passwords?
I appreciate any assistance you can give me.
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