Can't log in on boot up

Question

I set this computer up with Ubuntu for my neighbor about two years ago. Today she tried her normal boot up and log in and her password isn't accepted. I've double checked and she's using what I set her up to use, the caps lock key is okay, and I can't see any other reason for the problem. I'm not sure exactly what version of Ubuntu she has and I'm not an expert user myself. Is there a way to bypass the password screen on boot up that would let me get to Ubuntu and perhaps set her up as another user? She basically checks email and that's about it. Thanks for any assistance.

Answer 1

This may take more troubleshooting

Try the following to reset the password:

Reboot the computer, press quickly esc or shift to get a boot menu. Select the recovery mode (something like

Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.17-10-generic (recovery mode)

in the menu.

Open up a terminal, type

passwd username

Then follow the steps to reset password I hope this works