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Just got a new netbook running Ubuntu. When I turn it on it auto-logs-in to the desktop automatically, but when I try to connect to the wireless network it wants my Keyring password to store the password. Problem is it isn't in the documentation (yes, I read the documentation.)

I see a lot of people asking about "Enter password to unlock your login keyring" and the cause usually centers around either they forgot the password, or the keyring password is different than the login password. So the advice is either how to change the keyring password to match the login, or deleting the keyring and creating a new one with a password they remember.

While I could delete and recreate the keyring, I still wouldn't know the login password. Without the login password I cannot run sudo either. I tried blank for the keyring password and that didn't work either.

Also, I know that the root password is blank, and the account is disabled. So I am not asking about that.

Question comes down to this: Is there a way to discover the password for the account that was auto-logged in? If not can I change it? I'm up for reinstalling if I have to, but would rather not. Besides, it is a netbook and does not have a optical drive.

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  • Did you buy this netbook with Ubuntu pre-installed?
    – Isaiah
    Oct 30, 2010 at 0:23
  • It was a gift, and yes it was pre-installed out of the box.
    – Jim McKeeth
    Oct 30, 2010 at 0:29

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
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i would suggest booting in safe mode (there you get a root shell even if you don't know the current password)

and there you can reset your password by typing

passwd <yourusername> this will prompt you for a new one.

how to boot save mode: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LostPassword

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    I accepted your answer, but I didn't try it. I believe you that it will work though. When I went to do it, I took note of my username and then thought "I wonder if the password is the username, that is a common insecure practice, and I didn't try that." What do you know, it was the username!
    – Jim McKeeth
    Oct 30, 2010 at 1:15
  • As of note this will not change the password for the gnome keyring, but you can fix that (among other ways) by deleting it.
    – Broam
    Oct 30, 2010 at 5:34

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