Root account in Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron

Understanding on account in ubuntu will help us when we want to modify our ubuntu system or when we want to install an application or computer drivers which have special privileges.

First time when we installing an ubuntu 8.04 Operating System to our computer or laptop, we will be asked to enter an account username and password. The username and password that has been created then will be used to enter to the ubuntu system, change or update some system files, to add/remove program, etc. But we must understand that the account we have created when installing ubuntu actually not have a full privileges (based on my experience). So some action or syntact (in terminal window) we can't do when using that account. For full privileges we must login as root.

This is my example case. Please refer to my other post : "Wifi activation on Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron". In the step number 6, the syntact ndiswrapper -m and ndiswrapper -ma must typed using root login. It's mean we can't execute those syntact using the account which we have created when installing ubuntu.

How we login as root ???

May be the way to login as root that I publish is not the only one, if there is another simple way please notify ....

OK let start to login as root in our ubuntu operating system.

1. Reboot your computer/laptop

2. Go to booting menu in ubuntu system

To go to booting menu, type Esc key when booting in progress. As comparison in windows operating system usually we use F8 key to go to the booting menu.

Booting menu in standart ubuntu 8.04 system consist of these lists:
*. Ubuntu 8.04, kernel 2.6.24-16-generic
*. Ubuntu 8.04, kernel 2.6.24-16-generic (recovery mode)
*. Ubuntu 8.04, memtest86+
*. Other Operating System:
*. (The other operating system will be listed here when we use more than 1 operating system)

Please select to Ubuntu 8.04, kernel 2.6.24-16-generic (recovery mode) and then press enter. Then we will go to recovery menu.

3. Recovery menu

The recovery menu consist of these list:
*. resume
*. root
*. xfix

Select to root and then we will go to a command line as root (at the bottom of window).

We have done login as root. Now we can type all syntact that need root login. Refer to my example case, the syntact ndiswrapper -m and ndiswrapper -ma now will successfully executed.

To leave the command line, just type exit and then choose resume ...... now we will go to the ubuntu system like usual.