Comments on: How to Reset a Forgotten Root Password in Linux Mint

By: Ravi Saive

Ravi Saive — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 06:19:57 +0000

@Gevaldo,

welcome, and thank you for sharing your story.

Your decision is both inspiring and admirable. Migrating to Linux, especially on older hardware shows curiosity, courage, and a genuine desire to keep learning. Linux Mint XFCE is an excellent choice for a 2006 PC: stable, efficient, and respectful of the user’s control.

With time, patience, and the kind of dedication you clearly have, you’ll find that Linux rewards those who are willing to learn and explore. The Diolinux community is also a great source of guidance and encouragement.

Learning new tools, experimenting with systems, and staying mentally active is one of the best ways to remain sharp and independent.

You are very welcome here. May your journey with Linux be productive, empowering, and enjoyable.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a New Year full of successful commands and discoveries.

By: Gevaldo Cardoso Ribeiro

Gevaldo Cardoso Ribeiro — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 01:06:13 +0000

My name is Gevaldo Cardoso Ribeiro. I am 67 years old, born in Bahia, Brazilian, living in Crateús, Ceará. I am retired and have decided to forget Microsoft and migrate permanently to Linux Mint 22.2, starting with the XFCE version on an old 2006 PC. I have tried to do this for a long time, but the “fear of leaving my comfort zone” was strong. Now, with more time and with guidance from the Diolinux channel by Dionatan Simioni, I felt encouraged. For this reason, I will dedicate myself to learning how to properly use Linux distributions and their applications, also trying to keep aging at bay, which already walks beside me. I won’t give it room to take over, so I decided to ask Linux to marry me. Together, we will be more productive and less vulnerable. Thank you very much for the warm and respectful welcome—an environment that unfortunately cannot be found in the “little windows of wide doors,” which sometimes lead us to the abyss. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A NEW YEAR full of successful new commands.

By: Errol Van stralen

Errol Van stralen — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 15:24:45 +0000

No joy here. I had this desktop computer packed away for a few months, long enough to forget the whole password. I followed the original steps to Ctrl-x, but the new password doesn't work. I followed the steps, and using "sudo passed root", Ctrl-x, doesn't work. I added a line of "passwd {username}", Ctrl-x, no good. I like Mint (20.1 I believe) but I know almost nothing about the Linux command line.

By: Ravi Saive

Ravi Saive — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 04:52:01 +0000

In reply to Bob Unitt.

@Bob,

We have tested it under Linux Mint 19.2, but I think the instructions provided in this article should work on Linux Mint 20.3 with the Cinnamon edition.

By: Bob Unitt

Bob Unitt — Sun, 08 Jan 2023 15:39:26 +0000

My PC doesn’t recognize my root password when I try to run anything requiring it (e.g. the Update Manager). I have my PC set up to log on automatically without a password on power-up, and that works OK. ‘Sudo Su‘ in a script also rejects my password.

Since the last time I used root mode, I’ve had an Nvidia card fail, and replaced it with a different Nvidia card, prior to which I did a kernel update and a Timeshift. Looking at various forums any of these could be responsible.

Should the fix described above work OK on Linux Mint 20.3 with Cinnamon 5.2.7 and Kernel 5.4.0-135-generic?