Forgot Username on Ubuntu Dell Mini 9 cannot enter in rescue mode due grub timeout is set to default of zero

boot into the failsafe mode from the grub menu, then check the name of the directory in /home. If you home directory is in a different partition and it's not mounted, i.e., /home is empty, try 'mount -a'.

thanks, but the problem is that with the dell mini the grub menu is set to 0 so i don't even see it flash in the loading. i've tried a few ways but can't seem to get the little computer to go into recovery (or failsafe) mode. and if what you're talking about is different than recovery mode, then would you please explain how to get into failsafe mode?

Do you have another computer with Ubuntu Intrepid installed? If so, you can download the ISO for Intrepid. Normally you would then burn a live CD, but the Dell Mini 9 doesn't have a CD drive, but perhaps you have an external CD drive that you could use. However, if you want to use your thumb drive instead, use the image to create a bootable USB drive with the usb-creator program (I believe it is under System->Preferences->Create USB Startup Disk). Insert either the newly created USB live disk, or the USB CD drive with live CD inserted, and press 0 as the computer boots, this should give you a list of options to boot. The choice should be clear depending on the method you choose. Once you have it booted, you should be able to browse the /home directory on the main drive of the Dell Mini 9 as suggested by <plutino>

If you have access to another computer, you can put a live system on the flash drive ( the easiest one is the GParted live USB: http://gparted.sourceforge.net/livecd.php). Boot to it, and mount the partitions manually to check the user name.

But you can probably get to the grub menu by keeping randomly pressing some keys during grub loading.

Different from this but related to get some kind of grub access due the timeout of grub set to a zero value...

https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/64166

Try to press ESC + ENTER key at boot...

Hope this helps

Have you got any linux Cd? The Ubuntu one you installed with would do but almost any other would work too. Just boot up without installing anything to your machine. My favourite distro (assuming i had lost the Ubuntu Cd) would be Wolvix for this because it's made to run from Cd. Their 1.1.0 versions are smaller and lighter and faster to boot too

http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=wolvix

Once you get to a working desktop (we call this a "LiveCd session") just open a file-browser (either from the "Places" menu or from an icon that looks like a filing cabinet or bunch of folders, depending which distro you used). Use the Up button on the file-browser or something to navigate up to the "/" folder that should have a whole bunch of different folders in. Double-click the /mnt folder and in there double-click on whichever partition you installed Ubuntu to on your hard-drive (i usually get this wrong first time so use the back arrow and try again ;) ) Double click on the "home" folder in there. There you should see a folder for each user on the machine and probably a few other folders too. You should be able to recognise your main normal user from there but might not have permissions to read/write to the folder.

Blimey it sounds complicated but is very easy when you actually try it out. I don't know why i can't explain it more easily. Feel free to ask about any of the ansewr so far and we'll try to guide you through
Good luck and regards from
Tom :)

Did you install Ubuntu this type of way?

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootFromCD

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot

or did you install Ubuntu from inside Windows as though Ubuntu was just another program instead of an Operating System? If the latter then these guides may have something useful?

http://wubi-installer.org/faq.php

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/WubiGuide

Or maybe this guide may help, i'm not sure about this one though

http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/resetpassword

There will be a way to find out even if none of these have helped. It's just trying to work out what's the best way.
Regards and good luck from
Tom :)

no ubuntu came installed from dell. this is what i'd love to know, how to make a bootable usb drive with ubuntu 8.10 and for ubuntu 8.10, from windows. from there i understand that i can access the user names from the terminal.

OK, you have Ubuntu pre-installed on your Dell Mini 9 and you don't have an external USB CD drive. But you have another computer with windows and a spare usb drive. Well, here is one solution:

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/live-ubuntu-810-usb-persistent-install-windows/

I have not tested it, but if it works, then you can boot your Dell Mini 9 with the drive. There are other options, if I find any that seem relatively straightforward, I'll post them.

Thanks Scott Todd, that solved my question.

Brilliant, nicely done. I was still in the asking questions to find out more detail about the problem! Nicely fixed Scott & Tyler :)