root password probs

Asked by Elron Nightshade

im trying to install java, im following the instructions it gives me, to go to the terminal, so i do, then it says to type "su". I did that and as the instructions show it asks for the root password, iv tried my user password with no success, i don't know what my root password is! ply help me, im running Linux Ubuntu 7.10, im a complete Linux noob and only installed it 1 day ago. plz help me!

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Elron Nightshade
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Vojtěch Trefný (vojtech.trefny) said :
#1

1. You can't use "su" in Ubuntu - in Ubuntu is root account disabled - you have to use sudo, more info here - https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RootSudo

2. Root password (for sudo) is same as your password (password of user created during installation.

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Elron Nightshade (alex-deville) said :
#2

i tried this password without sucess

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Vojtěch Trefný (vojtech.trefny) said :
#3

And did you try this with "su" or with "sudo"? With "su" it wont work (asi I wrote in my first question).

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Elron Nightshade (alex-deville) said :
#4

this is the instructions sent to me by java, i type su in the terminal and and it asks for a root password

http://www.java.com/en/download/help/5000010500.xml#selfextracting

look at the instructions for the linux self extraction file (not the RPM one)

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Vojtěch Trefný (vojtech.trefny) said :
#5

These instructions are too universal and for Ubuntu you have to modify them (e.g. instead of su use "sudo -i"). But forget about this HowTo - you can install java very easy - just install packages sun-java6-bin and sun-java6-jre (more info here - https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Java).

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Elron Nightshade (alex-deville) said :
#6

thank you, using sudo -i insted of su was all i need to know , thank for the help and all the trouble that u went to, Elron Nightshade

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leon (l-kellerhals) said :
#7

when i typed in su, he asked me for a new password for the root user, but when i type in my password, it doesn't work!

what shall i do?