Q. How do I boot a Linux system into single user mode?
A. Single user mode is useful to fix some system problem. Following are steps you need to use to boot Grub boot loader into single user mode.
Procedure: Boot Linux Grub Boot Loader into single user mode
(1) At grub boot screen (after restart)
(2) Select the kernel
(3) Press the e key to edit the entry
(4) Select second line (the line starting with the word kernel)
(5) Press the e key to edit kernel entry so that you can append single user mode
(6) Append the letter S (or word Single) to the end of the (kernel) line
(7) Press ENTER key
(8) Now press the b key to boot the Linux kernel into single user mode
(9) When prompted give root password and you be allowed to login into single user mode.
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- Last Updated: 12/24/08
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
am using red hat 9.
user should not be allowed to change root password in single user mode,as it’s in SUSE.
i have already tried grub password.
i want some other method.
pls help me out.
i have tried the possible causes regarding the problem that i have encountered…..the username and passowrd has expired has been prompt when i logged in into my redhat ubuntu. can you please help me out.
Hi folks,
Thank you so so much for all these informations, I really needed them badly.
Tahnks again
ENJOY
Hi,
I have a red hat entreprise 5. A technician change the motherboard of computer. When I restart, the computer does not find the etho eth1 and I decide to pass by single user mode. But when i make step 5, i don’t have the good line and I can’t modify the line. How must i make ? does this problem come from other hardware probleme?
Hi friends
Thank you for you help.
This is my problem:
I can follow this instructions up to step 5
After that I am stuck. for example:
The inf guide on this screen is different from my screen
my GNU grub version is 0.97 (640k lower/1037859k upper memory
When it comes to edit the kernel and add the letter ‘S’, I dont have that option, so I dont know what else to do. Plese tell me what is the next step. I have not use that computer in months , because of this problem. Thank you
With GRUB, using the keywork “Single” does not work, it has to be lowercase : “single”.
Using only “S” also works.
Using “1″ also works