Debian and other debian-based distros like Ubuntu have, by default, has the root account disabled as a security measure.(thanks to Subbu and PICCORO for the clarification) To re-enable the root account, just open the command prompt, and type sudo passwd root You’ll get the following set of messages: sathya@sathya-laptop:~$ sudo passwd root<br /> Enter new UNIX password:<br /> Retype new UNIX password:<br /> passwd: password updated successfully<br /> sathya@sathya-laptop:~$

Insert your USB pen drive. Let it get detected and mounted. Open Terminal. Type The Following commands dmesg |tail -> here the ‘|' key is the pipe, ie, the key before the backspace key(the upper one, so press shift) You’ll get something like sathya@shaman:~$ dmesg |tail [ 9921.681164] sda: Write Protect is off [ 9921.681174] sda: Mode Sense: 23 00 00 00 [ 9921.681178] sda: assuming drive cache: write through

Although Linux had progressed far from being a command-line only OS to a full fledged totally GUI based one, sometimes, the command line is the best way to get something done. Here are 5 of the must-know commands. These commands can b quite useful and handy. 1: mount: Used for mounting Windows/Other partitions, just in case it isn’t automatically mounted. Usage: mount here refers to the special device where your partitions are.