9 Apr
2005
9 Apr
'05
6:14 a.m.
One method that has been reported to work once out of five times or so
is to let hpux boot all the way to the login prompt, power-cycle the
computer and drives, and when it reboots and starts fsck-ing the
disks (there should be a /etc/bcheckrc: " message on the console)
repeatedly type ctrl-C, ctrl-\ or shift-(DEL/ESC) (DEL/ESC is a key on the
left side of HP-HIL keyboards). I don't remember the exact key combination
that was used, but it did work once for me about ten years ago with hpux 9.0
and a model 380; it interrupts and gives you a single user prompt.
Just finish fsck-ing stuff, mount -a and edit the /etc/passwd file.
If you can't ctrl-c and get to a prompt, try disconnecting the drive
cable during fsck. It should time-out leaving you in single user mode.
When you get a prompt, reconnect the cable and mount the drive.
It's also possible to mount the drive in another working system and edit
the /etc/passwd file.
See yas,
SteveRob