How to factory reset the computer?

Support
1

Hi, I’m a new user to Manjaro. I just got a new PC today to help on my music for my music course in college, but it seems to immediately have logged me onto the admin account. I’ve been trying to figure out how to make a new account, and any guide I find from any of the sites here seem to say ‘just create a new user account under user settings’ when it doesn’t allow me to.

In addition, when I try and put in the default password for admin, it doesn’t see it as the real password, so despite the fact I got this PC second hand (like most computers we get), I don’t think it’s been properly factory reset, or if it has, then there’s a problem with the admin. How do I factory reset the computer? Me and my sister’s boyfriend have been trying to wrap our heads around it, especially since this is a Linux computer and this is far beyond our depth of familiarity (Windows/Microsoft users).

Edit 1: As well as this, I have tried to use my account as a way to log in, but it won’t authenticate. Not sure if that’s just a problem since we don’t have everything set up exactly yet, or if that’s a problem with the computer. I can’t tell.

2

Welcome to the forum! :vulcan_salute:

There is no such thing as a “factory reset” — not on the x86 platform anyway. If you want to start off with a clean slate, then you’re going to have to wipe everything off of the internal drive. Commonly, this is done by firing up a partitioning tool and erasing the partition table.

After that, you can start installing an operating system of your choice, be it one or several GNU/Linux distributions, Microsoft Windows, or whatever.

Do however bear in mind that Manjaro is not suitable for absolute beginners. Please read the following short essay to understand why. :point_down:

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3

I will keep this in mind, thank you so much. And huh, didn’t know there was no factory reset. Guessing I’ll only ask about the admin part then since that’s where the most problems come from, because that’s been driving me up the wall.

Again, thank you so much : D

4

What do you mean by admin? A user account which can administer the computer or the real root?

If you cannot add a user account on gnome under “Settings → Users”, then most likely your account is not an Administrator, but a normal User.

In the terminal enter:

id

the current user must be part of the wheel group to administer the computer.

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5

A lot of my main problems is that there’s an admin account, I think it is anyway, but when I write in what I’ve read to be the default password (manjaro), it says the authentication failed. Only way I can get back in is when I restart it. I’m not sure if it is or not, but even under user settings, the ‘add user’ button, while there, isn’t able to be clicked on.

Edit: Huh. Makes more sense.

6

There is no default password, except on the ISO. You create a password when you install it.

7

Little problem, and this isn’t me being rude. But the password itself seems to already be put in. And I don’t know what it is. It won’t let me reset it because I don’t know the password from the last user.

8

So you haven’t installed Manjaro? You just bought a computer with Manjaro on it already?

9

Yeah. It just came with Manjaro when I booted it up.

10

Then you need to install an OS. Or you could just reset the password, using a Manjaro ISO and manjaro-chroot -a…I’d install fresh though.

11

me neither and everyone else. no password = no access. a password is not a silly game that you can “reset”. there is a way by chrooting into the system but i’m 100% certain that the needed skills are way higher than the basic knowledge you’re actually have.

12

Yeah, we’re thinking of finding a way to take Manjaro off if it’s even possible, this is definitely way out of my league, and if it isn’t to change, then god knows what I’ll have to do

13

What OS do you want?
Do you have another computer?

Basic step by step:

  1. Pick OS
  2. Download ISO
  3. Burn ISO to USB, look for instructions on how to do that
  4. Boot up and install

If you haven’t got another computer or it’s a bit too much, then find someone who can do it for you.

14

If you want to remove Manjaro and put on Microsoft Windows, then that’s easy. Windows wants to claim the whole drive for itself anyway, so it’ll wipe everything off the drive during its installation.

Resetting the password is possible, but as @Olli said, this may be above your skill level.

  • First of all, you’ll need to find a computer that you can use, and install Ventoy on it.

  • Next, you’ll need to download a Manjaro ISO of your choice — it doesn’t really matter which flavor, because the tools are all the same, and only the desktop environment differs.

  • Next, you insert a blank USB stick into one of the slots on that machine, and you install ventoy to the USB stick. Then you open the folder on the stick with a file manager, and you simply drag & drop the ISO into the folder.

  • Next, safely remove/eject the USB stick and take it over to your Manjaro machine. Plug it in, and boot up from it.

  • Next, open up a terminal window and issue the following commands… :point_down:

sudo su -
manjaro-chroot -a
ls -lh /home

This will tell you with a fair degree of certainty what the login name is of your user account — keep in mind that it should be in all-lowercase.

Next, issue the following command… :point_down:

id <name-of-the-user-account-here>

If it does not list the user as being a member of the wheel group, then this user cannot add new accounts. But you can, because you are now connected via a chroot, and you now have full root privileges.

So, at this point, I would recommend adding the user to the wheel group if it’s not in there already. :point_down:

usermod -Ga wheel <name-of-the-user-account-here> && sync

Next, set a password for this user… :point_down:

passwd <name-of-the-user-account-here>

You will be prompted for the password. Make sure that you type it correctly.

Now you can safely reboot. Remove the USB stick and log in using the password you just set.

The other option — and perhaps the easiest one — is to simply wipe everything and reinstall, thereby telling the installer that you want to use the whole drive.

Good luck! :crossed_fingers:

15

I’m following it as closely as I can. Not sure if it’s me doing something wrong, but when I put in sudo su -, it asks me to put in the password, but I can’t put anything in. If I try and do anything else, then it immediately marks it as the wrong password.
Sorry if I’m being a bit dense or something.

16

yes because you need the correct password for root. if you don’t own it then you’re not accessed as root.

17

That’s just your misinterpretation. The cursor will not move and the password will not show. The password is simply manjaro. Type it and press Enter.

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