Why's ubuntu suddenly demanding a password?

[swee'pea99]

I've been running ubuntu off a memory stick (HD problems - don't ask) and it's been fine. Then for no apparent reason, it suddenly started up not with the normal desktop, but with one that looks completely different, pride of place occupied by a request for a password. I've never set a password, needless to say. And the previous half dozen times I've used it, it's never asked for one. Why now? And is there anything I can do to get round it?

 

[yello]

It might be asking for the root password... but why it's asking it, I don't know. I believe the root account on Ubuntu is locked anyway (so you can't login as root), so my guess is there's no getting around it.

But there is default user account of "Ubuntu" with blank password on some installs. I presume simply hitting enter is not being accepted?

Can you reboot? On booting, do you get an option to boot into 'safe mode'? Can you post a screenshot?

 

[swee'pea99]

Thanks for getting back to me. I've tried hitting enter - get a 'sorry wrong password' message. I can't boot into *anything* - it just goes straight to this different desktop, asking for a password, and I can't get past it. (After a bit of googling, I've tried, among other things, 'ubunto', 'password', default' and 'oem', but no deal.) Can't get a screenshot - can't get a damn thing.

 

[yello]

Are you sure that it's the memory stick that it's booting to? Is it an Ubuntu Desktop you're seeing? (as opposed to whatever OS is on the hard drive)

Can you press F2 prior to boot (i.e. bios settings) to get the boot options?

Can you 'CTRL + ALT + F2' when it asks for a password? If we can at least get a command line log in then we can maybe sort it out via the back door!

 

[swee'pea99]

Hi

Thanks again for getting back and sorry for the delay in responding. Definitely booting from the stick (it won't boot from the HD - hence the stick ('Non system disk or disk error'). I've actually given up and reinstalled the Ubuntu on the stick, and so far it's playing nice. But TBH I don't expect it to last. I'll be back next time it breaks down! (I tried Lubuntu, by the way - this is an old and pretty lo-spec HP laptop - but I couldn't get Flash to work with it, which is a deal-breaker, 'cos my daughter wants this thing to watch iplayer.)

 

[yello]

I've actually given up and reinstalled the Ubuntu on the stick

That's what I'd have done! Takes minutes to do. It doesn't answer the question as to why it started asking for a password, nor stop it happening in again, but it is the quickest way to be back and running again.