User account creation on the dv2945se

The first step in getting any Linux computer ready to run is to make sure we're not running from the root account.  root is all-powerful and can do anything you can do on the computer (rather like the Windows "Administrator" account).  Thing is, whereas it's normal to run as an administrator on Windows, it's simply not done on Linux.

To sign on, type

root

...then use the password you created during installation.  If you forget that password, it's possible to reset it (I've done it before, after my very first Slackware install) but it's just easier to avoid the whole mess and use a password that's difficult to crack and that you won't forget.

To add a new user account, type

adduser

...which will ask several questions.  First it asks for the user name, which needs to be all lowercase, all one word.  After that, just hit 'enter' 'til it wants a password.  Then enter the same password twice, like a good little monkey.  (Please make this password different than the one you made for the root account!)

Beautiful.  Now, to sign out of the root account, type

logout

...then sign in to the new account by entering the username you just set and the password you just made.

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