Forgotten sudo password

[DarkDragon]

At first i forgot the password i set first, so i went into boot, enabled debug console, returned to desktop mode, pressed ctrl alt f9 brought up console, did passwd, changed new password and it worked, for time. After while the system went again with 'Wrong Password' thing and when i want to open debug console to reset it again, it doesn't work anymore, only black screen goes on, except that deck works fine

Second question: Will my steam deck damage if constantly docket and used as a PC substitute? Because my PC broke two days ago, and i need to work until i can repair my pc

[Broseph Joseph]

No. why would it damage from being on the dock? long term you probably want to limit battery to 80%

[✧ 𝒩𝓸𝓿𝒶 ✧]

For the sudo password issue:
If your password keeps resetting or showing “Wrong Password,” the safest way to fix it is through Steam Deck recovery mode:

1. Turn off your Deck.


2. Hold Volume Down + Power until the boot manager shows.


3. Choose the EFI/Recovery option.


4. Open a Konsole, mount your main partition, then run:

passwd deck

(replace deck with your username if it’s different).


5. Set a new password.


If that doesn’t work, you can re-image your Steam Deck with Valve’s recovery image (from their official website). That will reinstall SteamOS and reset everything properly.


For using your Steam Deck docked as a PC:

It’s completely safe. The Deck is designed to be docked and used like a desktop. Just make sure the vents aren’t blocked so it stays cool. You can run it docked as much as you want without damaging the device.

[DarkDragon]

Originally posted by Goran:

For the sudo password issue:
If your password keeps resetting or showing “Wrong Password,” the safest way to fix it is through Steam Deck recovery mode:

1. Turn off your Deck.


2. Hold Volume Down + Power until the boot manager shows.


3. Choose the EFI/Recovery option.


4. Open a Konsole, mount your main partition, then run:

passwd deck

(replace deck with your username if it’s different).


5. Set a new password.


If that doesn’t work, you can re-image your Steam Deck with Valve’s recovery image (from their official website). That will reinstall SteamOS and reset everything properly.


For using your Steam Deck docked as a PC:

It’s completely safe. The Deck is designed to be docked and used like a desktop. Just make sure the vents aren’t blocked so it stays cool. You can run it docked as much as you want without damaging the device.

Thanks....just what are the commands for mounting the main partition? Kinda new in linux based OS....

[✧ 𝒩𝓸𝓿𝒶 ✧]

Check which partition is your main system

Run:

lsblk

This lists all drives/partitions.

Your internal drive will usually show up as nvme0n1.

The root filesystem (where your “deck” user lives) is often something like nvme0n1p8.



---

2. Make a mount point

Create a folder to mount the partition into:

sudo mkdir /mnt/main


---

3. Mount the root partition

Replace nvme0n1p8 with the correct one from step 1:

sudo mount /dev/nvme0n1p8 /mnt/main


4. Chroot into it (so you’re “inside” your main system)

sudo arch-chroot /mnt/main


5. Reset the password

Now run:

passwd deck

(If your username isn’t deck, swap it for the right one.)
Enter your new password twice.


6. Exit and reboot

exit
sudo reboot

Originally posted by TaurusAteros:

Originally posted by Goran:

For the sudo password issue:
If your password keeps resetting or showing “Wrong Password,” the safest way to fix it is through Steam Deck recovery mode:

1. Turn off your Deck.


2. Hold Volume Down + Power until the boot manager shows.


3. Choose the EFI/Recovery option.


4. Open a Konsole, mount your main partition, then run:

passwd deck

(replace deck with your username if it’s different).


5. Set a new password.


If that doesn’t work, you can re-image your Steam Deck with Valve’s recovery image (from their official website). That will reinstall SteamOS and reset everything properly.


For using your Steam Deck docked as a PC:

It’s completely safe. The Deck is designed to be docked and used like a desktop. Just make sure the vents aren’t blocked so it stays cool. You can run it docked as much as you want without damaging the device.

Thanks....just what are the commands for mounting the main partition? Kinda new in linux based OS....

[Crecellia]

could you please mention if this worked?

[DarkDragon]

Originally posted by Crecellia:

could you please mention if this worked?

yes it did work