I'm an idiot

I got tired of jacking with the screwy privileges on the /ets/sudoers file so I changed them. I did it on both boxes. Then, I figured out that sudo does not work with changed privileges in Ubuntu. You must leave them the way they are. Guess what else I had not done. I hadn't set the root password on either of my boxes so I could not log in as root and fix the problem.

I used the Ubuntu boot CD to get in to my primary box and reset the privileges. Took a couple minutes. No big deal. Then came the web server.

I tried booting off the DVD. The tray does not open up. Piece of junk.

I tried the second CD drive. The machine refuses to boot off that device. Frigging HP and their hidden choices durring boot. I just had to mash a bunch of keys to figure out that f-10 or one of those gets you in to the BIOS. Still didn't work for what ever reason.

Thank goodness I brought the USB drive thing home. I plugged in a DVD drive, but the HP would not boot off the USB either. I pulled the drive out of the server and used the USB to mount the drive from my other computer. Thirty seconds later I had the problem fixed.

The HP box has this release mechanism that swings the floppy and hard drive out so you can get your hands on it. It took longer getting it to slide back in place than to do everything else combined. It is all in the wrist.

The amount of dust in this machine is frightening. I worry for it's safety to be honest. That much dust must be causing trouble.

I've now set the root password on both machines. This will allow me to log in as root and fix this kind of crap without much effort in the future. It is more important to know how to fix things than it is to not screw up. I keep telling myself this, over and over and over.