[ubuntu-uk] Corrupted User Accounts?

[Gordon Burgess-Parker]

On 20/12/10 15:08, Simon Greenwood wrote:
>
> The issue with Windows is that there is a database at the core of the 
> authentication mechanism, and this database can get damaged. Unix and 
> Linux are essentially based on flat files which can be edited with the 
> correct permissions. It is possible to damage /etc/passwd and/or 
> /etc/shadow in such a way as to cause authentication failure, and also 
> to corrupt your user space in such a way as to damage user 
> configuration files, but it's also a lot easier to recover them.
>
> s/
>

Ah. That makes things a bit clearer. Are there any "Howtos" as to how a 
(relative) newbie can recover from these sorts of damage?
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