very basic about initial install

[reader at newsguy.com]

"Sandy Harris" <sandyinchina at gmail.com> writes:

>>  Is there really no way to get a root terminal?
>
> Boot up from the live CD. Open a treminal, Using menu choices
> Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal
>
> From there, you should be able to become root, mount your
> hard drive, and do as you will. Once you've fixed a few things
> on the hard drive (/etc/hosts perhaps?), reboot from it.

I guess my OP was unreadable or something but as I said there:

> I thought I might just boot the install disk and chroot to the new
> install but using fdisk on the install disk, it cannot find the
> virtual /dev/hda from the install...  Seem like a bad catch 22
> situation.

I tried what you suggest before posting but mounting, the already
installed disk proved to be impossible since fdisk could not find it.

That is, there was no /dev/[hs]da?? to mount.  fdisk -l (from install
livecd) only shows its own devices.  Or at least I saw nothing in
fdisk -l outpout. 

Isn't there some kind of rescue mode or something that uses a command
line?