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I just got this computer and it has Ubuntu 12.04 LTS on it. I don't know the first thing about this system. I've always wanted to move over to Linux just never had the time. I can only log in as Guest and I don't have a password for the other account. It looks like the system was refreshed back to new status. There is no history and it says there are 700 updates. Is it better to wipe out the hard drive and reinstall fresh, or is there a work around for getting the password. I can't even access some of the system information without the password. I feel like a virgin on prom night. Any help would be great. I really want to stay with Linux. Thanks.

Monte Python
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As for a computer who was set up by another person, you should for the sake of being secure freshly install it yourself.

Just go to https://www.ubuntu.com/download and get an image of your preferred Ubuntu version.
Note: 12.04 will be EOL (which means end of lifetime) in a few months, so you might want to consider at least 14.04 or higher depending on your system.

Then use the Startup Disk Creator to burn it on an USB-drive and start from it to do a fresh installation.
Or if you prefer to use a DVD then have a look at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto

Videonauth
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  • Yeah that's what I was thinking. Thanks for your help and links. When I put a blank dvd in does it format right from the start? It sounded like it was but I got nothing on the screen to tell me what was doing what. – Monte Python Dec 19 '16 at 11:41
  • Added a link about how to burn a DVD to my answer. – Videonauth Dec 19 '16 at 11:47