Password Authentication Required

[john smith]

Greetings!

Had to shut down my Tor relay [0.2.0.28-rc running on ubuntu 7.10
gutsy] earlier this evening.

When I re-started my relay it seemed to connect without any problems
then it suddenly shut down.

When I attempted to re-start it again I was presented with a 'Password
Authentication Required - Please enter your control password (not the
hash)' prompt.

I've also attempted to install 0.2.1.2-alpha only to be presented with
the same 'Password Authentication Required' prompt.

Could anyone please explain why this has happened & advise what I can
do to solve this problem.

Regards,

John Smith (Tor relay freeflow)