Cannot boot from Snow Leopard install disc

[HarryHarding]

I use a mac mini that i bought way back in 2006. It's currently running on Snow Leopard, which is fine.

The problem I have is two fold: The initial problem that I'm trying to solve is that I've lost my password for the admin account. It is the only admin account on the computer, and I cannot update anything without it. I've been trying to re-install snow leopard with the hope of resetting my password that way. But when I run a standard install from the inserted disc it prompts me for the password (that I don't have) to make changes...

So I've been investigating booting from the disc, remote installing, and dvd or cd sharing. None of them work; the booting from install disc doesn't work at all. The optical drive on the mac mini hasn't been working for a few years so I use an external dvd drive connected via USB. This works fine in all other situations. I've held down all possible keys: option, command, control, shift, C, but nothing seems to change the way it boots up, either from restart or shutdown.

It's the same with remote install; at the stage where it says 'Restart the computer that you want to install to, holding the alt key' I do just that but the computer restarts as normal. As far as I know I've done all that was required reading from all the support documents and so on. I've tried resetting the smc and the nvram but that didn't work or change anything; again, holding the necessary keys down during reboot didn't work.

Can anyone help? I'm really stumped! The keyboard works fine otherwise, it just seems to not work when trying the boot option stuff.

Harry

[famous600]

Originally Posted by HarryHarding

I use a mac mini that i bought way back in 2006. It's currently running on Snow Leopard, which is fine.

The problem I have is two fold: The initial problem that I'm trying to solve is that I've lost my password for the admin account. It is the only admin account on the computer, and I cannot update anything without it. I've been trying to re-install snow leopard with the hope of resetting my password that way. But when I run a standard install from the inserted disc it prompts me for the password (that I don't have) to make changes...

So I've been investigating booting from the disc, remote installing, and dvd or cd sharing. None of them work; the booting from install disc doesn't work at all. The optical drive on the mac mini hasn't been working for a few years so I use an external dvd drive connected via USB. This works fine in all other situations. I've held down all possible keys: option, command, control, shift, C, but nothing seems to change the way it boots up, either from restart or shutdown.

It's the same with remote install; at the stage where it says 'Restart the computer that you want to install to, holding the alt key' I do just that but the computer restarts as normal. As far as I know I've done all that was required reading from all the support documents and so on. I've tried resetting the smc and the nvram but that didn't work or change anything; again, holding the necessary keys down during reboot didn't work.

Can anyone help? I'm really stumped! The keyboard works fine otherwise, it just seems to not work when trying the boot option stuff.

Harry

Google is your friend. I reset my password in snow leopard a long time ago without the disc. I forget exactly how because it was so long ago but keep digging in google as there is a way to do it. You just have to look.

[1934hotrod]

I believe that if you come up from the install disk, select the language. Then under utilities there is a drop down the will allow you to reset the pswd.

[Nermal]

Do you have a firmware password enabled? It can prevent booting from a different volume.

Edit: And is it a wired keyboard?

[HarryHarding]

Originally Posted by 1934hotrod

I believe that if you come up from the install disk, select the language. Then under utilities there is a drop down the will allow you to reset the pswd.

This worked for the password reset, I'm still looking into the Booting Keyboard problem.

I still want to solve the possible Firmware Password problem, how do I find the firmware password settings? The keyboard is wired.

Thanks for all the help!