I recently got my computer fixed and ended up getting a new one. it is a mac book laptop. I changed the password before it got sent and i completely forgot it. They backed my new laptop up with my old hard drive so now i got my old stuff on the new one. I want to download this application so i can fix this .zip file but i need the admin password. I've tried using the install discs but they tell me to enter the admin. I've tried putting the install disc in and pushing c on start up but it just freezes on the white screen with the apple. Is there something wrong with my computer? should i contact the insurance company who i dealt with? Thanks. If anyone can help with this problem i would be so very grateful. :]
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Admin password invalid - forgot, cannot change.
- Thread starter Jake Zurcher
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Reboot while holding down the command and S keys. You will see some text, and you will eventually be given a prompt. Once you get there, type the following, hitting enter after each line:
Replace "username" with whatever your username is. You will be asked to type a new password twice. You will not get any feedback typing it in, btw. Just type it, hit enter, and type it again. When you are done, type
and hit enter one more time.
Note that there is no way to get back whatever was in your login keychain.
Code:
fsck -fy
mount -uw /
passwd usernameReplace "username" with whatever your username is. You will be asked to type a new password twice. You will not get any feedback typing it in, btw. Just type it, hit enter, and type it again. When you are done, type
Code:
rebootand hit enter one more time.
Note that there is no way to get back whatever was in your login keychain.
So you are saying anyone that knows this can hack into my Mac? 
Seems like a massive security flaw, kind of defeats the purpose of having a password.
Seems like a massive security flaw, kind of defeats the purpose of having a password.
So you are saying anyone that knows this can hack into my Mac?
Seems like a massive security flaw, kind of defeats the purpose of having a password.
Yeah, another massive security flaw is that if someone has your Mac they could also go at it with a crowbar, take out the HD and put it in an enclosure.
So you are saying anyone that knows this can hack into my Mac?
Seems like a massive security flaw, kind of defeats the purpose of having a password.
Well its even easier if someone has the OSX disk - just reboot off that and reset the password from there, so I see no difference between the two, other then not needing the install disk