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forgot my administrator password

SilentLoner

SilentLoner

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 29, 2007
1,065
6
How can I reset it, I need it update my iwork software on my imac?
 
Re-start your Mac with the Disc that came with it the OSX Install, to do that just restart it and hold the "C" key during the start up with the dics inside your optical drive, so it starts with the disc instead of your HDD.
Then use the Disk Utilities from the disc and choose Password Reset.
________
og kush
 
Last edited:
McGiord said:
Re-start your Mac with the Disc that came with it the OSX Install, to do that just restart it and hold the "C" key during the start up with the dics inside your optical drive, so it starts with the disc instead of your HDD.
Then use the Disk Utilities from the disc and choose Password Reset.
Click to expand...

this is all well and good but it asks you for the password. I want to do a clean reinstall of the os on the laptop.
suppose I shut the computer down then restart it with the disk there.

any suggestions please help .. I want to have a fresh install in the laptop
 
McGiord said:
Re-start your Mac with the Disc that came with it the OSX Install, to do that just restart it and hold the "C" key during the start up with the dics inside your optical drive, so it starts with the disc instead of your HDD.
Then use the Disk Utilities from the disc and choose Password Reset.
Click to expand...

This is the fastest way to perform a clean reinstall since this process will require a password.

Good luck :apple:
 
McGiord said:
yes, using the disc you can do a clean install, be aware that all the users, data and iTunes activations for media bought at this mac will be lost if you haven't backedup your stuff.
Click to expand...


no sweat.. the laptop is not heavily saved to so its to do this. I just want a fresh install and to reset the password
I am setting this up for my mom. btw I havent shown her how to use ITUNES yet. I will get her an external hard drive for that
 
thecartoonguy said:
This is the fastest way to perform a clean reinstall since this process will require a password.

Good luck :apple:
Click to expand...

Little off topic. I plan on getting a mac pro. my first desktop from mac. call me crazy . when I buy technology I always over buy what I really need
 
Do I use Disk 1 or 2?
It seems as if disk one is simply to reinstall the OS...
what am i doing wrong?
 
I inserted Disk 1 and I don't see the "Disk Utilities" that McGiord mentioned...
what am i doing wrong?
 
Thanks Sun Baked, but I still don't see any of the "reset password" or "Utilities," or anything else aside from or within the OS Installer window.

I'll Try this again tomorrow, and I will edit this post with the results.

Thanks
 
penter said:
Thanks Sun Baked, but I still don't see any of the "reset password" or "Utilities," or anything else aside from or within the OS Installer window.

I'll Try this again tomorrow, and I will edit this post with the results.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that the document that Sun Baked provided the link to notes in the appropriate sections that:

"Choose Reset Password from the Installer menu (or Utilities menu in Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger). Tip: If you don't see this menu or menu choice, you're probably not started from the CD yet."

Starting up with the installer disk while holding down "C" should let you see it in the menu bar at the first installer screen. Good luck.
 
iMac 27" Password Problem

McGiord said:
Re-start your Mac with the Disc that came with it the OSX Install, to do that just restart it and hold the "C" key during the start up with the dics inside your optical drive, so it starts with the disc instead of your HDD.
Then use the Disk Utilities from the disc and choose Password Reset.
Click to expand...

I am a mac user since 2003. As of right now I got 15 macbook pro and iMac 27''. On my iMac 27 i did not have password set up, but my brother for being such a foolish, he sets a password and is telling me he forgot. I can't even log in. I put the Mac OS X installer cd in and being holding C, but nothing works for me. The white screen with grey apple and the loading bar will stay on until I turn it off. Yesterday before going to work I did the startup from CD process, and when I got back from work after 8 hours, the loading screen was still on. I been doing this on my macbook pro for many years, the language screen comes up very fast, like 1 min after u hit C. I did the other process where u hit OPTION when it starts. That works but when I chose to start from the Mac OS X installer, the loading screen will be loading for hours. I don't know if there something wrong with iMac's or anything. For doing this I am using the internet optical driver. Maybe u need external optical driver ? Is there anyone who can help me with this problem.

Thank you
 
dvelcani said:
I am a mac user since 2003. As of right now I got 15 macbook pro and iMac 27''. On my iMac 27 i did not have password set up, but my brother for being such a foolish, he sets a password and is telling me he forgot. I can't even log in. I put the Mac OS X installer cd in and being holding C, but nothing works for me. The white screen with grey apple and the loading bar will stay on until I turn it off. Yesterday before going to work I did the startup from CD process, and when I got back from work after 8 hours, the loading screen was still on. I been doing this on my macbook pro for many years, the language screen comes up very fast, like 1 min after u hit C. I did the other process where u hit OPTION when it starts. That works but when I chose to start from the Mac OS X installer, the loading screen will be loading for hours. I don't know if there something wrong with iMac's or anything. For doing this I am using the internet optical driver. Maybe u need external optical driver ? Is there anyone who can help me with this problem.

Thank you
Click to expand...

Hello, technically you don't need an external drive, if your optical drive is OK it should boot fine. Try booting in safe mode, to do this hold down the shift key while booting. If your mac boots, insert the disc and see if your Mac reads it and if it is OK. You also can use your MacBook Pro to check if the iMac apple disc is OK

If your mac is stuck in the grey screen it means that something is preventing your Mac to continue its boot process. Do you hear the chime sound?

You can try many different things like to boot your iMac in target disc mode (boot holding the T key) and connect it with a firewire cable like an external Hard drive to your MacBook Pro, and check it from there.
Or try the opposite boot your MacBook Pro in target disc mode and use its optical drive to boot your iMac, so you put your iMac apple disc in the MacBook Pro and try to run the password reset from there.

Check here for an organized list of booting options:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1533

If this doesn't work you can do other things, like booting in verbose mode, to do this you hold down the command and V keys and it will show you all the things that go behind the scenes when the mac is booting in UNIX, you will not have the visual interface that you are use to. Or Single User Mode. Before getting into this, check the first suggestions. Post here your results and I will try to help you out, as well as other MR members.
I think there is also a way to reset the password using UNIX commands.
 
Method to reset the password:
1. Power on or restart your Mac.
2. At the chime (or grey screen if your chime is turned off), hold down Command+S on your keyboard to enter single-user mode.
3. This step is optional, but it’s a good idea because it checks the consistency of the hard disk before moving on. At the prompt, type fsck -fy and press Enter/Return. Wait for the checks to complete before going to the next step.
4. Type mount -uw / and press Enter.
5. Type launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.DirectoryServices.plist and press Enter.
6. Type ls /Users and press Enter. This lists all of the usernames on the computer – helpful if you don’t know or remember what these are.
7. Type dscl . -passwd /Users/username password and replace “username” with one of the users displayed in the previous step. Replace “password” with a new password of your choice. Press Enter.
8. Type reboot and press Enter.:cool:
 
reset password

Start up from the system CD/DVD
To do this hold down C key after you press the power button.

Start to install the system but do not go any further than select language.

In menu bar see utilities. In there is reset password. You do not need the original pword
 
forgot my administrator password

I have the same problem. However, when I used the DVD install disc, I didn't get the chance to reset the password from the Utilities menu. Once I'd selected the language, there was no menu bar. the only option shown was to continue, which I did, thinking the menu bar would show up next.

The system reinstalled, leaving everthing as it had been before. (For which I was grateful, as I was afraid i'd lose all my data and emails.) However, I'm still back at square one.

If I try again using the DVD, and if a menu bar does appear after the language selection, will the installation stop after I've re-set the password?

By the same token, if I use davidlv's method, will I lose all the data and programmes (e.g. Word) currently on my iMac?

Any advice appreciated. Thanks!

Donna
 
DonnaMarilyn said:
I have the same problem. However, when I used the DVD install disc, I didn't get the chance to reset the password from the Utilities menu. Once I'd selected the language, there was no menu bar. the only option shown was to continue, which I did, thinking the menu bar would show up next.

The system reinstalled, leaving everthing as it had been before. (For which I was grateful, as I was afraid i'd lose all my data and emails.) However, I'm still back at square one.

If I try again using the DVD, and if a menu bar does appear after the language selection, will the installation stop after I've re-set the password?

By the same token, if I use davidlv's method, will I lose all the data and programmes (e.g. Word) currently on my iMac?

Any advice appreciated. Thanks!

Donna
Click to expand...

If you have the Snow Leopard DVD, insert it into your running Mac, then on the Install window, click Utilities, which needs the Mac to be restarted.
Then after you selected the language, the Menu Bar should appear.

4022591124_19d9a8e2f7_o.png


Select UTILITIES here.
upgrade_install1_420.jpg
 
http://theappleblog.com/2008/06/22/reset-os-x-password-without-an-os-x-cd/

1. Reboot
2. Hold apple + s down after you hear the chime.
3. When you get text prompt enter in these terminal commands to create a brand new admin account (hitting return after each line):
Code: 
          mount -uw /
          rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
          shutdown -h now
4. After rebooting you should have a brand new admin account. When you login as the new admin you can simply delete the old one and you’re good to go again!
Click to expand...
Always this method, kill one file and go through that "Welcome to Mac" thing again.
 
Spinnerlys and Sun Baked, thank you for your responses.
It appears I should have placed the installation DVD into the machine while it was running, rather than from start-up.

In any case, I resolved the problem in another way. When I went to System Preferences>Accounts>Change Password, the Admin password field was blank. I left that as it was and just typed in the new password. Presto! It worked.
I hadn't tried that simple way before, as I was certain the blank field would need to be filled in with the Admin PW, which I didn't have. A seconds-long solution that took me ages to find. :eek:

Again, thank you for your tips, which I'll keep on file.

Donna
 
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