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Leopard: Administrator privileges gone

Ack !!!

OK.. did something foolish myself last noc...

my Graphite SE Clamshell was given to me by a friend who had since purchased a new iBook, and I thought I'd just reset everything to my name now instead of hers.... :eek: BIG MISTAKE.

Of course I now cannot even log in. I even have her user/admin name and her password, but it STILL will not take it. I believe it's because I deleted it from the "infonet" part of the system as the "superadministrator".

So now I'm in the same boat as the posters above. I was able to boot up by following the instructions given, but since I haven't "command typed" in AGES, after I type in the command, do I have to hit "enter" or any particular key to make it do what it should?

Or just type in what was written above and let it go? No key after that?

Thanx so much for any help.. by the way, this is OSX 10.1

When I follow the instructions given above it tells me there is "no such file or directory".. is there something different I need to be doing with the OSX 10.1 ?

I just got off the phone with the wireless folks after having gotten things up and running with the router, and I was soooooo excited to check it out and get online, and SURPRISE... couldn't even log on, period! :(

oh.. and the command screen (above where I type my own command.. in all that writing above) says something to the effect of "single user boot-fsck not done" and "root device is mounted read only".
 
Well, I've played with this thing until I'm ready to pull my hair out. :mad:

I've tried everything I can think of.

I followed all the command screen intructions and typed in reboot, which it did just fine.. but that STILL only brought me back to square one.. the screen with the "log in" ..name and password... which I don't HAVE. :rolleyes:

Not the once you're in the system "account" name/login", but the major one.. the initial one... which you need in order to even get ANYWHERE, access to ANYTHING... you know.. desktop, the works.

I guess from what I've been reading on the command screen, there are :

uid=0
gid=0

and some other Gid (Ithink) =0

So there are no id's in the system anymore. I even tried typing in "default id", "accounts", "new id", "new user id" ....but there were no commands for those.

How on earth am I going to get back in???

I did type in "passwd" at some point on the command screen, and it asked for a new password.. which I typed in..then it asked me to retype it, and I did.

So I have a password, but still no NAME ID which it will accept.

Any suggestions out there? *boohoo*
 
In the command line screen, by which I assume you mean a single-user boot, type
Code: 
mount uw /
rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
reboot

That will force the computer to run through the setup assistant again, just as it did when the machine was brand new. Make a new account with a different name than you previously had, and then log into that new account. BTW, it's very important that it have a new name and not the previous one, because if it's the same name as before, it will overwrite the old user folder and all of your data. Then, you can go into System Preferences and make the old user account an administrator again, or if it's not present, if you add it from there and give it the same short name as previously (which is the name of the home folder) it will ask you if you want to use the existing folder as the home folder for that account. You can then log into your old account and delete the new one you made in this process.

Make sure you repair permissions after doing all of that, though, as they might well have gotten seriously screwed up in all of that messing around.

jW
 
Mal said:
In the command line screen, by which I assume you mean a single-user boot, type
Code: 
mount uw /
rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
reboot

That will force the computer to run through the setup assistant again, just as it did when the machine was brand new. Make a new account with a different name than you previously had, and then log into that new account. BTW, it's very important that it have a new name and not the previous one, because if it's the same name as before, it will overwrite the old user folder and all of your data. Then, you can go into System Preferences and make the old user account an administrator again, or if it's not present, if you add it from there and give it the same short name as previously (which is the name of the home folder) it will ask you if you want to use the existing folder as the home folder for that account. You can then log into your old account and delete the new one you made in this process.

Make sure you repair permissions after doing all of that, though, as they might well have gotten seriously screwed up in all of that messing around.

jW
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for responding. When I go to type in what you wrote above, do I have to type it exactly the same way (as in "sections", or one line, then another line below, and again another line below as you did?) or do I just type it in until all commands you typed above are typed in?

And if I must do one line after another, how do I do that without getting that little white "block" at the end of each command.. can I keep typing even after that little block appears and it goes back to "local host:/root#" ?

I'm getting ready to try this now, and I'm a bit nervous here...
nervoussmiley.gif
 
Well.. I typed everything in on one line, EXCEPT for reboot. I typed that in after (second line) I typed the other commands you gave.

It went through a lot of codes, and stuff I don't understand several times, mentioning "panic" several times, "obj~RELEASE_PPC", bunches of "stack backtraces, etc., "proceeding back via exception chain", "exception state", etc., etc., etc.

And Kernel version: Darwin Kernel version such and such, date, etc., and finally the last line "panic: we are hanging here..."

It's been "hanging like that for about ten minutes or more now.

Do I need to DO anything now???
sigh.gif
 
Still "hanging"..................

It's been over an hour. I'm just wondering if there's something I'm suppose to type in there now.. in the commands.

But it's not showing the usual "local host" thing, as it usually does when it's your turn to type in a command. So I'm just waiting to hear from the laptop.. or you folks. ;)
 
Sorry, each line is a different command, should have made that more clear. Reboot the computer (you'll probably have to just hold down the power button) and do it that way. I don't think you'll have messed anything up by doing it the way you did, but it won't work that way.

jW
 
OK.. I've tried all the above suggestions.. exactly as given. Made sure I had everythig "just so".

And each time, I continue to get the long page of script with the ending

"Darwin Kernel Version blah blah blah ...release _PPC
Panic:We are hanging here..."

I am able to simply reboot in single user but it still jsut reboots with the log in request.
Does me no good, as I no longer have an ID to log in WITH.

arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh !!!!

*WAH*
 
Well, woohoooooooooooooooooooooooooo !!!!!!!! :D:D:D

I'm up and running !!!

Don't know what I did right, but after much trial and error, and PERSISTENCE in following the above given instructions, something just clicked, and that marvelous WELCOME screen and music came on !!! I've never been so happy in my LIFE !!! ;)

Woooooooot !!!

So I put in a new name and password, and I'm all set to go now. All is well with my little world. LOL !

I want to thank you for your kindness in helping me out here... couldn't have done this withut your assistance. THANK YOU AGAIN !!! :)
 
Leopard changed my account password

deoson said:
easier solution:

boot into single user mode just like aussie geek instructed with "apple + s" while turning on your mac.

then after after typing "/sbin/mount -uw /"

type "passwd"

then type what you want for your root password...

then type reboot


log into your account... go to the accounts preference pane and click the lock at the bottom left...this time when prompted for username/password use:

User: root
password: (one you just created)

tada!

now upgrade your account to admin....

logout and back in and you're good as gold.
Click to expand...

Thank you! ;) This was extremely helpful to restore my account privileges!
 
Reverse setting

ShellyFM said:
Anybody know how to do this?
Click to expand...

You may have already figured this out, but in case not, follow the last steps and go to System Preferences>Accounts and then unlock the account (there is a lock symbol on the bottom left corner of the page) with the username root and the password you alloted to it) Then appoint your account as the administrator.
 
Command + S - not recognised

Sealevel said:
I can't even get it to switch to single user or start from leopard disc. Can't update, nothing works to get rid of standard user. It only comes on to standard user and guest. Any help is welcome!
Click to expand...

Sealevel and others,

Has anyone managed to find a way to break in ?

I have tried removing RAM and even that does not work.

Chazzer
 
chazzer said:
Sealevel and others,

Has anyone managed to find a way to break in ?

I have tried removing RAM and even that does not work.

Chazzer
Click to expand...

Remove one RAM DIMM, reset the PRAM. Turn off the machine. Put the RAM back in and try single user mode again.
 
works for me

deoson said:
easier solution:

boot into single user mode just like aussie geek instructed with "apple + s" while turning on your mac.

then after after typing "/sbin/mount -uw /"

type "passwd"

then type what you want for your root password...

then type reboot


log into your account... go to the accounts preference pane and click the lock at the bottom left...this time when prompted for username/password use:

User: root
password: (one you just created)

tada!

now upgrade your account to admin....

logout and back in and you're good as gold.
Click to expand...


i'm quite late in on this thread but i'd just like to say the above instructions worked a charm. i bought one of the new iMac in the first week and its came with OSX 10.4 and a Leopard upgrade disc. funny enough i've never had the permission issue until a week or so ago when i noticed i couldn't change the energy settings.

weird.

anyway apple were no help at all. although my local genius bar (50 miles away) told me over the phone this is a common problem and they'd fix it in 5 minutes for free but i'd have to take it there obviously.

this thread did it for me.
 
deoson said:
easier solution:

boot into single user mode just like aussie geek instructed with "apple + s" while turning on your mac.

then after after typing "/sbin/mount -uw /"

type "passwd"

then type what you want for your root password...

then type reboot


log into your account... go to the accounts preference pane and click the lock at the bottom left...this time when prompted for username/password use:

User: root
password: (one you just created)

tada!

now upgrade your account to admin....

logout and back in and you're good as gold.
Click to expand...

yeah that didn't work it just said something about a socket

yes i know im bumping a year old topi, but i need some help
 
thank you!

thanks so much for the help you guys! the simple version above was very easy and helped so much! it took like 5 seconds! now i am an admin again! saved me lots of time and bugging my computer genius friends! :D


oh but maybe we should tell everyone that when you type in the new password in single user mode (at least for me it did this) that when you type it in it doesn't show up at all..i was waiting for it to move or type the letters in but then i realized if i just pushed "enter" it said "retype new password" so i knew it was taking in what i was typing! thanks again though!

:apple: duhnay
 
Oh my god, I can't believe this is still happening to people. Surely Apple should have made this a quick fix by now. I'm so glad for this thread, it saved my life.

Hey Tampa, hows the weather? I used to live in St.Pete, small world.
 
Install DVD Solution

-Boot From DVD
-Use the Password Utility
-Change the "Admin(root)" Password
-Restart from Macintosh HD
-Go to System Preferences & Select User Accounts
-Click the Lock Icon in the Bottom to Unlock
-Type:

User: root
password: (The One You Ceated in DVD Password Utility)

-Upgrade your account to admin....

Tanks A Lot to All... :apple:
 
Passwords

i dont remember the passwords that i get my enternet from will that be deleted? please respond as soon as possible. thankyou
 
Help

Help.

I have locked myself out of my own computer(Mac).

I was having problems with space and could not figure out what was taking up all my space. So I backed up my Library (user) and then deleted it.

Now I have all the space back and the large files that were taking up half my hard drive are gone.

But

Now my User in My Accounts was deleted and I am left with the previous owners old user name(I think) but I do not know what that is. I have had this mac for 3 years and I cannot contact the old owner.

And the backup did not backup correctly and is corrupt.

How can I reset the accounts so that there is another user with Admin.

My main problem is that anything that is locked asks for the Admin user and password. which I dont know. So I cannot give anyone admin rights.

How do I get around this?

Any Ideas?:mad:

Nixiwaka
 
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