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my mac doesn't have a password and terminal is asking for one

E

enka

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 9, 2008
9
0
Hello, i want to uninstall program (virtual box) and the only way to this is, is with the terminal.
Now i haven't installed a password in my computer, but the terminal is asking me for a password....and because i don't have one i just hit enter, but it's incorrect.
what to do?!
 
enka said:
Hello, i want to uninstall program (virtual box) and the only way to this is, is with the terminal.
Now i haven't installed a password in my computer, but the terminal is asking me for a password....and because i don't have one i just hit enter, but it's incorrect.
what to do?!
Click to expand...

If you never set a root password in Terminal, it should be prompting you to set one, not asking you for an existing one. Have you tried the administrator password?

You can reset the password(s) by booting from the installation DVD that came with your computer and going to the Utilities Menu after you get past the first screen.
 
hi, and thanks for replying so fast.
that's the thing i have no passwords at all, on purpose, also no admin password nothing. only my name nothing else.

gr
 
enka said:
hi, and thanks for replying so fast.
that's the thing i have no passwords at all, on purpose, also no admin password nothing. only my name nothing else.

gr
Click to expand...

That's impossible (well highly improbable - I never tried to leave a blank password at initial setup so I don't know if it would allow you to do this) if you set up the Mac. It requires an admin password to be set at initial set up. Are you the admin or did someone else set it up for you?

You may have set it initially and forgot it as your login may be set to automatically log you in (thus it doesn't ask you for a password and goes straight to your desktop.

You should do what I instructed you to do in my previous post using the installation DVD to reset ALL passwords (your account, admin password, root password) and write them down somewhere. Keep them simple (they can all be the same if you so desire) so you can remember them.
 
merl1n said:
That's impossible (well highly improbable - I never tried to leave a blank password at initial setup so I don't know if it would allow you to do this) if you set up the Mac. It requires an admin password to be set at initial set up. Are you the admin or did someone else set it up for you?
Click to expand...
*gasp*

I'll support the DVD boot password reset solution as well. I don't understand why a user wouldn't want a password.
 
Eidorian said:
*gasp*

I'll support the DVD boot password reset solution as well. I don't understand why a user wouldn't want a password.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link in your reply to this thread. I read the thread and I stand corrected - you can setup the system with no passwords. I wasn't aware of this since I never tried it. Not to insult the OP, but this is not a smart thing to do.
 
sudo does not allow for a blank password, which is undoubtedly the problem here. When prompted for a password from sudo, if one simply hits Return, sudo assumes that the user has given up.

Original Poster: Having a (good) password is a VERY IMPORTANT DETAIL in modern computing.

Beyond that, if you must have a "real" password to do what you want.
 
okay thank you all for replying.

but as i said previously, i did that on purpose, i'm very aware how i installed my computer. and off course it is possible to set up a system without an admin password. since i'm the only one using it is saves time with starting up, plus i'm fed up having thousands of passwords here and there.
anyway i found the answer i was looking for and it's actually that sudo does not allow a blank password. if i knew that i wouldn't have done it.

thanks again
gr
 
If it's that important to you, just set a password, run the Terminal commands, then go back and change the password back to nothing.
 
Just leave the password on, it wont ask you it at startup, mine doesn't only if you choose it to in sys pref. This aint windows ;)
 
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