Used iMac - Make it my own

[watercool]

Hey everyone, I bought a late 2012 iMac from a second hand shop last week. When I turned it on it had the shops name as a user - I didn't know the password. So I popped 'reset password' into terminal and what not and changed the password.

The computer seems to be back to factory settings, all clear, apart from this username.

So how do I make it mine? With my name and such. I've been reading a few things and am I right in thinking its not as easy as it sounds? I dunno. Help much appreciated.

 

[danielwsmithee]

Hey everyone, I bought a late 2012 iMac from a second hand shop last week. When I turned it on it had the shops name as a user - I didn't know the password. So I popped 'reset password' into terminal and what not and changed the password.

The computer seems to be back to factory settings, all clear, apart from this username.

So how do I make it mine? With my name and such. I've been reading a few things and am I right in thinking its not as easy as it sounds? I dunno. Help much appreciated.

For a new system you are getting from a third party I'd boot into the recovery partition. Use Disk Utility to reformat the drive, install the OS again on the newly formatted drive. Then go through the setup process like a brand new machine.

If the old system doesn't have Sierra installed yet you may want to install that before reformatting. That way you won't have to upgrade the OS after the install.

Here are some alternative more detailed instruction on making a clean install, but this time from a USB Stick.
https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/macos-sierra-clean-install/

 

[Fishrrman]

If everything else looks ok, the quick-n-easy way might be to do this:

1. Create a new "temp" account with administrative privileges (this will be a userID "502" account because the existing one is the "501" account).

2. Log out of the old account and into the new one.

3. DELETE the original, old account. This leaves only the temp "502" account.

4. Now, create a new account with YOUR username and password. This will become the NEW "501" account.

5. Log out of the temp account and into your new account.

There you are.
You might want to keep the "temp account" around. It won't take up much room, and could become useful if you ever need to troubleshoot

 

[watercool]

Thanks guys. I've got myself in to a slight pickle.

I started doing the clean install using the link below...

Here are some alternative more detailed instruction on making a clean install, but this time from a USB Stick.
https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/macos-sierra-clean-install/

...but I didn't format my USB stick which I think I should have done. So when I restarted and got to the boot screen my USB drive was called 'Windows'...even though it was called 'Install OSsierra' when mounted on the computer.

So I popped the USB into my MBP and formatted it to start again (USB now formatted)...only to find I can't bloomin download Sierra because my 2009 MBP doesn't support it! Balls.

Any ideas on what I can do? iMac is currently on the boot screen still.
[doublepost=1492096017][/doublepost]Ok, I'm an idiot...I just need to reboot the iMac and re download the schnizzle again. I'll probably be back.

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

If you used DiskmakerX or similar, it is part of the install to format the thumb drive.

Commencing format has probably killed that anyway. See if you can reboot into Command Option R to access download via internet. Being a 2012 model, it will probably download Lion the version it came with, but you can update via the App Store.

Keep us posted?

 

[watercool]

I've sorted it! I rebooted back onto my normal home screen and decided to do it the old fashioned way through terminal.

(I followed this)
https://macpaw.com/how-to/clean-install-macos-sierra

The USB then showed up on the boot screen as it should have done, 'install sierra etc' and I loaded Sierra from that. I then did some swapsies using Migration Assistant on the iMac and MBP. So I'm ready to roll...

Cheers guys