User password reset

[dubina]

I had user passwords set for two household users, plus an admin password. I know the admin password works. Either I forgot the two user passwords, or they don't work anymore.

I tried to reset the two user passwords. I get a screen that requires a "master password" before resetting the user passwords. The hint for the master password is consistent with the admin password, but the reset procedure doesn't work. I enter the new user password and the screen "shudders" for a second or two, as if to say, "Are you kidding me?"

Any thought or thoughts as to what I might be doing wrong and how to reset user passwords?

Thanks.

 

[dubina]

user password reset

No ideas?

Why can I not reset user passwords? I know the admin password. Is the "master" password not the "administrator" password?

 

[dubina]

user password reset

I "solved" my problem by creating two new user accounts.

Should have thought of that long ago.

But now, another problem: the parental controls work on the new user accounts, but the user cannot access some French language lessons that are available under the Admin password. Maybe I misunderstood the partitioning of the iMac, but I thought files available to the administrator would also be available to the users. Is that not true? If it's not true, where do I look to find out how to allow what files and applications to whom?

 

[MrMacMack]

What version of OS X are you using? If you're using 10.7 and higher you can boot into recovery (reboot and hold command+r) and then launch Terminal within Utilities and type resetpassword, then choose the user(s) you want to reset the password for. From there, you'll login to the user(s) you reset the password for and create a new keychain and then you're all done. If 10.6, do all this above, only differences is you'll need your installation disc instead.

 

[dubina]

@ mrmacmack

I think I'm good on the password reset, but can you advise me on the issue of what a user has access to? I thought a user would have access to everything the administrator had access to (I mean non-pornographic applications and files, for example), but that seems not to be the case. How can I provide that kind of access to my users?

 

[justperry]

@ mrmacmack

I think I'm good on the password reset, but can you advise me on the issue of what a user has access to? I thought a user would have access to everything the administrator had access to (I mean non-pornographic applications and files, for example), but that seems not to be the case. How can I provide that kind of access to my users?

A non Admin Account does not have access rights on files created by the Admin.

 

[Brian Y]

Users have access to their own data, and stuff in the /Users/Shared folder.

Users having access to an administrator's files would break every unix file permissions convention in the book.

 

[dubina]

Users have access to their own data, and stuff in the /Users/Shared folder.

@ Brian,

So my problem now is to make all of the files and apps ... including browser(s) ... that I want my kids to use available to them in the /Users/Shared folder?

That sounds complicated. Is it really? Any advice?

 

[dubina]

@ all

(I think) the solution to my problem was simple: to log in as the administrator and change a file sharing button in "Preferences" / "File-sharing" from "off" to "on".