Forgot Mac Password? How to Reset Your Mac Password (with or without CD)
So you forgot your Mac password… uh oh. Don’t worry, it happens and you aren’t out of luck. You’ll need to reset the forgotten password and there’s several ways to do this, we’ll focus on the two best methods; one does not require a Mac OS X installer CD and is a great hack, and the other is much more simple if you happen to have a Mac OS X DVD laying around.
Reset Mac Password – without a CD
Using a pretty nifty trick you can reset a forgotten Mac password without a Mac OS X installer CD/DVD. The steps may seem a little intimidating at first but I assure you it’s easy if you follow them exactly, here is exactly how to do this in three stages:
Stage 1) Boot into Single User Mode and remove a setup file
- Restart the Mac holding down the Command+S keys, this will take you into Single User Mode and it’s Terminal interface
- You’ll need to check the filesystem first:
- Next, you must mount the root drive as writeable so that changes will save:
- Now, type the following command exactly, followed by the enter key:
- After removing the applesetupdone file, you need to reboot, type ‘reboot’ and hit enter
fsck -fy
mount -uw /
rm /var/db/.applesetupdone
Stage 2) Create a New User Account upon System Boot
You aren’t finished, but the hard part is now over – no more command lines, you’ll now be in the familiar Mac OS X GUI to finish the password reset process. In this step we just create a new user account as if you just got a new Mac:
- Upon reboot, you will be presented with the traditional “Welcome Wizard” startup screen just like when you first get a Mac
- Follow the welcome wizard and create a new user account – making the account name different from the account whose password you want to recover
- Continue on and boot into Mac OS X with this newly created user account, this new user account is an Administrator and has administrative access
Stage 3) Reset the Forgot Password via System Preferences
You are almost done, now you just need to reset the forgotten user account password using the Accounts control panel:
- Once you are booted into Mac OS X, click on the Apple logo and then navigate down to “System Preferences”
- Click on the “Accounts” icon in System Preferences
- Click on the Lock icon in the lower left corner of the “Accounts” preference window and enter the newly created user credentials, this enables you to change other user accounts and reset other users passwords
- On the left side user panel, select the user account containing the forgotten password
- With the user of the forgotten password account selected, click on the “Reset Password” button
- Enter a new password for that user, be sure to include a meaningful hint so you don’t forget it again!
- Close System Preferences and reboot the Mac
- You can now login to the previously inaccessible user account using the newly reset password! All user files and settings are maintained as before the password was forgotten
Optional: If you’d like, you can delete the temporary account you created to reset the users password. This is wise for security purposes.
Here’s how this works: by deleting the .applesetupdone file, you are telling Mac OS X to re-run the setup wizard, which by default creates a new user account with Administrative abilities, which can then reset the forgotten password of any other user on the Mac. This is a great trick and excellent troubleshooting technique if you don’t have a Mac OS X installer CD/DVD laying around, which is pretty much the norm as many people tend to lose or misplace the installer disks that come with their computers. I have used this exact method multiple times to restore various Macs with forgotten/lost passwords.
Reset Mac Password – with the installer CD/DVD
Resetting a forgotten Mac password is easier if you have an installer disk handy, we have covered this tip before on it’s own:
- Boot from the Mac OS X installer disk by inserting it into the Mac and holding down the “C” key on boot
- Select your language preferences and then under the “Utilities” menu select “Password Reset” (it may say “Reset Password” instead, depends on the version of Mac OS X)
- Select the hard disk that the forgotten password is on, then select the username of the forgotten password, you’ll then be asked to select a new password
- Reboot as usual from the hard drive, using your newly reset password as the login!
This is borrowed from our article on how to reset a lost password with a CD. This is obviously an easier method but it’s of no help if you own a MacBook Air with no DVD drive, or if you just don’t have the installer Mac OS CD laying around. If you’re in that situation, the best alternative is to use the above method that does not require a CD to reset the password.
[...] you do not have an installer CD or DVD handy, you can also reset a forgot Mac password using a crafty [...]
No you can not you have to replace the hard drive and start from scratch
holy f’ing sh*t !!!!!!!!!!
it worked !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your a Lifesaver. I would have been in forever detentions if u werent alive
Thank you!!!
[...] If you don’t have a CD or DVD handy you can still reset your forgot Mac password. [...]
i forgot my password i even forgot about my mac too!
os x daily
how do i delete the applesetupdone file
The no CD technique is really crafty, I haven’t heard of that one before.
Does this mean you can hack into any mac this way by just resetting the password??
Yup, you can prevent that by using FileVault or a boot level password though
So how could you get around that?
reset the motherboard… just unplug the machine for a while and press the power button(hold it on a laptop) and if there is a “clear cmos” button push that…
Does what you just mentioned remove the Firmware Password that someone can place on your computer if they have the Mac OS X Install DVD’s. I heard that you had to change the amount of ram in the computer. For example if there is 2 GB of ram, take one out, then turn the computer on and the Firmware Password would be gone. Then you would put the ram back in. Is what you said an easier way of doing it? Also, could you please be more specific in the process of resetting the cmos. How long do you have to unplug the machine for? Also, do you plug the machine back in then hold the power button or do you do it while it is unplugged then plug it back in to turn it on. Also, I am doing all of this on a recent generation iMac. Please help me out; I would very highly appreciate it. Thanks!
@ Mathias:
Technically, yes. Please use responsibly.
Thanks for the replies! This means I will finally do something to encrypt my data.
at the startup:
1. Cmd-s (boot in SUM)
2. mount -uw /
3. launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.DirectoryServices.plist
4. cd /var/db/shadow/hash/
5. guid=`dscl . -read /Users/myuser GeneratedUID | awk ‘{print $2}’`
6. cp $guid $guid.old
7. passwd myuser
Changing password for myuser.
New password:******
Retype new password:******
8. reboot
tested on 10.5
one that’s easier to remember than that is
1. cmd-s
2. mount -uw /
3. cd users
4. ls (list the shortnames of all profiles)
5. “shortname” passwd (type the shortname of desired profile — minus the quotations
new password ******
retype password ******
6. reboot
I press command+S and doesnt do anything
((((
this is frustrating
Does this change the Keychain’s password to the new password?
No, if you change the passwd from CLI
whats the point of setting a password if its this easy to bypass it then?
That password is big joke if that can change so easily! Apple should inform more of this to basic users so they could protect data and files much better!
I agree with other posts. People say Mircosoft has bad security thinking, but this is redicilous. I really hope Apple fix this “bug” asap.
no an apple bug as much as it is a unix feature — can do the same thing to linux boxes. like the others have mentioned the firmware password is the “fix”……..but there’s a work around for that as well
Since Mac OS X Lion is now the OS for new Macs, I decided to try this “hack” out on my iMac. It didn’t work for me. Maybe I’m doing something wrong or maybe Apple changed something, but you could try it out for yourself to see if it can be done to your Mac (if you have Lion of course).
I just tried it out on my mac I bought straight from the apple store, Lion and all, and it worked perfectly. Pretty paranoid now!
I want to have a direct chat with u pls.
If someone can get physical access to your machine, they can get in no matter the platform. Encryption is the solution. Truecrypt for Win, OS X, and Lin. Filevault is OS X only.
Apple did recently hire a heavy-duty security guy. So here’s hoping they lock things down better. But they’re never going to take away the ability to reset the pw if one has physical access to the machine.
Basic user here.
Does using the above simply create a new user account? By that I mean that browser history and passwords would not be accessed? Also what about if particular folders were password protected, could they be accessed??
(In case of Read-only file system) First you have to use this command:
mount -uw /
before you can use:
rm /var/db/.applesetupdone
Question #1: This has no effect on the information on the hard-drive does it? (This wont whipe the harddrive clean will it?)
Question #2: Once shes created her new account, i dont think the information from the original one will be there…how would you access it? Or am i wrong entirely? jajaja
*im asking for a friend who is locked out right now hahaha
I should’ve mentioned…she locked out on the Login screen…like the MAIN one you use when you startup the comp or when u bring it back from sleep before you can even see the desktop
Will this still apply?
yes it works fine. just transfer all files from the old user to the new user and you’ll have no problem.
it works because the newly created account is superuser, and can see files from all users on the machine. you just navigate to their directory and copy the files.
your hard drive information will be fine, it doesn’t effect anything except create a new user account.
you can also do this but it might be above your skill level:
1. command-s on boot
2. mount -uw /
3. cd users
4. ls (list the shortnames of all profiles)
5. passwd username (type the username of desired profile)
new password ******
retype password ******
6. reboot
What do you mean by profile? Do you mean Short Name? Also, how would I separate each profile name, would use a comma? Thanks!
Hi Moz,
Your code worked for me, but I have a problem. 1. some of the keys on my board dont work so I have had to be VERY delicate to input your code. It was the only code that actually got some where. 2. the top left hand side of my screen has a big blob, but i can still see alot.
Once I was able to use your code it went back to the same login in screen that I am trying to get away from. I know my password I just can’t type it in because of all the key letters that I need. Help!
Do you just type these steps or what? Will you explain more details please
Thanks a lot
this thing help me alot but i have one question.
does this will erase my all data also?
please give me reply on my email just in case if i don’t find out this web again cause i am searching on google.
again thanks a lot sir
[...] enabled only in the form of a user login and password. If this is the case, you can use methods to reset a forgotten Mac password to get around the user login [...]
Weird. My Macbook running 10.6.4 doesn’t have /var/db/.applesetupdone .
Granted, I didn’t boot into single-user mode, but I did open Terminal and check from there. I even did “sudo bash”, in case it was restricted to root. The file just ain’t there.
I tried to enter rm /var/db/.applesetupdone. My mac then says override rw——- root/wheel for /var/db/.applesetupdone?
What should I type next?
If I use the option 2 with the disk, will I lose the files I have on my computer?
This is what I got too!
Someone please clarify what we should do!
Please
[...] can check out some other articles related to password recovery, including how to reset a forgot Mac password and how to bypass a Mac firmware [...]
I appreciate the help, but after using the no cd method it booted up as if I was setting up the new user account. Thing is, it asks me what language to use. I select English, but it just reloads back to the same language screen over and over. I tried safe boot, it just gray screens with the wheel running forever. Any suggestions?
same problem here. did you get this resolved?
[...] you happen to forget your Mac password, you can reset it through a few different [...]
I am surprised a person can get a shell or command prompt without being prompted for user name and password. Which I am sure could be very easily added as a feature, then what you would do in theory is boot from a usb drive using a temporary ram drive placed on the installed hard drive and an os using the same file system as mac, the os you boot would be modified to read and write from the user information already on the hard drive after you have already booted with administrator on another copy of mac os you would then add change and remove as usual, however if these files were encrypted you would have more trouble, but seeing we know what the files should look like, we could compare and make deductions pragmatically and fairly quick if we are able to recognize where the start and end of a file are and could match them by name, so if we just encrypted the file names and added decryption into the browser retained only during session where the key is entered when you log on, then a successfully logged on user would in theory be able to differentiate file names, where user holds private key and his profile has the public key stored. Seeing the machine loads certain files in a specific order with file names, system files used in the boot would have to remain named correctly, the best thing to do is create your own file system and conversion where you boot and everything you look at is in a way unzipped as you browse. You could really make things confusing by encrypting the directory structure and any type of registry, where when it is decrypted it get placed in a temporary ram disk or (temporary store on hd) so then you stay compatible, with all but detour anyone with a common knowledge of the directory structure, they then will have to attempt to recognize the hd fragmentation in comparison to other drives they have studied…. How to do this not sure, I am still working on distributed session and user management with php considering a high level of information encryption so I figure by the time I get to studying file systems and hard drives more in depth I will be a weary old man who has forgotten why he started, so if you encrypt files that are the same throughout installations, make sure they look like one big clump with a hundred different files un-determinable, like save ten bytes in Florida, ten bytes in Minnesota, 10 bytes in California, ecetera. So yes your right it is almost impossible
you guys make this sound so eazy
yeah’ a big thanks.. my maC will now be fixed…
Tried stage 1 after that nothing happened. can’t get to stage 2, just getting a white screen with the apple logo and the little round circle keeps going and thats it.Please help soon.
hi,
Doing this on a black macbook… After Stage 1 it all seemed to be restarting – but it never made it. I get the apple, the spinning round circle, and then blue. Then grey with a big black square in the centre, only for a moment. Then blue again. Then grey, then blue… and it stays on blue.
I used my install disk from a macbook pro 13″ (more recent, running 10.6, while the macbook in question is running something earlier, .4 or .5) – and ran repair disk – it said it had repaired something. Tried to restart though and same problem occured again.
I have no clue what to do… can’t restart, and continue with Stage 2. Any help hugely appreciated.
This will be a new one for all you whiz’s out there…The situation goes as follows:
Forgotten password for login so:
Entered SUM, Changed password for admin..gained access.
Shutdown mac, Turned back on and Login screen appeared. Attempted to login….No go.
Entered SUM again, Deleted applesetup done, Created new Admin account. Changed passwords, restarted system, attempted login, No GO.
Entered SUM AGAIN!!…enabled root user, changed Passwords for all accounts…Restarted system and you guessed it….STILL cant login to any user account. SO…..Did some research and tried Resetting Login Keychain. Still not able to login after restart.
So I tried resetting the memory upon start up by holding Option Cmd R+P until 4 chimes have sounded. Still not able to login.
So I once again changed the admin password via SUM and downloaded a MAC OS X 10.8 upgrade. Installed to a new Administraor Account and restarted the system. STILL CANT LOGIN!!!!!
I have been sitting on this bloody machine for 4days straight now trying to gain access to it without having to change the password through SUM everytime I login, and It seems that no matter what I do.. The mac just reboots with the old Account login settings once I shut it down and try to restart with a new login.
WHAT AM I MISSING HERE PEOPLE? how can I try all of these things and still not be able to login to my damn computer? LMFAO!!!
To sum it up I’ve tried:
CMD+S
/sbin/mount -uw /
cd db
ls
rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone (and) rm ./.AppleSetupDone
reboot
FAIL!!!….
CMD+S
/sbin/mount -uw /
passwd admin
NEW PASSWD
REPEAT NEW PASSWD
exit
login with above^…..shut down>attempt login with above^
FAIL!!!
OPT CMD R+P
Hold until 4 chimes have sounded ( resets memory )
attemp login
FAIL!
Repeated CMD+S admin passwd change and once into comp..reset Keychain…changed passwords for all accounts
Attemped login after restart
FAIL!
SO to sum it up…I can gain access to thee mac through SUM, but no matter what I do once I’m in.. once I shut down the Comp and Turn it back on…I still can’t login to any of the user or Admin accounts. I have even tried enabeling the Automatic login and restarting. Nothing is working.
Does anyone have any suggestions of how I can fix this problem, without having the Discs to restore Factory settings?
i make Stage 1) Boot into Single User Mode and remove a setup file
•Restart the Mac holding down the Command+S keys, this will take you into Single User Mode and it’s Terminal interface
•You’ll need to check the filesystem first:
fsck -fy
•Next, you must mount the root drive as writeable so that changes will save:
mount -uw /
•Now, type the following command exactly, followed by the enter key:
rm /var/db/.applesetupdone
but i cant open system preferences why?
Some people should just stick with making an appointment and going to the Genius Bar. Just sayin’
Does it cost money? I don’t have a warranty anymore! and some of my keys on the board don’t work, unless i type carefully.
How can I reset password on Macbook Air..?i also lost the disk
after that i cant in my macbook air
damn stuck at loading very long…still cant in how help me ?
I already sucessfully reset the password, but when i open mail dan safari, the system ask for old login keychain. How can I solve this? Please help.
I didn’t bother reading the comments but once you mount the filesystem type
passwd USERNAMENEEDINGPASSWORD
and it will ask you for the password you want to use
This is how one can break into Linux too. Single User on GRUB+Password change. Nice to see someone found a way to do that trick on Mac. I am new to Mac but a very old Unix/Linux hand…
For those who are having problems here is my experience:
Step 1: Keep rebooting and pressing Command+S till you get to the black terminal. Read Apple’s comment on “keep on trying”:
After typing in rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone make sure the file is really removed by typing
ls -a /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
In my case it did not remove the file.
So I entered:
su
You will see the prompt changing to something else.
Then type again:
mount -uw /
Now try the rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone and it should delete the file. Make sure to check if the file is deleted before typing in reboot.
You saved me and my Mac!!! After long hols I even forgot that I had changed my password…. Instructions are so clear even for a non techy savvy like me
thx again!
if you use the one without a disk, and you have software installed, i have office 2011 on there and i was wondering if it would delete anything because i don’t want to loose anything :0 someone please reply if they know the answer
No its will not delete anything. The whole purpose of deleting the applesetupdone file is to prompt you with a setup wizard screen so that you can create a new Admin account and reset the old acount’s password. Worked for me like a charm. Follow the instructions carefully.
I did this and created a new Admin account, but I can’t find the files from my old admin account (like my itune, iphoto and important excel docs are MIA). How do I now access them with my new Admin account?
THANK YOU! You totally saved my butt. Well-written instructions. I’m so happy to have my MB Air back!
[...] menu item that used to be in place prior to OS X 10.7, which was one of two original methods of resetting a Mac OS X 10.6 or prior password. Why the change to the Terminal method? Probably for increased security now that recovery [...]
will doing this with the disk delete old files, for example- songs on itunes?
No, no files are deleted.
thank you! this works perfectly!
Does this method erase all of your documents and photos?
Worked like a charm on osx lion MacBook Air! Followed Kaushik’s advice to keep checking to see if the .AppleSetupDone was deleted before rebooting. Awesome!
Just want to say “Thank You”! You are awesome. It worked in just as little as five minutes.
After I reboot system sits on grey screen and just spins what am i doing wrong !
i tried command+s didn’t work….please help!
Thanks so much for this – it worked!!
I’m using MacBook Pro 15″ 10.5.08, I’ve tried all the cmnd up here but when I typed in
“….applesetupdone” it says “No such file or directory”
I rebooted it and it brings up
“the mac has been offline for more than two months. As a result this mac has become unusable”
yet in a voice prompt
“help I’m a stolen mac computer, please return me to the rightful owner”
please I need your help, what do I do or how do I restore it back to normal status. I will appreciate your swift response.
I tried following the instructions on resetting password without a cd and it got me to the point of setting the Mac like when it was new. The only problem is it just keeps on going back to registration over and over again. It just won’t log on… Is there any help out there?
Will this work on a new MB Pro running Lion? Thanks!
[...] you ever forget your administrative password, there are two easy methods to reset the password. One requires the Mac OS X Install CD and the other does [...]
Is this going to delete all my files and work?
I need help! I did that and I just see a grey screen with my mouse! That’s it!
I need help! I did that and I have the set up screen but now my keyboard won’t work and I tried multiple keyboards. Every time I press a key all you hear is a sound.
If I restart my MacBook, because I forgot my password,will all of my pictures and downloads like skype and quicktime be lost? Will I have to re-download all this? I do have the CD so it can be easily done. I’m just scarred it will delete my files.
Love it worked great thank you!!!
To answer a question already answered:
No, neither method will erase any files except for the NOCD method which deletes a single file. This is not a normally used file by the user.
I have a MacBook pro Smith MAC os x 10.6.3 and i forgot The password TO login. I read the info in this blog, but the problem is that I have to press “alt” when I turn the computer on, so I can pick the Mac os drive instead of the windows drive. And after I do to this, if I press cmd+s it doesn’t do anything. Please help.
Had to do this because I bought a corporate used Macbook off Ebay that included no disk or password…worked like a charm…and I know nothing of script.
[...] you keep that disc with your computer and your computer is stolen, a thief can just as easily change your master password of the administrator giving them access to all your [...]
I’m using the metode with a CD and i got a little bit of a problem here, I restarted the Mac by pressing the off button, and holded the C-key, as told. But the screen is now just blue (after the rs) and it seems like nothing is ever going to happen here, so my question is, how do i solve this problem and is it dangerous to do a new restart after i did it once and pressed C ?
Okay, so NVM people, i figured it out, but still, i didn’t figured it out, I restarted it again, and the screen is still just blue? it seems like it doesn’t reed the CD or something… Any suggestions of what i should do?
Okay, so I’ve tried this option, and on reboot it asks for a software key to redo the setup. am I missing something here? I acquired my machine from an out of business ISP. Apple won’t support it because it’s in the VINTAGE era. It’s a G4 Xserve. If I had the install CD, this really wouldn’t be an issue, but I don’t.
I’ve had this machine for awhile and hadn’t booted it up, so I never thought about it. Now that I need it, I can’t even get into it other than in Single User Mode.
Anyone have some extra ideas?
Thanks!
my administrator account stays logged in, so when i turn my computer on, it goes straight in. the problem is that i cannot download any softward becasue there is a password on the account. and i cant access it, i got my macbook OSX from my aunt that died and have no way to recover the password. do i have to log out of the account and then shut off the computer? i tried the method and it didnt work for me so i was wondering if i need to just log out THEN shut down the computer and restart the process? please i need this done ASAP!!
Thank’s a lot! It was a life saver!
Excellent work. I rescued my old Mac Mini with your help.
Thank You very much!
You saved my life.
Thanks heaps, very helpful & well written instructions
will this erase any of the files on my mac? please help thanks
I did, and all my files gone, Please help Thanks
Hey,
I am at the moment still not able to solve this problem. I forgot my initial admin password and have successfully set up a new admin with another name and a password i remember. However, my system is set up so that i automatically log in to the admin account whose password i forgot which is useful cuz it has all my stuff. Is there a way to change my original admin password via the admin rights of the second admin i made?
It is suggested to do so via ‘system preferences’ and then change password but even if i log into the second admin i cannot change the password from the first login (maybe because i am at the time logged into that first admin as well). Is there a way around this???
Thanks
This tip worked great. I acquired a Mac from someone but had no CDs with it and was able to erase everything from the previous owner and start from scratch. Thanks!
Saved my life!!! Thank you!!!!
This was brilliant, thanks so much for posting!
You can also make a usb drive into a copy of the disc if you have an air. Borrow a friends computer to make it.
This worked great for my college daughter and now I am a HERO!! Thanks
have no idea what happened but my mac just doesn’t let me to log in . tried your suggestions but Cmd S doesn’t work on y Mac 10.6.4. don’t know why
Plz help , people
I had to press applekey+s multiple times at boot. Just holding it did not work. Furthermore for me just mount -auw worked. mount -uw did not remove all write restrictions.
That was cool!!!!! Thank you for posting! Saved me a lot of headache
I typed “exit” instead or “reboot” after issuing the commands, and was brought to the grey boot screen. After 15 minutes I manually powered down and tried to reboot. But I’m still getting hung up at this grey boot screen.
Help, anyone?
Boot into safe mode and see what happens, or boot from Lion Recovery HD by holding down Command+R
Thanks for the reply Dou.
I ended up unplugging the unit from the wall and waiting for awhile, then plugged back in and booted up. I don’t know if my logic was correct, but it worked! I got past the grey screen and was able to finish the rest of the guide successfully.
(typing this from the MacPro in question…yay!)
you can change the password without cancel install folder.. You can use passwd after remount filesystem for change root password and then you can use su “username” for log as user and use passwd for change personal password.
Fanatastic. I was able to change password with no problems following instructions.
Thank you.
cmd+s isnt rebooting plz help me…this was a ray of hope…but ain’t working!!!awaiting your reply
one thing i noticed is that once you’re in terminal mode, the first command:
fsck -fy
takes a long time to execute. You’ll have to wait (at least I had to) until you get “the volume (whatever your hard disk is named) appears to be OK.” And the rest of your directions worked perfectly.
To everyone who asked this question: Will it wipe out my hard drive? Read through the threads! The answer is NO!
Please friends I really need help I just brought a new MacBook Air 13inch and my password doesnt work Im locked out on the Login screen…the main first screen just after you wake it up.
The problem is I dont even get to the desktop and Holding COMMAND & S doesnt do anything
Id appreciate any advice
Nice! Thanks buddy!
it worked thks
Tried to use the install disk and when ask to select a disk the only disk it showed was the install CD, no Mac HD was listed.
So I used the rm .AppleSetupDone method and it worked great!
Thanks
Well like magic !!!!
How do you bypass if its firmware locked??
please I’m having a problem like some of the commenters here.
i do everything as going to the single user mode and run the commands but when the machine is asked to reboot with the ”shutdown -r now” command, the grey screen doe snot take me to the screen where i have to setup the account to logon. can someone help me please. i have this problem and now this is the second day that it is happening. i have very important work but i dont know when this can be resolved. i see some people here have done it without a hitch and surprisingly i have done the same thing but mine wont work.
So what screen do you end up at?
the grey one with with the around circle spinning as if something is happening in the background and ofcourse the apple logo. from there it does nothing. i left the machine on the all night thinking it will work in the morning for me to proceed to the screen where i can use the new account(administrator)
the grey one with with the around circle spinning as if something is happening in the background and ofcourse the apple logo. from there it does nothing. i left the machine on the all night thinking it will work in the morning for me to proceed to the screen where i can use the new account(administrator)
Thanks! Worked like a charm!!
Thank you VERY much !!
I had my Pro back up drive connected to a new Mac mini during first time set up and it just grabbed my PRO user name, ( w/o asking me! ) but NOT my actual password.
Saved me lots of driving, thanks again.
Thank you so much! This worked perfectly!
Thank you so much for this, I left my installer CD in the US where I bought my Macbook pro from.
thanks very much
really
I completed the first step.
I got the wizard screen as you would on the very first start up.
However I can’t type in ANY of the fields.
I tried restarting the Mac and repeating step 1.
Again the same problem…
I can’t type on any of the 5 keyboards I hooked up to the Mac.
PLEASE HELP!!!
Hi Everyone,
Thanks for creating this post.
My landlord found a mac book pro in the middle of the road this morning, and thanks to this post, I was able to bypass the main log in screen in an attempt to find out who owned the laptop.
Access to the laptop provided a name found on a photo; a Google name search lead to a YouTube video, which in turn lead to a former employer.
A couple of phone calls later, I was able to connect with the owner and return her laptop.
Thanks again, this information was a big help in finding the laptop owner, and couldn’t have been done without it.
Brilliant, I really appreciate the help, this worked great. many thanks
Hey if you can some how disable the s key on boot up you can’t access the root mode,is this possible ?
please help me loll D;
Holly F…ing Crap… I could kiss you silly right now. I can believe I got this to work!!! Thank you soooo much!!!
I could kiss you silly right now. I can believe I got this to work!!! Thank you soooo much!!!
i done stage 1 and 2 sucesfuly.but in the end , after registration, new window come “create your account” i fill all the fields but i m unable to add a photo.on the right side “select a picture from the list above” there is no list.plz sum body help md.
need to know how to reset master password on a apple computer desktop mac os 9.1
does it erase all of your pictures and files and etc
thank you.
Ive gotten to the screen where it says “Finishing Up” with the multi-touch gestures, but it wont let me click “Start using Mac OS X Lion.” Can anyone help me out?
I followed the instructions to reset my Mac password without a CD, when I get to the final step to reset the password of the administrator it takes me through the process then comes up with the message reset password failed. What can I do to remedy this problem I’m having?
Can anyone PLEASE tell me how to delete the admin account I just created..
From another admin account. Go to Users & Accounts, select the account, press the minus button.
Lifesaver! Can’t thank you enough!!! cheers!!
buddy u have saved me n my mac…………
thanks a lot………..
Thanks! It worked perfectly!!!
Followed the steps thru Stage 2. I created a new user account. But instead of logging on, it goes right back to the beginning of the account setup. I setup an account over and over again without going anywhere. If someone has an idea of what may be wrong, please let me know.
Works great, thank you!
Does this erase all my files?
Hello,
I am trying to do this on my Mac os x 10.7.4, but as soon as I check the filesystem I get this:
Clares-MacBook-Pro:~ claregrogan$ fsck -fy
** /dev/rdisk0s2 (NO WRITE)
Can’t open /dev/rdisk0s2: Permission denied
/dev/rdisk0s2 (hfs) EXITED WITH SIGNAL 8
Clares-MacBook-Pro:~ claregrogan$
Can you please help me, I’m a basic mac user!
Best Regards,
Clare
Type this first:
mount -uw /
then type:
fsck -fy
Hi Peter,
Thanks for your reply! Unfortunately I still got
Last login: Tue May 15 12:39:59 on console
Clares-MacBook-Pro:~ claregrogan$ mount -uw /
GetMasterBlock: Error 13 opening /dev/rdisk0s2
mount_hfs: Operation not permitted
Clares-MacBook-Pro:~ claregrogan$
Any more Ideas?
Best Regards,
Clare