HELP! lost password on a macbook

0ubliette

Hey all you macheads, quick question for you,
i have a macbook in work, it was the bosses, he never used it. He left on friday and told me to take it and piss about with it if i like, so i did, problem is i cant log in to the bastard thing. I know the username, but even the boss has forgotten the password. Is there any kind of built in admin account i can log into, or even a guest account? I know sod all about macs so youll have to excuse me on this one.
Thanks

pa

Get a Mac OS X install CD/DVD, put it in the computer, and start up with the 'C' key pressed down. When it's booted, look at the menubar at the top of the screen. Select "Utilities", then "Reset Password".

Change the password, reboot, and you should be able to login as root when the computer starts up. Then, click on the blue Apple icon in the top-left of the screen and select "System Preferences". Click on the button marked "Accounts" and set up a proper user account for yourself.

0ubliette

ta very much for that, now i just have to find the sodding osx cd

0ubliette

well for anyone else who has a problem with passwords on a mac, even someone who hates macs such as me can get past the password protection easily, by doing this:


1. Restart the computer in Mac OS X single user mode by holding Command-S at startup.

2.Mount the computer’s drive for read/write access. To do so, type the following command at the command prompt, and then press Enter:

mount -uw /

3.Remove the file that identifies that the initial run of the “Mac OS X Setup Assistant” has been completed, with this command at the command prompt, followed by Enter:

rm /var/db/.applesetupdone

4.

Restart the computer by entering this command, followed by Enter.

reboot

5. The Mac OS X Setup Assistant screen should appear after the reboot, just as it does when you start up a brand new computer or upgrade to a new version of Mac OS X.

I just created a new account and logged in in 2 mins, was helpful as i couldnt find the osx cd in the office. So there ya have it.

440Hz

Uhmmmm well thats great for anyone who is into lifting Macs! Now they know how to make the machine their own and sell it on

urgh

davork

440Hz wrote:

Uhmmmm well thats great for anyone who is into lifting Macs! Now they know how to make the machine their own and sell it on

urgh

True, but nothing that isn't in the apple docs already

pa

It's the same as any computer - once you have physical access, you can do as you like. You can read any files on a Windows computer by booting it from a Linux Live CD, for example.

If you want to secure your Mac better, then you can add a password to Open Firmware, so it won't even boot without a password. Then, turn on FileVault so your home directory is encrypted.

440Hz

davork wrote:

True, but nothing that isn't in the apple docs already

true! this just makes it easier hehe