Leopard Does Not Recognise My Password - Help!!

Question

Level 2

238 points

Leopard Does Not Recognise My Password - Help!!

I am not a computer-techy so I need some simple help.

Yesterday I upgraded from 10.4.9 to Leopard 10.5. My iMac no longer recognises my Administrator's password which means that I am barred from properly using my computer.

How do I fix this? I have seen responses on other similar topics but they are so technical they go over my head.

I have never, in 7 years of using Macs, had such a problem before.

Intel 24" iMac: 2.33GHhz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 500GB hard drive + iMac G3., Mac OS X (10.5), Apple wireless keyboard/mouse, Lacie d2, HP PSC 1610, Belkin USB 2.0 hub.

Posted on Oct 27, 2007 8:43 AM

Reply

Answer 1

gexrich

Level 1

8 points

Oct 27, 2007 9:20 AM in response to Julian Brown

I'm having the same problem. Please let me know if you find a solution. Thanks.

Reply

Answer 2

BuzzsMac

Level 1

4 points

Oct 27, 2007 9:51 AM in response to gexrich

Start up from the Leopard install disc. You can do this by putting in the disc and hold down the c key while restarting. Continue until you get to the installer and click on the utilities menu on the top of the screen. Select reset password. Reset your password for each user if there are more than one user. Quit the utility and the installer, when asked to select a startup disc, choose your hard drive and restart. If all has gone well, your password should now work. You will also have to reset your keychain access once you login.

Reply

Answer 3

Ess Jay

Level 1

0 points

Oct 27, 2007 10:00 AM in response to BuzzsMac

I am having exactly the same problem and the restart via system DVD hasn't worked. I've even created a blank password and that still doesn't let me through.

In the password utility it gives me the option of being "System Administrator (root)" and I can log in via that using any password I like to set. This gives me access to all my files on the hard drive, but the desktop is emptied of all my own junk and programmes like iTunes and iPhoto do not access my own libraries of music and photos.

What is going on?

Help!!

Reply

Answer 4

Ess Jay

Level 1

0 points

Oct 27, 2007 10:23 AM in response to Ess Jay

OK

This;

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306840

worked!

Reply

Answer 5

Julian Brown Author

Level 2

238 points

Oct 27, 2007 11:31 AM in response to Ess Jay

I still can't do it. The link looks good but as a non-techy there's bits I don't understand. For example: Are the blank spaces actually spaces? Where it says [username] what goes each side of it? What is meant by "short name"?

I really need this explained to me more simply!

Reply

Answer 6

Oct 27, 2007 1:21 PM in response to Julian Brown

Finally, something that works.

1 Boot up from the install disc (hold down C key when restarting).
2 Launch the installer as if you are going to install.
3 From the Utilities menu, select reset Passwords
4 In the username field type: System Administrator (root)
5 In the password field type the password you want to use
6 Quit the change passwords app
7 From utilities, select Start Up Disk. Choose you HD as the start up disc and restart
8 Once restarted, select accounts from the System Preferences menu
9 Click the lock at the bottom left
10 When asked for username and password, enter System Administrator as the username and the password you changed earlier as the password
11 Click the enable user to administer computer check box for your account. Your account should now change from Standard to Admin.

Reply

Answer 7

Soldi

Level 1

0 points

Oct 27, 2007 6:33 PM in response to Julian Brown

Hi there i had the same problem, the following link worked
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306840

But i had to use the "root" System Administrator user to fix the problem, it seemed to remove my other user name. Anyway though this might help.

Soldi

Reply

Answer 8

Oct 28, 2007 2:43 AM in response to Julian Brown

I had exactly the problem you describe and used the document http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306840 which resolved the problem. For the user name you must use the short name (usually the first part of your account name without capitals ie. Account name Dave Smith - short name dave) Where there are spaces, they are just that spaces.

You don't need anything like brackets etc around that short name. If you don't want to try it on your own try apple technical support but be prepared for a long wait and they will talk you through it, but the guy I spoke to didn't seem to appreciate it required the short account name.

My system is now up and running with all accounts functioning normally and no data loss or corruption. Good luck!

Reply

Answer 9

Julian Brown Author

Level 2

238 points

Oct 28, 2007 2:57 AM in response to Orangeboot

If I go to Macintosh HD then Places there is a house logo with 8 lower case letters against it which are the first 8 letters of my user name. Is that my short name?

I am confused by the [username] bit. I realise that I replace that with my short name (whatever it might be) but what goes either side of it?

Under note 5 it looks like: Users/shortname AuthenticationAuthority. (no space after /, space after shortname).
Under note 8 it looks like: passwd shortname. (space after passwd).

Can someone confirm or otherwise please?

Reply

Answer 10

Julian Brown Author

Level 2

238 points

Oct 28, 2007 4:02 AM in response to Orangeboot

I went through this carefully and it didn't work.

As soon as I finished I tested it and my password was still not recognised even though the password hint given after 3 attempts related to the password I used.

I think I'll buy a Dell with Windows Vista!

Reply

Answer 11

Oct 28, 2007 5:10 AM in response to Soldi

You wouldn't believe this! I got round the problem of not being recognised as Administrator in Leopard by simply typing the word "root" (without the inverted commas) into the Administrator's username box whenever I wanted to make changes requiring Administrator approval. As password I entered the one I defined for the "System Administrator (root)" in the Mac OS X Installation Password Utility (described above).
I only defined a password for this (probably unnessessarily) when I was still tearing my hair out to find a solution to this problem, but apparently it's not advisable to change this root password.

Good luck everybody. Nasty teething problems not unlike those of Microsoft products.

Reply

Answer 12

Julian Brown Author

Level 2

238 points

Oct 28, 2007 5:17 AM in response to Julian Brown

After much hair-tearing this worked for me:

1 Boot up from the install disc (hold down C key when restarting).
2 Launch the installer as if you are going to install.
3 From the Utilities menu, select reset Passwords
4 In the username field type: System Administrator (root)
5 In the password field type the password you want to use
6 Quit the change passwords app
7 From utilities, select Start Up Disk. Choose you HD as the start up disc and restart
8 Once restarted, select accounts from the System Preferences menu
9 Click the lock at the bottom left
10 When asked for username and password, enter System Administrator as the username and the password you changed earlier as the password
11 Click the enable user to administer computer check box for your account. Your account should now change from Standard to Admin.

Reply

Answer 13

Oct 28, 2007 5:33 AM in response to Julian Brown

Hi Julian,
+If I go to Macintosh HD then Places there is a house logo with 8 lower case letters against it which are the first 8 letters of my user name. Is that my short name?+ Yes as far as I know

+I am confused by the username bit. I realise that I replace that with my short name (whatever it might be) but what goes either side of it?+ Nothing

+Under note 5 it looks like: Users/shortname AuthenticationAuthority. (no space after /, space after shortname).+ Correct

+Under note 8 it looks like: passwd shortname. (space after passwd).+ Correct

As an alternative do you have another account on the machine you can access as there is a keychain fix now available on the apple web site which if you can install via another account might work. http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/loginkeychainupdate10.html

Message was edited by: Orangeboot

Reply

Answer 14

Oct 28, 2007 9:24 AM in response to Ess Jay

I've tried everything mentioned in this tread including this and it doesn't work. Once again Apple has screwed up. I'm now handing in limbo.

Reply

Answer 15

goep

Level 1

5 points

Oct 28, 2007 10:34 AM in response to Julian Brown

I've tried booting up with the install disc, but it asks for my name and pw before it will even restart. How do I get around that?

Reply