I made a clean install of High Sierra and created a login password. Because I had to shutdown and restart several times I omitted the login password, which was more convenient. Now I have to create several symbolic links and need the Terminal command 'sudo ln -s <from> <to destination >....', but Terminal refuses to execute and asks for a password.
I am logged in as administrator, so what is going wrong?
Thanks in advance
Hans
The admin account should still have a password, even if you opted to omit the password on login.
Therefore, when you sudo... you'll be prompted for the password which you should type blind - i.e you won't see it echoed back on the screen, but it will still be processed and allow the command to execute (assuming you enter the password correctly).
The login password option means you don't need to enter the password to log into the system (generally a bad idea, especially for an admin account), but it doesn't mean that it automatically enters the password everywhere the system requires one.
The admin account should still have a password, even if you opted to omit the password on login.
Therefore, when you sudo... you'll be prompted for the password which you should type blind - i.e you won't see it echoed back on the screen, but it will still be processed and allow the command to execute (assuming you enter the password correctly).
The login password option means you don't need to enter the password to log into the system (generally a bad idea, especially for an admin account), but it doesn't mean that it automatically enters the password everywhere the system requires one.
Sounds to me that what the OP has done is simply enable auto login -- this does not remove password it simply tells the mac to start up with that user automatically logged in. Any external network connection would still need a username and password.
But, the fact that OP has tried to respond to the sudo command with what they believe to be the password and it not working implies to me that the OP isn't giving the correct password.
If that is the case then perhaps resetting the password for this system is in order -- to do that just do a Recovery type boot and open a Terminal window and type the resetpassword command -- here is a link with details...
https://coolestguidesontheplanet.com/reset-forgotten-admin-password-mac-osx/
Good luck...
You're not understanding my comments it would seem -- look at the Users & Groups System Preferences pane -- then click on the Login Options item at the bottom left -- you will see a pane that at the top has "Automatic Login" option and I would guess that your username is in that item -- this means the the system will automatically log that user onto the system -- that username's password still exists and in your case when you try and do the "sudo" command or any other operation that requires authorization you will still need to enter the admin password. The automatic login mode does not remove the need for any password, except when it comes to turning on the system or rebooting it.
As far as "external network connection" I'm referring to any other computer or device on your local network.
Good luck...means exactly that, nothing sinister or anything else -- just exactly that -- no more and no less
If Terminal and specifically sudo is not accepting a non-null password, and if the account is an admin account, log out of Terminal, reboot, and try again. As a second test, specify the username and password of a valid admin account on the sudo. Failing all that, reset the password to a non-null, non-trivial value in System Preferences, reboot, and try again.
The admin account password should be typed in when you do the "sudo" type commands. Did you try that?
Good luck...
hanyvo wrote:
There is no other admin acount, I am the only user.
Okay. Use and test that with a password, and create and use a second admin as backup admin access, and for further testing.
Ok. I think I understand what you mean. But all the risks what could happen and bad ideas aside: it still is my system and responsibility to do with it as I want.
To answer your question: I used the password with which I logged in before I deleted it, and no success. No, I didn't make a mistake because it was a very simple, easy to remember password because I knew I would change that later on to a more sophisticated one.
So my (first) question was how to reset this password
Thanks a lot for your ideas. Wasn't that bad after all, in my opinion. What did you mean by ".. Any external network connection.."? After automatically login I can go where I want to go. No (account)username or password needed, other than those which were set from the beginning as in this community.
Now I have 2 options to work around this which I will try. "Good luck", sounds a little sinister but I can't live without. Thanks again you both, for your cooperative attitude.
Hans
There’s a whole lot of data of other folks—your contacts, potentially sensitive email of yours and of theirs, your mail server access, your credentials—that this approach is exposing. You may well have data from folks also seeking to avoid violent ex-partners. Or stalkers, or the brigading hoards.
Your Mac will get eventually get replaced or repaired, or damaged, or stolen, or breached, and any unencrypted data and any non-protected data will get exposed.
Want login convenience? Get an Apple Watch, and enable the login-by-watch.
Apple will continue to take steps to increase security, too. No-password logins are variously blocked, or features are disabled.
English is not my native tongue, but after your ample explanation I am absolutely sure I did understand perfectly what you meant. I entered a password which was easy to remember, pronouncable and what made sense to me alone. Then, for reasons of convenience, I deleted the password. Whether or not foolish, silly, naive, lazy, is NOT the isue. The isue is that Terminal does NOT accept my (easy to remember) password. I took a sentence of "These are the days of our lives", skipped most of the vowels and there you go with a new and easy to remember password. Copy/paste and printed it on a piece of paper so my memory won't fool me. The iMac accepted this password, but Terminal refused. Why, is the question, and more important: is there a workaround?
I am not jeopardizing my contacts and their conversations with me, there are no documents or sensitive data whatsoever. Only an ssd with Mac OSX and an empty (still) hdd which I was busy setting up for my data.
When all these hints don't work, then my only option would be to install a clean operating system.
hanyvo wrote:
You're just kidding, right?
I have no idea what your skill level is and if you have ever used a command line before. If a person has never used a command line before, then that person may not think to press "Return". No insult was intended.
hanyvo wrote:
You're just kidding, right?
No, HWTech is very likely not.
We get all kinds of questions here. Including folks that are confused with the lack of character echo, or the need for the carriage return.
We don’t know you and your skills, past what’s been posted and what can be inferred from same.
We get in trouble when we assume technical knowledge, too. Too much, or too little. See above.
BDAqua wrote:
Please don't be insulted if we mention something you already know, we're just trying to cover all bases.
Don't worry, I can't be insulted so easy. On the contrary I am just very happy with al the inputs and ideas I am getting in this community.
Related to easing the sudo password authentication effort and per one of the Apple folks, “if you added pam_tid.so to your sudo PAM config on a T2 Mac and are running watchOS 6 on a paired watch you can auth sudo with a Watch double-click!” This is apparently available on macOS Catalina if not earlier, though I’ve not yet a configuration capable of testing this.
As mentioned: I am logged in as administrator and omitted the login password.
How to reset the password Terminal wants?
