I have an old imac g5 and can't remember the admin password to log into my own account. Is there a way to reset the password? Btw, it's been so long since I used it, I don't even remember what os it is running on.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Ilikecheeze22 wrote:
How do I do that if apple doesn’t say how to do it with a G5 computer?
This guidance is for the OS, not the hardware.
At this point I am only guessing that the iMac is running OS X 10.5 since you can't remember anything more specific. In fact, that same guidance will work in earlier and later versions of OS X, through Catalina.
This will re-run the setup assistant and allow you to create a new admin user. With that you can reset the password of the user account that you have forgotten.
❝Here is a way to get around not knowing the admin password on Macs.
To reset your OS X password without an OS X CD you need to enter terminal and create a new admin account:
1. Reboot
2. Hold apple + s down after you hear the chime.
3. When you get text prompt enter in these terminal commands to create a brand new admin account (hitting return after each line):
* mount -uw /
* rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
* shutdown -h now
4. After rebooting you should have a brand new admin account. When you login as the new admin you can simply delete the old one and you’re good to go again! ❞
(Thanks Texas mac Man)
Also, that computer will have shipped with a set of Mac OS X and Application install DVDs. They should have been kept with the machine to its grave. Those can be used to boot, erase and reinstall the OS and apps when necessary.
Ilikecheeze22 wrote:
How do I do that if apple doesn’t say how to do it with a G5 computer?
This guidance is for the OS, not the hardware.
At this point I am only guessing that the iMac is running OS X 10.5 since you can't remember anything more specific. In fact, that same guidance will work in earlier and later versions of OS X, through Catalina.
This will re-run the setup assistant and allow you to create a new admin user. With that you can reset the password of the user account that you have forgotten.
❝Here is a way to get around not knowing the admin password on Macs.
To reset your OS X password without an OS X CD you need to enter terminal and create a new admin account:
1. Reboot
2. Hold apple + s down after you hear the chime.
3. When you get text prompt enter in these terminal commands to create a brand new admin account (hitting return after each line):
* mount -uw /
* rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
* shutdown -h now
4. After rebooting you should have a brand new admin account. When you login as the new admin you can simply delete the old one and you’re good to go again! ❞
(Thanks Texas mac Man)
Also, that computer will have shipped with a set of Mac OS X and Application install DVDs. They should have been kept with the machine to its grave. Those can be used to boot, erase and reinstall the OS and apps when necessary.
FYI, the last iMac G5 was released in Oct 2005. The newest OS that iMac could run is OS X 10.5 Leopard.
You should have a look at the following link for info regarding one way to access that computer; by rerunning the Setup Assistant.
admin password change OS X 10.5.8 - Apple Community
How do I do that if apple doesn’t say how to do it with a G5 computer?
Admin password reset for old iMac G5
