I'm showing as having a Regular Account. I want to be Admin. How?

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Level 4

2,786 points

I'm showing as having a Regular Account. I want to be Admin. How?

On my MBP, I have a small problem that resists a solution.

When I go to System Preferences/Users and Groups, I notice in "Click the Lock to Make Changes" that my account is locked. This presents a problem. For some reason, my account is listed as being a Regular Account (not Administrator). As a result, any time I try to click the lock to make changes, the system asks me for an Account Name and Password.

But in a kind of Mac Catch-22. When I enter the Account Name and Password, I get a shaky-screen error (indicating that the login or password hasn't been accepted). Apparently, a Regular Account lacks sufficient privileges even to Click the Lock to Make Changes. I cannot change logins or passwords, or other Admin functions.

To make things simpler, I'm a Lion user with a Regular Account. I want it to be an Admin Account. How do I make this change?

Thanks - I hope this is an easy one!

Posted on Jul 29, 2011 11:32 PM

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Answer 1

Jul 30, 2011 5:03 AM in response to Poikkeus

Admin user already set i.e. me:

And if you need to set a new user it's the same tick box:

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Answer 2

Poikkeus Author

Level 4

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Jul 30, 2011 6:55 AM in response to Poikkeus

[URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/854/users.jpg/][IMG]http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/7841/users.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Uploaded with [URL=http://imageshack.us]ImageShack.us[/URL]

Colin Robinson: Unfortunately, the screen is already locked, so I can't perform the changes shown.

FishComputer: "Guest User" is the only other account on my MBP.

Does this look fixable?

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Answer 3

Jul 30, 2011 6:54 AM in response to Poikkeus

Yes, click the lock to Authenticate then you can tick the box to upgrade to Amin account.

Regards,

Colin R.

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Answer 4

Poikkeus Author

Level 4

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Jul 30, 2011 7:05 AM in response to Colin Robinson

I clicked the lock, but it asks me for my Name and Password. When I enter my Name and Password, I get a "shaky screen" which usually indicates I've entered the wrong password or information.

It's as if my "Regular User" account has insufficient privileges to move te the next step.

Unlike your pic, my "lock" at the bottom left of the screen was locked beforehand, and I can't seem to do anything with it until it's unlocked!

Thanks so far for your help.

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Answer 5

Csound1

Level 9

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Jul 30, 2011 7:12 AM in response to Poikkeus

Was there another account on this machine at any time?

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Answer 6

Poikkeus Author

Level 4

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Jul 30, 2011 7:18 AM in response to Csound1

The only other account is "Guest User." That seems to be a default setting.

Aside from the "Regular User" and "Guest User," I have no other accounts.

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Answer 7

Jul 30, 2011 7:18 AM in response to Poikkeus

Yes, you need the master password that was first set up for your machine, not the password that you use to log on to that particular account.

I think the old SL DVDs had options to change this password if you had forgotten it - I wonder what the Lion equivalent is?

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Answer 8

Jul 30, 2011 7:20 AM in response to Poikkeus

Found it:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1274

See

Resetting the original administrator account password

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Answer 9

Tony T1

Level 6

10,232 points

Jul 30, 2011 7:22 AM in response to Colin Robinson

Colin Robinson wrote:

I think the old SL DVDs had options to change this password if you had forgotten it - I wonder what the Lion equivalent is?

In Lion, boot into Recovery HD (⌘R)

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Answer 10

Poikkeus Author

Level 4

2,786 points

Jul 30, 2011 7:24 AM in response to Csound1

Was there another account on this machine at any time?

CSound1: Frankly, I became aware of this issue only yesterday, when I tried to perform Admin functions (like I do on my iMac). I do recall having deleted a Regular Account before - but not an Admin Account. I'm the only user of this computer and its accounts.

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Answer 11

Poikkeus Author

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Jul 30, 2011 8:16 AM in response to Poikkeus

I've tried the various suggestions - which I do appreciate - but I'm flummoxed. (Look that up in your Lion contextual dictionary.)

I have a Lion backup disk, and booted into Recovery - but the functions are limited, and do not include Admin functions like resetting passwords.

The link for resetting the original admin account password looked promising, and the info still looked valid, Lion-wise. But in each case, the system either wanted me to start from an Admin account (which I don't have, apparently) or the name of the original Admin account (which, you guessed it, I don't have).

This Monday, I'm going to pay a visit to the Genius Bar with my MBP so they can sort it out. They might have tricks I'm unaware of. I'll post here with the results, of course.

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Answer 12

Poikkeus Author

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Jul 30, 2011 8:36 AM in response to Poikkeus

Ah, that's something I hadn't thought about. I'm not sure how I feel about a Clean Install, but I'm not sure if there are any other options. I back up my iMac, but not my MBP - and that introduces an additional expense and a certain investment of time.

Thanks...i'll be prepared for that.

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Answer 13

Poikkeus Author

Level 4

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Aug 1, 2011 4:48 PM in response to Poikkeus

And to the Genius Bar, I went.

Apparently, this sitiation was so new that two guys at the Bar couldn't figure it out, but the ranking Genius came up with the solution. After some BIOS tinkering and a reboot, the gang was able to set up my MBP was an Admin - without resorting to a Clean Reinstall.

Now, I can delete files without fear!

(Maybe not a major problem, but it bothers me that some users ask solutions, but don't post the solutions or outcomes.)

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Answer 14

Aug 2, 2011 11:17 AM in response to Poikkeus

Glad you got it fixed, don't think I'd like to go messing around with BIOS settings myself.

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