migrating to OS 10.5 from 10.4. I forgot the password to my encrypted home folder and am unable to log in and reach the desktop.

Question

migrating to OS 10.5 from 10.4. I forgot the password to my encrypted home folder and am unable to log in and reach the desktop.

It appears that I have lost the ability to log in and reach the desktop because of problems accessing my keychain for Filevault.So, I need to reboot from DVD, change my login password, which I can accomplish via the utilities menu in the startup OS 10.5 dvd, then change my filevault keychain password. OS 10.5 is installed on the macbook, by the way.

I need to find a way to a similar utility that allows me to change the keychain password to filevault from the dvd as well. Is there a way to do this through the utilities menu? Changing the keychain access is recommended elsewhere using Apple menu's System Preferences selection, but the selection is grayed out as is the entire Apple menu when I am at the startup installation screen, which is the same place I am able to access the utilities menu for the login password change. Please help. Thanks

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.5)

Posted on Nov 26, 2012 5:49 AM

Reply

Answer 1

BDAqua

Level 10

238,997 points

Nov 26, 2012 11:11 AM in response to sleepswiththefishes

Ouch, the Filevault/Master Password is totally different.

One of the drawbacks of encrypting data is that if the user forgets his or her password, access to the files in the home folder is lost. If an account has FileVault enabled, an administrator user cannot use Accounts preferences to change that account's password, nor can the administrator user turn off FileVault for the account; only the user can do that.

Because users often forget passwords, Mac OS X provides a master password feature to allow passwords on FileVault-protected accounts to be reset. The master password is used only as a back door for recovering FileVault-encrypted accounts. If during login a user enters three incorrect passwords for his or her FileVault-encrypted account, the account's password hint is displayed along with a Reset Password button. After the user clicks Reset Password and enters the master password (obtained from the administrator), he or she can set a new login password.

If you forget the master password, you can reset it, but you must know the passwords for any accounts with FileVault enabled:

As an administrator user, delete the master password keychain file (/Library/Keychains/FileVaultMaster.keychain). When the master password keychain is deleted, Mac OS X assumes that no master password is set yet.

In Security preferences, set a new master password.

Log in to each account that has FileVault turned on, and use Accounts preferences to reset the password for each account.

NOTE

Do not forget the master password! Although it is possible to reset the master password, it still requires all users with FileVault-protected accounts to know their passwords. If a user has forgotten his or her login password, and you have forgotten the master password, there is no way to recover the user's data.

http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=420905&seqNum=3

Reply