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Locked out of my mac pro, No Password No User Name, Boot from C doesnt work...

Hi guys,


Pre-Face:


I have had a Mac pro for a few years now. The system is running on OSX Leopard. It used to be used for work until about a week or so ago. I finally decided to bring her home for me and my wife to use for personal projects. I began cleaning the system from old work projects (video projects) to make space and to seperate work from home stuff. In the process I decided to make new users and passwords. I wrote them down on a post it note and my wife in all her wisdom threw the post it note away along with other papers on the desk thinking it was trash...😐 Well, I had the system logged in and plugged in one of my high end gaming mouse's for her to use to edit some photo's with. Well I also have a PC across the room and my wife wanted to use it instead of the mac for some reason... So she took the mouse out of the Mac Pro and proceeds to turn off the mac...



The Problem:


I walk into my office and go to get on my Mac... I notice my mouse is gone and the machine is off. I proceed to get my mouse back and boot the machine. When the machine comes up their are no user accounts and I am now locked out of my system. I have tried every user name and password I can think of that I would have used but since my wife threw away the post it note... I am pretty much F'd on remembering the right combo... I have spent hours trying combo's.


PROBLEM #1: Locked out of Mac with no Users or passwords...


PROBLEM #2: Trying to Boot "C" from original install disk results in white screen...


I know if I can boot from the disk I may be able to find the user names and reset their passwords and sharpie it to the case... lol


I have a few pet projects that I would like to start... any and all help would be appreciated!


Thanks,


Mike

Mac Pro, iOS 5.1.1

Posted on Dec 5, 2012 3:40 PM

Reply
4 replies

Dec 10, 2012 10:18 AM in response to bullitt5897

So I fixed the problem. Turns out the MAC deleted all of my user accounts but the root files and folders were still there.


To fix the problem I found one of my MAC OEM Installation disks (macbook pro disk I found in my software shelf). I then Booted from the disk By holding C.


When the system came up to re install or recover from time machine. I clicked on Utilities password reset. Hoping my users were still there... they werent! So I reset the Admin (ROOT) password and restarted from the harddrive.


Once I logged in I went to system pref. and went to user accounts and remade the user name that I new my lost one was. Once there the system told me the account folder already existed and to merge into this account. I said yes. I logged out and logged back in.


The system asked if I wanted to update my keychain password... I took a couple of shots at it and then got lucky and got it right on the third try lol...


Now my system is back up and running!!!!

Locked out of my mac pro, No Password No User Name, Boot from C doesnt work...

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