Powerbook G4, Will older OS X work to clear passwords

Neither will help. You need a Leopard installer disc for 10.5.x.

Forgot Your Account Password

For Snow Leopard and earlier with installer DVD

Mac OS X 10.6- If you forget your administrator password,

OS X- Changing or resetting an account password (Snow Leopard and earlier).

For Snow Leopard and earlier without installer DVD

How to reset your Mac OS X password without an installer disc | MacYourself

Reset OS X Password Without an OS X CD — Tech News and Analysis

How To Create A New Administrator Account - Hack Mac

No guarantee the above will help, but you can try. If the computer is protected by a Firmware Password that prevents you from booting the computer without a password, then the above will not help at all.

There is no two disc set for OS X 9.1. Such a beast doesn't exist. Apple has Mac OS X 10.9.1 which only came as an online download.

But it also has Mac OS 9.1 (no X indication) that came on a white disc with an orange 9 logo, and some gray discs with a Mac model name on it,

and some of the orange 9 logo discs have Update labelled on them. The Powerbook may be able to use the 9.1 disc, if it shipped with 9.0.4, 9.0.2, 9.0 or 8.6.1 or earlier:

PowerBook G4 Computers: How to Identify Different Models

Mac OS: Versions, builds included with PowerPC Macs (since 1998)

The gray 9.1 installer disc will only work on Powerbook G4s that came with 9.1, and the disc is labelled Powerbook G4 for that specific model.

10.4 will work on Powerbook G4s as long as they are older than the 10.4 installer disc, and the 10.4 installer disc is a retail version as identified on this tip:

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2541

Or the 10.4 installer disc has Powerbook G4 indicated on it, and is for the same model of Powerbook G4 you already have.

Is there some reason you want 10.4 on your machine? If it is to run Classic, you'll need an external hard drive to backup your data, before installing Mac OS 9.

If it is to boot Mac OS 9, and your Mac is capable of it:

Mac models capable of dual-booting into 10.5 and Mac OS 9

You'll still need to backup your data before reformatting it to have Mac OS 9 drivers.

Powerbook G4's older than 9.2.1's release may use the 9.2.1, 9.1, 9.0.4, 9.0.2, or 9.0 retail depending on if they are older than that retail release.

Powerbook G4s older than july 1, 2002, but newer than 9.2.1's release must use the prebundled Mac OS 9.2.1 or 9.2.2 gray disc to install Mac OS 9.

These older Powerbooks to optimize their use of Classic will need 9.2.2:

How to find Mac OS 9 downloads?

Powerbook G4s newer than July 1, 2002 must use their prebundled restore discs to install Mac OS 9.

Edit: Update discs will only work when booted from an older version of the same system.

Hello Janusneu

I might propose you follow the steps in an article** I will outline below. This will help you not only remove passwords but completely destroy the existing user accounts and end up with a new fresh user account.

In summary the article will allow you to create a brand new administrator account on the computer. With that new user account you will be able to completely delete the existing account(s) on the computer. If you don't know how to delete the accounts let me know but in essence this will create a new user account (the admin account you create with the steps from the link I will post at the bottom) and allow you to feel some sense of ease with passing on a computer while not making the previous user's data available to the new owner.

As a further step to the above you can follow-up by launching disk utility to erase free space securely. I don't remember for a fact if 10.5.8's disk utility allows you to "erase free space" securely but it may***, if it does, I recommend you follow this recommendation because moving things to the trash or deleting a user account does not mean the files are gone from the hard drive per se. They remain there and someone who is adamant can try to recover those files but not if you securely erase them.

So, here is a brief rundown…

1) **create a new user account using single user mode http://www.rit.edu/its/services/desktop_support/mac/xforcenewadminacccount.html

2) delete the existing user accounts (for security) - Mac OS X 10.6: Deleting a user account The steps should be the same for 10.5.

3) Erase free space securely (I left a screenshot of this option as it appears in disk utility for Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks)

***It looks like it can, Mac OS X: About Disk Utility's erase free space feature

Erase free space option in Mavericks (Mac OS X 10.9) - should be very similar in 10.5.8

Please don't hesitate to chime back if you need more steps or clarification.

Alex

I don't know it this would accomplish your task but it may be worth a try. It should remove the existing account info and allow you to setup as if a new system had been installed. The existing data wouldn't be affected.

http://www.macissues.com/2014/08/12/quickly-re-create-a-missing-admin-account-on -your-mac/#more-1566

I checked the file location on both 10.9, 10.7, and 10.4 with Disk Inventory X. http://www.derlien.com