HT201609: If your Mac keeps asking for the login keychain password

Learn about If your Mac keeps asking for the login keychain password
BFlat.harmonic

Q: Okay. Got "System" and "System Root" unlocked, but "Local Items" refuses. What is that?

I read and successfully followed the advice at

 

OS X: Keychain Access asks for keychain "login" after changing login password - Apple Support

 

But...it only did 2/3rds the job. "System" and "System Root" I have now unlocked, but...."Local Items" refuses to unlock. My machine is a Macbook Pro under the thumb of OSX 10.9.4

 

1) Why would anyone care to unlock "Local Items" anyway? (yes...I am clueless)

2) This is an absurdly complicated kludge of a password maze, and rather stupid IMO....but then I know little about MAC, so maybe there's a reason for all this busy work.  Please enlighten me, if you actually know.

3)  So...how do I unlock the "Local Items"

Posted on Nov 22, 2014 9:09 PM

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Q: Okay. Got "System" and "System Root" unlocked, but "Local Items" refuses. What is that?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Nov 23, 2014 3:09 PM in response to BFlat.harmonic
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Nov 23, 2014 3:09 PM in response to BFlat.harmonic

    There are several possible causes for this issue. Please take each of the following steps that you haven't already tried, testing after each one, until it's resolved. Back up all data before making any changes.

    Step 1

    Follow the directions in this support article.

    Step 2

    Launch the Keychain Access application in any of the following ways:

    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

    ☞ In the Finder, select Go Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

    ☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Keychain Access in the icon grid.

    Select the iCloud keychain from the list on the left side of the Keychain Access window. If your default keychain has a different name, select that.

    If the lock icon in the top left corner of the window shows that the keychain is locked, click to unlock it. You'll be prompted for the keychain password, which is the same as your login password.

    Select

              Keychain Access Keychain First Aid

    from the menu bar and repair the keychain.

    Step 3

    Open the iCloud preference pane and uncheck the Keychain box. You'll be prompted to delete the local iCloud keychain. Confirm. Then re-check the box. Follow one of the procedures described in this support article to set up iCloud Keychain on an additional device.

    Step 4

    Open the Keychains folder as in Step 1. There should be a file in that folder with the name "login.keychain". If there is also a file iwith the name "login_renamed_1.keychain", then please do as follows:

    ☞ Rename login.keychain to "login-old.keychain".

    ☞ Rename login_renamed_1.keychain to "login.keychain".

    You can then close the folder. 

    Delete the login keychain from the keychain list in Keychain Access. Choose

               Delete References

    when prompted, not Delete References & Files.

    Select

              File Add Keychain...

    from the menu bar. Add back the file now named "login.keychain". If any of your needed keychain items are missing from it, also add back the file now named "login-old.keychain". I suggest you transfer any needed items from that keychain to the login keychain, then delete it. The transfers are made by drag-and-drop in Keychain Access. You'll need to enter your password for each item transferred. 

    Run Keychain First Aid again. Quit Keychain Access.

  • by BFlat.harmonic,

    BFlat.harmonic BFlat.harmonic Nov 23, 2014 10:40 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 23, 2014 10:40 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Hi Linc,

     

    Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply.

     

    My iPad iOS-8 runs circles around OSX without all that password brouhaha. It just works. The Macbook Pro is gorgeous enough to be in a museum but trips over itself with all this fussy-Keychain Access busyness. I tried implementing your advice. Here in three parts:

     

    PART-1: After going to getsupport.apple.com and receiving an appointment, earlier today Apple Care called me.  After more than an hour she managed to make Keychain no longer active, she said, but for my Mac login password which is now my keychain password. She was anxious to get off the phone, poor girl. She'd spent over an hour getting this "fixed" and told me to go to "get support.apple.com" if I had "other questions" but am hesitant to go back there again because  now my Macbook is worse than before. I don't know what good all she did, as "Keychain Access" spent the rest of the afternoon popping up asking for an alphabet soup of techno-talk Keychain passwords whenever I attempted anything.

     

    PART-2: I thought I'd either better go back to Windows (ugh) or turn on Keychain Access. Then I found your response. I tried turning Keychain Access on and tried doing your clear sounding Four-Step advice above, BUT....OSX is now popping open a window claiming that "The Application Keychain Access cannot be opened. -1712"

    Oh Really?!?!?!

     

    PART-3: Yes Linc, I tried all three of your methods to re-open Keychain Access (that I had opened many times in the last 48 hours). I used Searchlight which resulted in the message "The application KeyChain Access cannot be opened -1712" and I tried your second approach and although the devil application, Keychain Access is listed there at Finder->Go->Utilities, clicking on it just gave me the same message. Lastly your third method exposed that no "Utilities" is to be found in Launch Pad. When I type in "utilities" to the finder window at the top of Launch Pad it says nothing found. There IS, however "Voice over utilities" "Airport", "Disk," "Color-Synch Utility." But that is all.

     

    My experiences today make iOS-8 and stupid Windows look as straight forward as a Ford tractor compared to the over-complicated OSX Keychain Access

     

    None of the email programs, Mail, Postbox, Airmail, are able to remember passwords I put in the email accounts preferences panels. Useless. Before returning the Macbook to Apple, what might you advise?

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Nov 24, 2014 6:40 AM in response to BFlat.harmonic
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Nov 24, 2014 6:40 AM in response to BFlat.harmonic

    If you haven't already done so, restart the computer and try again. If an application won't quit and prevents restarting, force quit. As a last resort, force a shutdown by holding down the power button for a few seconds. Then press it again briefly to start up.

  • by BFlat.harmonic,Solvedanswer

    BFlat.harmonic BFlat.harmonic Nov 24, 2014 3:00 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 24, 2014 3:00 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Hi Linc,

    Did what you said: Force quit (Mail protested) then restarted. As you see from this screen shot of the Keypain Access, you will notice that on mine, regarding your Step-2, there is no iCloud Keychain visible on the left side panel, or anywhere on the Keychain Access window.

    image.jpg

    I've skipped "select iCloud Keychain from the list," and went to your next step: I opened KeyChain First Aid, and "repaired" the keychain. Window said repair complete. I did locate and opened the iCloud application and looked under "Manage" to see that it is named "iCloud" not something else. Also, while it does not name itself the "iCloud Preference pane" in the iCloud app there is a  list of eleven Apple applications from "Mail" through "Fiind my Mac." They're all checked except for "Keychain" and "Back to My Mac". Lastly there is NO iCLOUD application in that list. So but for the absence of iCloud in my machine in your Step-2 and now here at your Step-3 there is no iCloud.


    At this point it appears my Keychain is not on the Apple servers, but Keychain's annoying popup windows persist.


    So....thanks anyway Linc, I guess more drastic measures are next.

  • by BFlat.harmonic,

    BFlat.harmonic BFlat.harmonic Nov 24, 2014 3:40 PM in response to BFlat.harmonic
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 24, 2014 3:40 PM in response to BFlat.harmonic

    UPDATE: I went into Keychain Access -> Preferences -> First Aid and found that of the four chek box items, "Synchronize login keychain password with account" was NOT CHECKED. This seemed odd to me so I checked it. Magically both Apple Mail and Airmail now run without protest from Keychain.


    Amazing. I am grateful. It was your advice, that led me to poke around and discover that. Thanks for staying with me. 

  • by BFlat.harmonic,

    BFlat.harmonic BFlat.harmonic Nov 25, 2014 11:54 AM in response to BFlat.harmonic
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 25, 2014 11:54 AM in response to BFlat.harmonic

    Ha....like the Everready Battery Bunny, Keychain Access has returned to popping up with Keychain Login requests from Mail, Calander, and Safari.  The "Synchronize Login Keychain Password" it turns out, reduced the shear numbers of Keychain popup window demands but I see now that has failed to elimiinate them.

     

    Why Apple makes something that is so simple, to be so complicated, doesn't make sense for any but bureaucrats.  I am looking back at Windows with renewed appreciation, not that they're any paragon of good design, but Apple's Keychain is a train wreck.

  • by BFlat.harmonic,

    BFlat.harmonic BFlat.harmonic Nov 26, 2014 4:05 PM in response to BFlat.harmonic
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 26, 2014 4:05 PM in response to BFlat.harmonic

    Hurrah....Third time to the well of AppleCare netting "Bill" who knows OSX cold. He didn't have to ask the supervisor. He just knew. The Synchronized Login Keychain Password" took a day to synchronize. But then started logging into a black screen. None of my attempts to reset the system management controller worked. Still a black screen.

     

    Bill understood the problem and had me go into the shell to blow away the plist. That worked.

     

    Now the Macbook Pro looks like an actual computer. It even gets email.

     

    I still hope Apple dumps the Keychain.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Nov 26, 2014 5:48 PM in response to BFlat.harmonic
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Nov 26, 2014 5:48 PM in response to BFlat.harmonic

    blow away the plist

    What plist?

  • by BFlat.harmonic,

    BFlat.harmonic BFlat.harmonic Nov 28, 2014 1:12 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 28, 2014 1:12 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Hi Linc.

     

    Your helpful advice and the discovery of "Synchronize Login Keychain Password" fixed OSX's insistent demand for Keychain passwords, though strangely it took 24 hours for OSX to get it done. The NSA monitoring spyware had to play a part :-) 

     

    Odd enough for a separate discussion, but to answer your question fully, what happened next was that OSX did nothing but boot into a black screen (arrow cursor but that was all). I had tried the two common approaches (APPROACH ONE: Resetting the System Management Controller: a. shut down Mac, connect to Magsafe though Magsafe seems superfluous;  b. hold down Shift+Control+Option+Power button for a few seconds; c. release all keys and reboot --- APPROACH TWO: a. from the errant black screen press the Power button once which brings up the dialog box that of course cannot be seen since it's the dreaded black screen; b. Press the "S" Button which is reportedly the shortcut to sleep; c. Hold down Power button to force shutdown; d. Wait 15 seconds, then power up)......BUT NEITHER OF THE COMMON APPROACHES WORKED. They both booted, showing for a half second the white screen with Apple logo in the middle, then immediately reverted to black screen.


    I was at a crossroad. Either OSX was going to run today or I was moving on to Unix or going back to Windows (ugh). So I asked AppleCare for a REAL EXPERT.  "Bill" responded. After a few questions, he knew without having to consult with a supervisor or anyone, just what my issue was. That issue, here  below, is what "Bill" at AppleCare said to do and what I did that made the Macbook stop stumbling around like a dizzy blind drunk, and this answers your question about PLIST.

     

    1) Boot holding down S to (I assume) bring up the shell, thus putting me into command line

    2) mount -uw <enter>

    3) cd /Libraries/Preferences <enter>

    4) MV com.apple.loginwindow.plist  com.apple.loginwindow.polist.old <enter>

    5) reboot

     

    Bill explained that OSX was trying to boot into file that either didn't exist anymore or was corrupted. The reboot simultaneously upgraded OSX from 10.9.4 to 10.9.5 (which had been waiting for me install), automatically rebuilt a new  PLIST and put OSX right back on the login splash screen.

     

    Success….!