Ratbatty

Q: Do I have a password or not?

I just worked on a Mac that needed updating, but when I tried to update it, it asks me for a user name and password. The owner has no idea what this is.

 

There only seems to be one account on the Mac (the one I am logged into). It is an admin account. If I restart that Mac I am not asked for a password, it just logs in.

 

So is there a password on this account? Surly it would ask me for it when I logged it if there were? But if there is no password, why am I being asked for one if when I try to update? (I did try using a bank password, but it would not accept that).

 

Is there a way to remove the forgotten password (if it exists that is).

Mac mini, iOS 8.1.1

Posted on Jul 3, 2015 10:10 AM

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Q: Do I have a password or not?

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  • by D.Cohen,

    D.Cohen D.Cohen Jul 3, 2015 10:13 AM in response to Ratbatty
    Level 6 (8,424 points)
    Desktops
    Jul 3, 2015 10:13 AM in response to Ratbatty

    I think you are talking about your account password.

    The instructions on these support pages will help you:

    OS X: Apple ID can be used to reset your user account password - Apple Support

    Change or reset a user account password on your Mac - Apple Support

  • by Ratbatty,

    Ratbatty Ratbatty Jul 3, 2015 12:08 PM in response to D.Cohen
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 3, 2015 12:08 PM in response to D.Cohen

    Yes, it is the user account. This is (yet) connected to iCloud.

     

    This is where I get confused. Your link says:

     

    >If you don't know your current password

    >If you forgot your user account password, start up your Mac and try to log in.

     

    But it never asks me to log in. If I reset the Mac it logs itself in automatically, without ever asking me to login. I am right there on the desktop. Which makes me think there is no password. Only when I do the update, it asks me for a password.

  • by BDAqua,

    BDAqua BDAqua Jul 3, 2015 1:00 PM in response to Ratbatty
    Level 10 (123,855 points)
    Jul 3, 2015 1:00 PM in response to Ratbatty

    It can be set to automatically login any user, PW or not, but later OSxes will be a problem if you really do not have a password.

     

    What version of OSX are you on?

  • by Ratbatty,

    Ratbatty Ratbatty Jul 4, 2015 6:31 AM in response to BDAqua
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 4, 2015 6:31 AM in response to BDAqua

    >It can be set to automatically login any user, PW or not,

     

    Thank you, that is helpful to know. I guess that must be what is happening here.

     

    >What version of OSX are you on?


    It's currently on 10.4.7, I would like to bring it as up to date as possible. Ideally all the way to Yosemite so I can use iCloud Drive Photos to sync the photo collection with a different machine. It is an older Mac that has not been connected to the Internet for a long time. I know Apple stop supporting newer operating systems on old Mac, but I could not find the list which says how far up the upgrade path each model of Mac can go. This is an old iMac, with a 2.16 Ghz Core 2 Duo and 1Gb of RAM. So I suspect I am not going to get Yosemite, but I need to update as far as I can to get all the bug fixes, that's blocked without a password at the moment.


    From your description I need to try the password recovery link (which I will do next week). I am not hopeful of that being successful. I assume what I have to do in that case is back up the data and reinstall the OS from scratch.

  • by BDAqua,

    BDAqua BDAqua Jul 4, 2015 10:09 AM in response to Ratbatty
    Level 10 (123,855 points)
    Jul 4, 2015 10:09 AM in response to Ratbatty

    In 10.4.x,open System Preferences>Accounts, does it say admin under your name?

     

    To see how far your Mac can go OS wise...

     

    At the Apple Icon at top left>About this Mac, then click on More Info, then click on Hardware> and report this upto but not including the Serial#...

     

    Hardware Overview:

     

    Model Name: iMac

    Model Identifier: iMac7,1

    Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo

    Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz

    Number Of Processors: 1

    Total Number Of Cores: 2

    L2 Cache: 4 MB

    Memory: 6 GB

    Bus Speed: 800 MHz

    Boot ROM Version: IM71.007A.B03

    SMC Version (system): 1.21f4

  • by Ratbatty,

    Ratbatty Ratbatty Jul 6, 2015 12:55 PM in response to BDAqua
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 6, 2015 12:55 PM in response to BDAqua

    >does it say admin under your name?


    Yes it does.


    >Hardware Overview:


    I have that bit. The bit I am missing is the chart that says if you have such and such a Mac you can go up to Lion, or Yosmite, or whatever. I am sure I once saw a webpage with such a chart, I just cannot find it again.

  • by BDAqua,

    BDAqua BDAqua Jul 6, 2015 12:58 PM in response to Ratbatty
    Level 10 (123,855 points)
    Jul 6, 2015 12:58 PM in response to Ratbatty