administrator username and password not working

Hi all

I have a problem. When I want to make any changes in system preferences i have to enter administrator username and password, when i do it window shakes and it does not accept my details. I know that username and password are definetely correct because they work when i log in after rebooting my mac. I changed my password, did not solve the problem. I tried to create new account but to do this i need to enter administrator details which means I'm stuck. The problem started after i reinstalled system a week ago using recovery mode. Im using yosemite. please help

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3), null

Posted on Dec 15, 2015 3:15 PM

Reply
17 replies

Dec 16, 2015 2:58 PM in response to poodelek

Please read this whole message before doing anything.

This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

The purpose of the test is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party software that loads automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.

Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem.

Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.

Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.

The login screen appears even if you usually login automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.

Test while in safe mode. Same problem?

After testing, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of the test.

Dec 15, 2015 4:41 PM in response to poodelek

Please launch the Console application in any one 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 and start typing the name.

The title of the Console window should be All Messages. If it isn't, select

SYSTEM LOG QUERIES ▹ All Messages

from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select

View ▹ Show Log List

from the menu bar at the top of the screen.

Click the Clear Display icon in the toolbar. Then take an action that isn't working the way you expect. Select any lines that appear in the Console window. Copy them to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message by pressing command-V.

The log contains a vast amount of information, almost all of which is irrelevant to solving any particular problem. When posting a log extract, be selective. A few dozen lines are almost always more than enough.

Please don't indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.

Please don't post screenshots of log messages—post the text.

Some private information, such as your name or email address, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

When you post the log extract, you might see an error message on the web page: "You have included content in your post that is not permitted," or "The message contains invalid characters." That's a bug in the forum software. Please post the text on Pastebin, then post a link here to the page you created.

If you have an account on Pastebin, please don't select Private from the Paste Exposure menu on the page, because then no one but you will be able to see it.

Dec 16, 2015 11:18 AM in response to Linc Davis

thanks for your reply Linc


16/12/2015 19:15:37.013 com.apple.preferences.users.remoteservice[3700]: Failed to connect (_controller) outlet from (NSView) to (ODCServersViewController): missing setter or instance variable

16/12/2015 19:15:37.025 com.apple.preferences.users.remoteservice[3700]: Failed to connect (__serversSheetServersView) outlet from (ODCSummaryViewController) to (ODCServersView): missing setter or instance variable

Dec 17, 2015 1:41 AM in response to Linc Davis

Ok lets start from the beginning.

My mac started to be quite slow so i decided to do some cleaning. Cleared history from safari then caches from ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Cache.db - no problems.

Then I started to clear caches from ~Macintosh HD/Library/Caches and ~Macintosh HD/System/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Caches - had done it before, never had any problems. When moving stuff from one of these two folders (can't remember which one it was) as always before I was asked to enter administrator password (username was completed automatically). When i pressed "move to trash" my mac froze, i had to force reboot. When restarted apple logo showed on the screen then loading bar reached about 20% and mac switched off. Tried many times, still the same story. I phoned apple support, advised me to go to recovery mode which i did. Reinstalled system, logged in with old password, system worked well. I did not notice any changes until i had to do changes in system preferences. The rest you already know. As I mentioned, before it happened i had to enter only administrator password to make any changes in the system, now it does not recognise/remember my username and each time i have to enter both

Dec 17, 2015 2:06 PM in response to Linc Davis

I tried it in the beginning, but it wouldn't let me add new account. "+" under user list is grey so i need to click the lock to make changes but then it asks me for administrator details. I am logged in but it doesn't see me as administrator. All i can do is: change my password, add contact card, edit login items list and change my user picture... everything else is grey and i can't do anything about it

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

administrator username and password not working

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.