changing keychain access login

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changing keychain access login

This is a used Mac that the seller's admin password.
I have reset the admin password according to these instructions, (at the end of this post) but now I'm stuck at the keychain access login.
The Keychain Access folder says the login is locked. I have clicked "unlock" and it wants a password. I entered my new admin password. It says it's an invalid password, try again. ??? now what?

The responder previously said, "you'll want to also follow the steps in Mac OS X 10.4: Keychain Access asks for keychain "login" after changing login password." I did not get a prompt to change keychain login after I changed admin password. My system is running 10.3.9 presently. Should I upgrade to Tiger to finish the keychain access login part? Or can I change the keychain access login with the present OS? How do I do that? I'm afraid I'm just not following what the responder meant by those instructions. I'm so confused.
thanks in advance,
b

PREVIOUS POST:
Follow these steps to reset a password when there is only one administrator account on the computer, or if the original administrator account (of several) needs a password reset. "Original" administrator account refers to the one that was created immediately after installing Mac OS X.
1. Start up from a Mac OS X Install CD (one whose version is closest the the version of Mac OS X installed). You should first disable Open Firmware password protection, if it is enabled. Hold the C key as the computer starts.
2. Choose Reset Password from the Installer menu (or Utilities menu in Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger). Tip: If you don't see this menu or menu choice, you're probably not started from the CD yet.
3. Select your Mac OS X hard disk volume.
4. Set the user name of your original administrator account.
Important: Do not select "System Administrator (root)". This is actually a reference to the root user. Do not confuse it with a normal administrator account.
5. Enter a new password.
6. Click Save.
After following these steps, you'll want to also follow the steps in Mac OS X 10.4: Keychain Access asks for keychain "login" after changing login password.

iMac G5 17" 1.8Ghz Power PC, Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Posted on Jan 27, 2007 12:41 PM

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Answer 1

MGW

Level 7

27,041 points

Jan 27, 2007 12:48 PM in response to need411

Try one of these solutions:

If you can't access your keychain, or forget your password If you can't get into your keychain file because you've forgotten your password or the keychain file appears to be corrupt, there are a couple of options.

First, if you've forgotten your password, you can use the "Keychain First Aid" utility to make the keychain password the same as the login password.

This can be accomplished via the following process:

1. Open Keychain Access (located in Applications/Utilities
2. Go to the "Keychain Access" menu and select "Preferences"
3. Click the "First Aid" tab
4. Make sure the "Synchronize login keychain password" box is checked
5. Close the Preferences window
6. Go to the "Keychain Access" menu and select "Keychain First Aid"
7. Enter your username and password
8. Click the "Repair" button

Another option is to completely delete your keychain then recreate it. This routine is useful if your keychain appears to be corrupt or otherwise inaccessible.

This can be accomplished as follows:

1. Launch Keychain Access (located in Applications/Utilities)
2. Click "Show Keychains" in the lower-left corner of the window.
3. Select the problematic keychain from the left-hand pane.
4. Navigate to the "File" menu and select "Delete Keychain '(name of keychain)'"
5. Check all options for deletion and press "OK"
6. Create a new keychain by going to the "File" menu, then "New" and selecting "New Keychain"

You can now make this keychain your default if you desire by selecting it, then going to the "File" menu and selecting "Make '(name of keychain)' Default"

Login as root and perform repair In some cases, problems with keychains can only be resolved when logged in as the root user.

First, enable a root user account, as detailed in Knowledge Base article #106290 (briefly: open NetInfo Manager, located in Applications/Utilities, click the lock and enter the administrator password, then select "Enable Root User" from the Security menu and follow on-screen instructions).

After enabling the root user, and logging in under this account, again open Keychain Access. First attempt repairs using Keychain First Aid, and failing that, delete then recreate the keychain as described above while logged in as root.

Let me know if any of this works,

Miriam

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