How to get to single user mode

I aquired an old power mac G4 with an old account with 10.3.9 and an old administrator account. It seems that procedures to remove the account start in Single user mode. The computer won't start when holding down system - s. The drive clicks a few times but the display goes to sleep from no video signal. So How can I get to single user mode when the usual way don't work?

The hard drive's directory may be dead, or it may have last been booted into Mac OS 9. IF you are lucky, they did install Mac OS X on it, and that can be determined either through an Option key boot, or through an X key boot on a wired (not wireless) USB Apple compatible keyboard. X key booting will only work if the X operating system is on the same partition, whereas Option key boot will reveal the Startup Manager, where you select the drive and hit the right pointing arrow for the drive partition that has Mac OS X. Note this will not work on an original PCI PowerMac G4. You may also need to replace the PRAM battery, a 1/2 AA 3.6V battery from Radio Shack before any boot sequence will work. Once it boots into Mac OS X, Single User Mode should work.

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Dont know the admin password, cant get into single user mode

I have recently bought a PowerMac G4 with a dual core 1.25GhZ processor on a car boot. I do not know the admin password, and i cant get in to single user mode. What to do?! Seems like it has Open Firmware Password Protection, what ever that is, and i have the discs and tried disabling it, but to do that you need the admin password. It's and endless loop! Help me please, i have no idea what to do now...

Disabling the Open Firmware Password
Open Firmware password protection can be bypassed if the user changes the physical memory configuration of the machine and then resets the PRAM three times (by holding down Command, Option, P, and R keys during system startup).
An Open Firmware password will provide some protection, however, it can be reset if a user has physical access to the machine and can change the physical memory configuration of the machine.
Mac OS X
Security Configuration
For Version 10.4 or Later
Second Edition

How can I secure single user mode

I have a macbook pro, I would like to disable single user mode.
thanks,
Lal.

To boot from the DVD, insert it, then restart and hold down the C key until the Apple logo appears on screen. If your MBP came with Snow Leopard installed, you must use the gray DVD that was in the box. If it came with an earlier version of the OS, you can use either the gray DVD or the retail disc you used to upgrade. In either case, don't run the Installer; follow the directions in the link above.

Upgraded to Leopard and lost disks...forgot the admin password. anyone know how to reset in single-user mode?

I received some instructions but they did not work. Does anyone know how to reset this?

1 - Does it boot into Leopard?
2 - Does it have any important data on it that is not backed up elsewhere?
It it boots into Leopard you could continue using it and hope that you find your Leopard install disks later or discover some other way to overcome the lost password.
If it is fully backed up or has no important data on it you could install Tiger.

Resetting the Admin password in single user mode

Ok, my friend bought an old Imac from someone she went to school with with OS 10.4.2 on it. It works fine except that she can not install any programs because there is an admin password that she does not know. She asked the person she bought it from, he says he doesn't even remember setting a password. Normaly with this issue id just pop in the install disk and reset it from there, except neither of them have the install disk, and my install disk is to current for the machine. Does anyone know how I can reset the admin acount using single user mode commands? I can do it on my Mac Book pro but it doesn't seem to work the same way on 10.4. Please help!
EDIT: It is a Power PC G3 if that helps.
Message was edited by: CartooNxHerO

CartooNxHerO wrote:
Ok, so I used the advice from the third link you gave me but i'm still in single user mode trying to figure out how to delete the users home folders.
Message was edited by: CartooNxHerO
You do not need to delete "the users home folders". Nor do you need to delete the netinfo database. Here are two proceedures:
Change Password
Mac OS X:
Changing or resetting an account password via GUI:
Resetting a user's password
Resetting the original administrator account password
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106156
You do not have a CD/DVD
Changing password from single user mode:
You can also change the administrator's password from single user mode or create a new administrator account.
You need to get into single use mode for steps one and two that are listed below.
This page will tell you how to get into single user mode.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1492
Basically, you hold down the command-s key then powering on your machine. The command key has a little apple symbol on the lower left. It is between the alt/option key and the space bar. On a PC keyboard, it will be the windows key, I think.
1) You can change the password on an account. ( Do you know Unix. You are in a Unix single user console. ) The setup commands you need should be listed on the screen. For Mac OS 10.4.11, the commands are:
# Type the follow two instructions to access the startup disk in read/write:
/sbin/fsck -fy
/sbin/mount -uw /
# Start up some utility processes that are needed.
sh /etc/rc
# You will probably need to press the return key once the system stops typing.
# To find out the users on the system type, use the list command. The l is a lower case L:
ls /Users
# One of these accounts will be the administrator.
# Pick one of the users which I'll call a-user-name and type it in this command:
passwd a-user-name
# and enter the new user password. You need six characters.
# You will need to enter your password twice. Your typing will not show up on the screen just
# press enter when you complete the typing.
# For cryptic information on these commands try:
man ls
man passwd
The root account isn't enabled by default. I am not sure if changing the password on root will enable it.
2) Get the Mac to set up an additional administrative account. You can then change the password on your old account.
Start with your computer power off. Hold down command-s. Power on your computer.
Type in the following:
The first two commands will depend on your release of Mac OS X. Look at what is typed out in the console to determine the exact format.
# Type the follow two instructions to access the startup disk in read/write. Press return after each command.
/sbin/fsck -fy
/sbin/mount -uw /
cd /var/db
pwd
#List all files. The l is a lower case L.
ls -a
#The move command acts as a rename command in this format.
mv -i .applesetupdone .applesetupdone.old
reboot
Once you've done that the computer reboots and it's like the first time you used the machine. Your old accounts are all safe. From there you just change all other account passwords in the account preferences!!
Limnos adds detailed explainations:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=8441597#8441597
The above the idea came from a post by JoseAranda at September 9, 2006 3:48 AM
http://www.askdavetaylor.com/howdo_i_reset_my_mac_os_x_admin_rootpassword.html
You will need to scroll down to see this post. Search for applesetupdone
Or see:
http://superpixel.ch/articles/running-setup-assistant-again/
Once you have a new administrative account, you can change the password of your old administrative account
blue apple > System Preferences > Accounts

Single user mode, Lost Admin Account, and Disk Permissions

Okay, so I have quite a few issues here. I will start from the beginning.
About a week ago, I tried to install some updates and I could not get the Admin account to work. I went to the users profile and noticed my Admin account was not there. Did a quick search and found Apple's outline of how to fix this via the Operational DVD and the root user. Tried this and it would never work, because as soon as I restarted the computer or changed screens it switched back to a standard account.
Next up, I went into the terminal to check the Admin User group. As it turns out it is not there. So I find a discussion on there that outlines how to rebuild this in single user mode and the Unix prompt. So, I print it off and try to restart in single user mode. After trying two different keyboards and a sum total of 8 to 10 times, I can't restart in single user mode to get to the Unix prompt.
One last thing, last night I went into the Disk Utility on the start-up DVD. I wanted to check the Repair Permission log and I got the following:
ACL found but not expected on "private/var/root/Library/Preferences"
ACL found but not expected on "private/var/root/Library/"
ACL found but not expected on "Network"
Thoughts?
Thanks for your help!
tpp

first, the ACL messages can be ignored. if you can't get to single user mode you can't fix your admin group. the only reasons that I know why you wouldn't be able to do that is
1. a defective keyboard
2. you have a firmware password set. have you? you'd have to turn it off before you can get to single user mode.
lastly when you restart in single user mode make sure you press command+s right after you hear the chime. do not press it too early or too late. lastly, I'm not sure which instructions you've found to fix the admin group but I have them in this thread
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=8011324

Ibook left hanging! Got info from single user mode - can u translate?

Hi, am panicking here so help really appreciated!
Got my ibook, G3, 17" screen. It won't start up. It goes as far as the spinning circle of lines. Tried to get into single user mode (got Applejack there) but it ends up saying 'we are hanging here'.
The lines previous to that include the following (don't know if any of this is useful as don't really understand it):
nfs_mountroot failed: 9
nfsboot: ntworking not initialised
panic (cpu0): nfsbootinit failed with 6
latest stock backtrace for cpu0:
backtrace:...lots of numbers here...
Proceeding back via exception chain:
exception state:....lots of numbers here...
Kernal Version:
Darwin kernal version 7.90
dates and release info here.....
No debugger configured - dumping debug information
MSR=00001030
latest backtrace for cpu0:
Backtrace:...
...and then it repeats most of that again until it says:
panic: we are hanging here
and I can't type anything. The cursor just sits.
Have also tried disk utility when booted from cd. It tries to verify the disk but says:
Catalog file entry not found for extent.
The volume needs to be repaired.
Volume check failed.
Error: the underlying task reported failure on exit (-9972)
1 volume checked
0 HFS volumes verified
1 volume failed verification
And it says the same when I try and repair the disk. Do I need to erase the disk? I do back up regularly onto zip disks.
Tried to reinstall system software but when you are prompted for a place to install it onto, there are no disks shown!
How bad is it????
nikki
ibook G3, 700mhz Mac OS X (10.3.9)
ibook G3, 700mhz Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Hi, Nikki.
What happens if you try to start up in Safe Mode? This will take awhile longer than a normal startup because it does a file check and repair of the hard disk.
If this works you will see your normal desktop. Once completely started up, try to restart normally, and go to Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility and repair permissions on the hard drive.
Here are some links on kernel panics and what to do about them:
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/kernelpanics.html
http://www.macmaps.com/kernelpanic.html
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=607531&#607531
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106805
Hope something there helps.

Unable to start in single-user mode - HD dead?

My MacBook Pro (Mac OS X) refused to start, it hung up on the loading screen where you see the apple and the spinning loading wheel. I found out how to fix this, I had to go into single-user mode and type "/sbin/fsck -fy" to repair/verify the disk (I was unable to do so from the Disk Utility via the Install Disc, the repair/verify buttons were just grayed out).
Anyways, doing this from the command line (single-user mode) fixed the problem and I could boot into Mac OS X (there were more issuses after this point which forced me to do an "Archive and Install").
^ that happened a week ago. And happened again yesterday, hung up on the exact same point. So I boot up my Mac into single-user mode, and type in "/sbin/fsck -fy" to start the process. Different from last time, I got a lot of text this time. It also kept going for a longer while. After about 10 minutes, there was a couple of minutes where nothing happened. So I typed "/sbin/fsck -fy" again (as I'm supposed to do so until it says "** The volume (nameofvolume) appears to be OK"), and I got some more text, then nothing happened for a while.
Inpatient as I am, I considered the process to be complete, and restarted my Mac by typing "exit".
I think I ****** up my Mac OS X partition at this point. Because when I try to start my Mac now, it automaticly boots into Windows XP (my other partition). Also I cannot enter single-user mode or Verbose mode, the Mac just ignores and goes right into Windows XP.
I've tried to boot from the Install Disc. When I run Disk Utility, the "HD"(name of Mac OS X partition) is grayed out. I can't do an Archive and Install because it cannot detect my main partition.
An interesting thing though: When I have the Install Disc inserted, I can enter single-user mode (by holding cmd+s at startup). However, when I type /sbin/fsck -fy, it starts verifying the Install Disc rather than the HD.
Also when I open My Computer in Windows XP, I can see the other partition (MacDrive). When I select it, I see:
Free Space: 219GB
Total Size: 168GB
This indicates that my HD is dead/erased, and that my last three months of work is gone. This just because I'm impatient, and didn't wait for the fsck process to complete.
What is the next step? How can I get into single-user mode so that I can verify/repair my disc?

On the point of contacting the folks at Alsoft, I have found that they seem to be unobtainable on www.alsoft.com at present.
I wanted to get in touch as I had a small problem with Diskwarrior on updating to 10.5.5 from 10.5.4 ,
Disk permissions ends with an error code.
I wonder if there were so many queries re this that they are unobtainable?
I run 3 machines from a wireless router, an iMac, an HP laptop with XP and a totally obsolete Dell into which i have squeezed W2000, with a resultant mix of browsers but no contact with the folks at Alsoft.
Am I in a minority of one here?

Can't type in single user mode

Hi,
I am trying to fix a MacBook Air's hard drive and attempted to boot from single user mode to run fsck. However, when I get into single user mode I can't type a thing. No buttons on the keyboard work. I shut it down and tried doing it again but the same issue occurs. I tried again, this time connecting an Apple USB keyboard and it still wouldn't type. I booted from an external hard drive that had OS X on it and both the inbuilt and external USB keyboards worked absolutely fine.
Does anyone know why I would be having this issue and how to rectify it?
Cheers.

Reinstall Lion, Mountain Lion, or Mavericks without erasing drive
Boot to the Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Repair
When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported then click on the Repair Permissions button. When the process is completed, then quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall Lion, Mountain Lion, or Mavericks
OS X Mavericks- Reinstall OS X
OS X Mountain Lion- Reinstall OS X
OS X Lion- Reinstall Mac OS X
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet
if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.

Boot Snow Leopard from Thumb Drive in Single User Mode on Macbook Air

I'm trying to boot from a thumb drive that I transferred the Snow Leopard .dmg on. My macbook air only lets me get into single user mode. Every time I try to boot or enter safe mode or regular mode, the Macbook Air shuts down.

I do have the installation media on my usb flash drive. I'm sure it's leopard, and the problem is that I cannot get passed the apple logo on boot. The laptop turns off after trying to finish the boot for twenty seconds. However, I can get into single user mode. I just can't seem to install the media in single user mode due to my lack of know how.

Single-user mode

When I start up my computer and I want to get into single-user mode, it just goes to regular login. Is there another way apart from command s or does something need to be changed. Yes, I can access my computer, I just want to make an administer account without the disk.

Well you should not have killed it. Rollback might take much more time than same query would while running normally. I would say wait. DONT RESTART SQL SERVER SERVICE or take Database offline
What was query was linked server used in query. Was it distributed transaction ? If it was simple query it would take time but SQL Server would roll it back
Please mark this reply as answer if it solved your issue or vote as helpful if it helped so that other forum members can benefit from it
My Technet Wiki Article
MVP

Failure to boot in single user mode

Hi,
I have an iBook G3 900MHz G3 running 10.4.6. 384MB RAM, ~25GB free disk space.
it's running slow so I want to boot in single user mode and run applejack.
the trouble is, it won't boot in single user mode. when I hold command-s or command-v it just boots right to the GUI.
i've tried both command keys thinking that one might be broken.. no luck. I also have no trouble getting to single user mode on my G4 laptop.
I have not taken steps to disable single user mode.
any ideas?
thanks a lot

I think it would be worth a try to repair permissions and then boot from the Install disk to run Repair Disk in Disk Utilities. If you still cannot boot into single user mode after that, perhaps obtaining and running Disk Warrior can resolve the problem.
Bob N.
Mac Mini 1.5 GHz; iBook 900 mHz; iPod 20 GB Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Bluetooth problems in single user mode

I've already checked some of the discussions on this topic but did not find the answers that i am looking for. i need to get into single user mode because my computer will not completely boot the osx. however, after i hold down the command-s and the promt comes up, it is af if i have no keyboard at all. i cannot type anything. is this due to the fact that i have a bluetooth keyboard? would going out and purchasing a usb help me out (because i have read some posts that they have the same problem with a usb)? is there any way around this. single user is becoming one of my last alternatives to having to reformat. please help!
best

A wireless bluetooth keyboard would only let you boot into Single User Mode, after that, you will need a regular USB keyboard to type in the prompts, same goes when doing a Hardware Test using the disc provided.
As for some users posted on this forum saying they have not able to continue the Single User Mode under a regular USB keyboard, I am afraid I am one of them... I have not been able to solve the problem as yet and it is kinda "annoying" that there "may be something wrong" with my iMac that I cannot perform fsck, nevertheless I have regularly booted from the OS disc and run Disk Utility, which is equivilent to booting to SUM, but supposingly much better, and my HD checks out fine... so at the moment I have no worries.
In my post there is another person who has regularly keeping me update about this problem and has deduced it maybe due to the internal bluetooth module and the USB inside... rather complex issue that may require me lengthy conversation with AppleCare or have something replace, or "worse" have my iMac sent away for a time for repair or replacement. Since my iMac is doing quite fine, I'll live with it for the moment...
Cheers

Can't exit single user mode

I frequently start in single user mode to run fsck -fy on my startup disk
and after running fsck -fy, I exit single user mode typing exit or logout.
Now after running fsck -fy, typing exit or logout the single user mode remains
and returns a line: -sh-2.05b#. I’m not adept enough to use single user mode
other than for running fsck -fy so I am stuck on how to end the single user mode. TIA
Eric

Some stories have happy endings and this is one of them.
After a little head scratching I dig out the Tiger install DVD
and repaired the permissions on the problem HD partition.
Reboot to the problem disk, enter correct network settings, and
now we even have a web to surf. Also we can exit single user mode OK.
Eric

Changing user login in single user mode?

Hi my computer (server10.3) is no longer booting up (stops at the blue screen just before the login).
only 2 things have changed since last time restarted
1) changed user login in in the prefs to automatic as my name
2) installed a security update
I am wondering - if I can get into single user mode - whether i can change or force the login details
thanks

Hi John,
   You can get into single user mode by depressing <Command>-s after the chime and holding it until you're in single user mode. Once you get there, I recommend that you run the following:
/sbin/mount -uw /
/usr/sbin/diskutil repairPermissions /
Repairing permissions is the classic first thing to do when you have problems after an update. After that, if we can help it will depend on your posting the error messages that are printed to screen before the login. If they get scrolled off the screen, you should be able to get them again with the command "dmesg".
Gary
~~~~
   The system was down for backups from 5am to 10am
   last Saturday.

How to get to single user mode

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