Changed main administrator name; everything reset...help!!

I changed the main administrator "name" in the account section of preferences (my macbook previously belonged to my father, and I needed to change the name). Now when I start up, as you might guess it goes to a completely new setup. I do know that all of my information is safe (most of it I hope) in a folder in the users folder. My question is this: in the situation I am in, what is the easiest way to:
1. import all mail and mailboxes from the old account to the new one;
2. import all bookmarks and safari settings;
all the other stuff is not as important to me -- just these two things.
Thanks ahead of time for your help!!
KC

Greetings,
I went into preferences -> Accounts and changed the admin name. I also changed the picture for the admin. But that is really all I did. When I restarted, it went to a completely new setup, although the old files are in a folder in the Users areas of the hard drive.
I am mostly concerned about just restoring my Mail and getting bookmarks back for Safari if possible.
thanks for your help!

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I changed the user name - everything resetted - iphoto folders lost :(

hello,
i had hundreds of folders in iphoto so it would be perfect if somebody could help how i can reset this

You need to change it back again.
How to change user short name or home directory name
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1428?viewlocale=en_US
Also, this might be useful:
http://www.macworld.com/article/132693/2008/03/changeshortusername.html

How can I change the administrator name?

I'm getting ready to sell my old I-mac. How do I change the administrator name or delete it?

Follow these instructions step by step to prepare a Mac for sale:
Step One - Back up your data:
       A. If you have any Virtual PCs shut them down. They cannot be in their "fast saved" state. They must be shut down from inside Windows.
       B. Clone to an external drive using using Carbon Copy Cloner.
          1. Open Carbon Copy Cloner.
          2. Select the Source volume from the Select a source drop down menu on the left side.
          3. Select the Destination volume from the Select a destination drop down menu on the right
              side.
          4. Click on the Clone button. If you are prompted about creating a clone of the Recovery HD be
              sure to opt for that.
               Destination means a freshly erased external backup drive. Source means the internal
               startup drive.
Step Two - Prepare the machine for the new buyer:
          1. De-authorize the computer in iTunes! De-authorize both iTunes and Audible accounts.
          2, Remove any Open Firmware passwords or Firmware passwords.
          3. Turn the brightness full up and volume nearly so.
          4. Turn off File Vault, if enabled.
          5. Disable iCloud, if enabled: See.What to do with iCloud before selling your computer
Step Three - Install a fresh OS:
     A. Snow Leopard and earlier versions of OS X
          1. Insert the original OS X install CD/DVD that came with your computer.
          2. Restart the computer while holding down the C key to boot from the CD/DVD.
          3. Select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu; repartition and reformat the internal hard drive.
              Optionally, click on the Security button and set the Zero Data option to one-pass.
          4. Install OS X.
          5. Upon completion DO NOT restart the computer.
          6. Shutdown the computer.
     B. Lion and Mountain Lion (if pre-installed on the computer at purchase*)
         Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because
                   it is three times faster than wireless.
          1. Restart the computer while holding down the COMMAND and R keys until the Mac OS X
              Utilities window appears.
          2. Select Disk Utility from the Mac OS X Utilities window and click on the Continue button.
          3. After DU loads select your startup volume (usually Macintosh HD) from the left side list. Click
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          4. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Optionally, click on the Security button
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          5. Click on the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.
          6. Quit DU and return to the Mac OS X Utilities window.
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I purchased a 3TB Airport Time Capsule After 8 hours been able to configure the box using Ethernet connection but now I want to move my current backups and it wants authentication but no box is available to provide my administrator name can anyone help ?

I purchased a 3TB Airport Time Capsule to use with my Mac running latest Maverics. After 8 hours been able to configure the box using Ethernet connection but now I want to move my current backups from my small driveand it wants authentication but no box is available to provide my administrator name can anyone help ?

I overcame the permissions by allowing both paths to have read and write access to anyone but that didnt solve it until I copied it into the DATA directory which I created on the Airport Time Capsule.
I had already discovered the TIME MACHINE How to transfer backups but I am struggling still with the item and cannot currently get it to work. My setup seems to have created a wireless link to my router which is what I wanted and in that set up there are three options. I have simply gone for the extension of my network. I ignored the other option there which I cannot remember something like DNS? That may be the problem becasuse when I remove the Ethernet connector it just doesnt go anywhere.
I have also found I cannot update my TIME MACHINE software (currently 1.3) as although Apple tell me I should be able to set backups hourly daily or weekly I have only ever been able to run it hourly when i would prefer longer intervals so thought an update might be necssary.
Also tried to get an update for my Airport Utility (Currently 6.3.2 but cannot find one even though I have read there might be one available and again this might be the problem.
Have reset the Time Capsule now about a dozen times.
Following the instructions and trying to copy my existing backup it suggests you need to copy it to the root directory but that is when I get some sort of security issue and I found I could only get it to accept if I dragged my .backupdb to the DATA directory on the Time Capsule. I dont even know if I do this it will work when I come to use it.
I therefore found your reply of no more help than i had discovered but I hope you return to read this note because I really do need some help.
I am intending starting again in the next couple of days and fully documenting what I do and what I see and then as I suspect it will be no different and I will then seek an appointment at the Apple Store in Trafford Centre and if that proves unsuccessful then I still have time to return and become a dissatisfied customer with Apple for the first time in a long experience with Apple. I have noticed frightening notes on the conversations which point to problems of Mavericks working with Airport Time Machine!! So in the end it might not be me doing anything wrong. Unfortunately you do feel left out in the dark sometimes that is why I hope you can respond with a solution?

How do i change the administrator name and password when i forgot both of them

how do i change the administrator name and password when i forgot both of them?

Find the user name and then reset the password.
Start the computer,then press and hold down command and R keys to start into recovery partition.
When you see the Apple logo, release the keys.
Wait until OS X Utilities window shows up.
Move the mouse to the menubar at the top and click "Utilities", then select "Terminal"
from the drop down.
Terminal window will appear.
Type in resetpassword and press enter on the keyboard.
Leave the Terminal window open.
Reset Password Utility window will open with Macintosh HD selected.
Select the user account from the popup menu box under “Select user account”.
Note down the user account name.
Enter a new password.
Reenter the new password for the user.
Note it down.
Enter a hint.
Click the "Save" button.
Click  in the menubar and select Restart.
Log in.
If Keychain dialog box appears, select “Create New Keychain”.

How do I change the administrator name and password?

I am trying to put some needed applications on my G3 Lombards and it won't let me because the previous administrator of the computer failed to erase all of his info before I bought it.
How do I change the administrator name and password?
This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen yet.
Please help. FAST
Edited by an Apple Discussions Host

Robert:
May I strongly urge you to get a set of installer CDs. They will come in handy as you need them for much more than just installing the OS. From time to time, e.g. you may need to boot from the installer disk to Repair Disk (you can Repair Disk Permissions from Disk Utility on the HDD, but to Repair Disk, you must boot from a different volume). And if you had installer CDs changing the password and creating a new Admin Account would be a breeze.
You can get universal installer disks at applerescue. Another option in your situation is to do a complete re-install. That will not only enable you to create your own admin account, but it will automatically change the computer short name. However, for that you need installer disks.
Meanwhile, <a href=""http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=121786&tstart=0>here is another article that should help.
Good luck.
cornelius
Message was edited by: cornelius

How to change the administrator name

I have tried to change the administrator name on a Macbook pro that I recently sold. I used the following:
Rebooted and held the command and s button, pressed enter and ended up with the following at the prompt: bash-3.2#.
I was trying to get to the root directory in order to continue with:
mount uw /
rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
shutdown -h now
I saw a video that said this would allow the new user to start fresh and type in his information however the
bash-3.2# does not allow me to

When you reinstall the OSX, you can change not only the password but the administrator as well.
Ciao.

How do I change the main administrator name on a computer I'm handing down to a family member? Using Snow Leopard.

Gave hubby my old Macbook Pro a few years ago. We want to change the admin name but can't figure out how. We did change the password by starting up from the Snow Leopard install disc.

When you reinstall the OSX, you can change not only the password but the administrator as well.
Ciao.

All My Files Gone! After I Changed My Account Name. Please Help!

I changed the account name on my computer and then the next time i turned it on everything was gone; my apps, docs, media, and other files. I don't know if it was because I changed the account name and some how switched users or what happened. I know all my files are still on my computer i just want to know how to get all my stuff back. It would make me ecstatic if i didn't have to get all my music, photos, and apps back; so if you could help me that would be great. If you have questions about my problem, feel free to ask.

Amir:
See Dr. Smoke's FAQ Recover from renaming your Home folder.
cornelius

Administrator name and password - HELP

I cannot remember my administrator name and password, what should I do?

Select Mac Help from the Finder's Help menu and search for "forget password."

Address Book Changes Main Account Name . . .

Hello,
Lately I have been noticing a very strange behavior in Address Book/iChat/Mail (they all reflect the problem once it happens).
I have my first name as "XYZ" (for example), and my last name is left blank. Then, out of nowhere, it fills in the first letter of my last name, and correctly too!
Where is this coming from?
Could it be autofill from Safari? Or something in Mail?
This also then appears in my iChat handle (which is clearly linked to the Address Book, because when I go into the Address Book and delete this letter from the last name field it disappears from iChat instantly as well).
Anybody?

I discovered that it is coming from Apple Mail. When you have your name in Apple Mail in the "Previous Recipients" it somehow gets grabbed and transfered from there. When you remove it from the "Previous Recipients" and then set your Address Book how you like your name to be, it sticks!

Changing administrator name and password

I need to make several changes to my computer. However, I don't know/remember the administrator name and password to my computer and I am the administrator! It's been a long time since I set up my laptop (I bought it and set it up on 12/31/07). It's a black MacBook, OS 10.5 aka Leopard.
What do I do?
I ask that you be as specific as possible when suggesting a solution.

I don't think you want to change the administrator name. It's also impossible to forget it. It's the name in Finder right under Places, assuming you are the administrator.
What you want to do is reset the admin password which you can to by using the Leopard DVD that came with your computer.
Boot into the DVD and hold down the "C" key with DVD inserted. After language screen, menu top left under Utilities you will find the proper item. Just follow the instructions.
Message was edited by: nerowolfe

Change administrator name without starting over.

Hope someone can tell me how to change the administrator name and or delete the one that's in there that was cemented in the system when I got the computer and replace it with my name, without re-formating the drive and starting over. It's a G4 tower with 10.4.11. I have tried everything I can think of....
Thanks! you Mac guru guys. I know someone knows how to do this...
Bud

I found a way to do this but it might be scary for a newbie. Open the accounts in system preferences and create a sub account with the name you want to use as the new administrator. Next check the new user to allow to administer the account and remove the check mark in the original administrator. Now open the library folder on the hard drive and find the preferences folder. Trash the com.apple.preferences.accounts.plist and reboot. The new name you created and authorized will now be the administrator. The original administrator will be deleted.
The kicker is you will not be able to ever change the account settings. The accounts button will disappear in the system preferences. Also you may loose contact with some software as the system partially reverts back to default. DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK and don't do it without backing up important files first externally and also be sure you have the install disks for your software if you need to reinstall something. It worked for me but so far I have only done it once. I did loose Safari bookmarks and some other minor things, had to re-do mail preferences but it kept Adobe stuff ect. Lost MS Office. Had to re-install that. The original items are still on the computer somewhere but.....

Changing Administrator name (different than question below)

I adopted my friend's iMac, and I'd like to change the Administrator name. I went to Accounts, and put in the password, but wasn't sure if I should just change it there, where it says Name, or not. I don't want to cause any serious problems that will log me out or something, so I thought I'd ask first.
Thanks

Michael answers your question. But I recommend wiping the hard drive and reinstalling the OS and all applications from the original install discs. With a used Mac there's no way of knowing what haxies, security holes, or other junk you don't know about might have been left on it by a previous owner. Even a friend you trust could have inadvertently opened up security holes that neither of you are aware of. Wiping and reinstalling is just good security practice and it will also allow you to set what ever admin and other user account names and passwords you want.

Change administrator name

how can i change my administrator name on my macbook 10.4.11 tiger.
thanks barbara

Try this.
Open your system preferences/Accounts pane, and add a new account. Make sure to select the block to allow this new account user to administer the computer. When the new account is created - log out of your current admin user, and choose your new user from the list. Enter your new password there, and you will login to your new user account. Go in to that same system preferences/Accounts pane, and click on the old account, and click the minus at the bottom of the accounts window to delete the old account.
Basically you are creating a new admin acount & deleting the old admin account; not changing it.
 Cheers, Tom

Changed main administrator name; everything reset...help!!

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