Resetting admin password without OS disk

Hi there,
Simple question, how can I reset the original administrator password without a Mac OS X disk? Reason being the client doesn't have his.
Is there another livecd maybe that has similar functionality or is it a lost cause?

Cal Apple to order a new set of discs. Meanwhile the following method should let you create a new administrator account.
You need to get into single use mode for steps that are listed below.
This page will tell you how to get into single user mode.
<http://www.securemac.com/macosxsingleuser.php>
Basically, you hold down the command-s key when powering on.
1) Get the Mac to set up a new administrative account. You can then delete the old account.
This was Posted by: JoseAranda at September 9, 2006 3:48 AM
OK, restart your computer, hold down Command-s and type in the following:
/sbin/fsck -y Enter
/sbin/mount -uaw Enter
rm /var/db/.applesetupdone Enter
reboot Enter
Once you've done that the computer reboots and ask you to set up an admin password.

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Resetting admin password *without* install disks?

I am locked out of my ibook g4. have read all the discussions and suggestions posted here, but the only solution seems to be to do a restore install holding down c. problem is that I am overseas and don't have my discs with me.
my computer was purchased two months ago. it's a 'refreshed' apple product. when I got it, the password was set as a return/enter (no characters). I changed this to a personal password and it has worked til now. is there any common password that an apple tech might have used that I can try?
any other way to get into my computer?!
thank you.

I wonder if it might help to boot to safe mode. If you do so, be aware that it can take quite some time, due to the process involved. http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107393

How to reset administrator password without a disk

how can i reset administrator password without a disk....first time using macbook....
please help me to reset the adm. password step by step.
thank you so much

http://www.rit.edu/its/services/desktop_support/mac/xforcenewadminacccount.html
http://osxdaily.com/2011/04/25/change-admin-password-mac/
http://osxdaily.com/2011/08/24/reset-mac-os-x-10-7-lion-password/

Resetting Administrative Password without startup disk

Away from my home, attempting to access Macbook Pro administrative settings. Forgot password and unable to gain access without my startup disk. Wondering if there is a way around this or a way to reset password.

Forgot Your Account Password
For Snow Leopard and earlier
     Mac OS X 10.6- If you forget your administrator password
For Lion/Mountain Lion
    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.
     When the menubar appears select Terminal from the Utilities menu.
     Enter resetpassword at the prompt and press RETURN. Follow
     instructions in the dialog window that will appear.
     Or see Reset a Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Password and
     OS X Lion- Apple ID can be used to reset your user account password.
If you are unable to boot from an installer DVD:
(these will only work on Leopard or earlier)
1. Boot to Safe Mode by restarting and after the chime press and hold down
      the COMMAND-S keys until a black screen with white type appears.
2. At the prompt, type the following commands pressing return after each
      command line:
     /sbin/fsck -yf
     If you do not receive a "Filesystem OK" message then repeat this command
     until you do. If after seven tries you still do not receive a "Filesystem OK"
     message, then the system is corrupted and needs to be reinstalled.
     mount -uw /
     cd /private/var/db/netinfo
     mv local.nidb local.old
     rm ../.AppleSetupDone
     shutdown -r now
The second-to-last command above will cause OS X to think that the operating system is newly installed, and when the new owner starts up the computer it will send him/her to the startup wizard where he/she can start a new user without reinstalling.
This last method does not actually change a password. It simply removes the user accounts and lets you create an initial admin account as if the computer were new out of the box.
Reset Admin Password Using The Terminal
You can reset the password by printing out (or writing down) and carefully following these steps.
First, find the short name of the admin user on the machine. The easiest way of doing this is by looking at what the directory is called in the Users folder.
Now, start in Single-user Mode. It should boot into a command line.
Enter these exact lines. Press RETURN after each.
mount -uw /
ifconfig lo0 up
cd /var/db/netinfo
netinfod -s local
Now you'll need that short name. Enter "passwd", a space, and the short name of the admin. For example, if the admin was rather prosaically called "imadmin", you would enter "passwd imadmin".
The computer will now prompt you to change the password for "lmadmin" (or whatever the short name was). Go ahead and enter a new password.
Now, enter:
sync
reboot
and the machine will reboot. The admin password should now be changed.

I need to reset admin password w/o disk

I need to reset my Admin. password on iMac can not find disk updated to OSX 10.9.3

If the user account is associated with an Apple ID, and you know the Apple ID password, then maybe the Apple ID can be used to reset your user account password.
Otherwise*, start up in Recovery mode. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, select
Utilities ▹ Terminal
from the menu bar. In the window that opens, type this:
res
Press the tab key. The partial command you typed will automatically be completed to this:
resetpassword
Press return. A Reset Password window opens. Close the Terminal window to get it out of the way.
Select your startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name) if not already selected.
Select your username from the menu labeled Select the user account if not already selected.
Follow the prompts to reset the password. It's safest to choose a password that includes only the characters a-z, A-Z, and 0-9.
Select
 ▹ Restart
from the menu bar.
You should now be able to log in with the new password, but your Keychain will be reset (empty.) If you've forgotten the Keychain password (which is ordinarily the same as your login password), there's no way to recover it.
*Note: If you've activated FileVault, this procedure doesn't apply. Follow instead these instructions.

I've forgotten my Administrator Password. When researching, it generally tells me I need to reboot my account with the original start-up disk. Is there a way to go about resetting your password without the disk?

Please if anyone can be of help whom knows how to reset your adminsistrator password without your original start-up disk, I would really appreciate it! Thanks

Try the method as mentioned by " Ds Store " in the below User Tip. You will have to boot your Mac in Single User Mode where you can reset the Password using Terminal Command and without the Snow Leopard Disc.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-5381

Resetting admin password sans startup disk

Hi! I have an iMac G5 (non intel) that I stopped using about three years ago after we got laptops. I change my passwords frequently and now I can only log into my son's account. I need to reset the admnin password for the whole thing and the only tutorial I saw needed the startup disk and the only one I have is the one for my laptop. Does anyone know how to fix this?

JackNordic,
Mac OS X 10.6 requires a Mac computer with an Intel processor.
http://www.apple.com/macosx/specs.html

How do i reset admin password without cd

I GOT MY MACBK FROM MY AUNT, SHE NEVER TOLD ME ADMINPASSWD ANY1 KNOW WHAT 2 DO?

Resetting or changing an account password:
For Snow Leopard or ealier: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1274
For Lion or later: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6022

8,000 miles from home. No OS disks. Forgotten Administrator password. Is there a way to reset password without OS disks

8,000 miles from home. No OS disks, Is there a way I can reset administrator password without OS disks? thanks lynda

If you can access the Web*, try this link: http://en.kioskea.net/forum/affich-73393-change-mac-admin-password-without-the-d isk
Caveat: not tried by me.
* I assume you have Web access because you posted here.

How can I reset my admin. password without the MAC OXS reinstall, bought mine used and have no such disk

Hi, how can I change my admin password without the reinstall of MAC OXS disk or whatever that is, I bought my macbook privately and cant update my adobe flash without the password which I have never set up. but anything I type in is wrong...... as a password.

ok have read all relivant posts and have tried the restart command+R which does absolutely nothing. My Computer opens up as usual.
I have found another response which suggests command+S and generate an entirely new admin. and password and you are not supposed to loose a single file.
Has anyone done this and been successful? I have just installed a new hard drive in the last 3 months and don't want to do any damage.
Hearing a success story would be nice. Thanks

Resetting Password without startup disks

Left startup disks home, unable to get access to administrative settings. How do I reset password without startup disk?

jsmurphy06 wrote:
Left startup disks home, unable to get access to administrative settings. How do I reset password without startup disk?
"unable to get access to administrative settings?"
Why, are you admin or not?

How to reset my admin password without a password

Hi, I forgot my admin password and can start my Macbook 13

With 10.4, 10.5 or 10.6 put your install DVD into the optical drive (CD/DVD drive) and reboot. Be sure to either use the disc that came with your Mac, or, if you installed a later Mac OS X version from disc, use the newer disc. As soon as you hear the boot chime, hold down the "c" key on your keyboard (or the Option Key until the Install Disk shows up) until the apple shows up. That will force your MacBook to boot from the install DVD in the optical drive.
When it does start up, you'll see a panel asking you to choose your language. Choose your language and press the Return key on your keyboard once. It will then present you with an Installation window. Completely ignore this window and click on Utilities in the top menu and scroll down to Reset Password. After resetting the password use Startup Disk from the same menu to choose your hard drive for startup and restart.
If you're running 10.7 Lion check this article
http://osxdaily.com/2011/08/24/reset-mac-os-x-10-7-lion-password/
With 10.8.3 restart holding the Command and R keys, then from the drop down
of actions, choose Terminal. When Terminal opens type:
resetpassword
and press enter.
You will get a reset password window from which you can select the user you want to reset, the admin account in your case. Type a new password twice, do not do anything with the hint box. Click Save, then confirm you want to do this reset. Then click apply to the user's home directory, and click the apple in the left corner, and choose Restart.

I forgot my admin password for my imac os x 10.7.5. How can I reset the password without deleting any of my files?

I have access to my computer. the only issue I am having is trying to update my computer.
In order for me to update or download an app I have to type in my password, which I have forgotten.
I want to reset my password without having to delete any of my files.
Can anyone please help me with this problem?

OS X 10.7 Lion, 10.8 Mountain Lion, 10.9 Mavericks and 10.10 Yosemite
Reset 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 pointer 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”.
Enter a new password.
Reenter the new password for the user.
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 reset admin password. no disc but system automativally logs me in as administrator and can access root user mode

I recenly got this macbook, MA&00LL/A, max OS X, V:10.4.11, 2GHz IntelCore 2 duo, 2GHz, When I power up it automatically logs me on as administrator but prompts for password when I try to access/change certain features. I got the macbook from my cousin who has forgot password and has lost disc. I can access root user mode but as iam unfamiliar with apple I am hesitant to delete anything without making things worse. Is their anyway I can reset this admin password without the disc or simply delete this user and reconfigure system as myself as administrator. step by step instructions would be appreciated at this stage till i familiarize myself more. Any help would be greatly appreciated. If it came down to buying a disc, how much roughly do these cost??? thanks again

If you don't have your install disks you can get the 10.4 gray disks by calling Apple Store Customer Service at 1-800-676-2775 They can send them to you for about $16 per disk plus S & H. Just give them your serial number and they'll know which ones you need.
To find your serial number go to the Apple in the upper left corner and select About This Mac, then click on More Info, the System Profiler will then come up. The Serial Number (System) is down near the bottom of the Hardware Overview list.
If you don't have your install disc handy,then follow these steps
1. Start up in single-user mode (hold Command-S as thecomputer starts up).
2. Type: mount -uw /
3. Press Return.
4. Type this: passwd (user's short name) Replace "(user's shortname)" with the short name of the user account whose password you wish to reset. If you are not sure what the account name is, you can get a list of usernames by typing: ls /Users
5. Press Return.
6. Enter a new user password.
7. Press Return.
8. Type: reboot
9. Press Return.

How do i restart my admin password without knowing the old one

i just got a macbook air and wasnt paying attention to the password i used.. can anyone help me to reset the password without knowing the old one.and also that doesnt require a disk.

Restart. Hold down cmd-r at the chime. When the Recovery partition boots, choose terminal from the Utilities menu.
Type, resetpassword and hit return
Select the disk and follow the instructions to reset the password.
Note that you will not be able to recover your keychain. You'll have to create a new login keychain in Keychain Access and set the password the same as your new password to have it auto-unlock on login.

Resetting admin password without OS disk

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