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?

Similar Messages

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.

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.

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/

HT2623 how do i delete icloud account on my ipad when my apple ID is non active email and i don't know the password and can't reset password without active email

how do i delete icloud account on my ipad when my apple ID is non active email and i don't know the password and can't reset password without active email

If the iCloud account you are trying to delete is old ID that was later updated to change it to your current ID, you can go to https://appleid.apple.com, click Manage my Apple ID and sign in with your current iCloud ID. Click edit next to the primary email account, change it back to your old email address and save the change. Then edit the name of the account to change it back to your old email address. You can now use your current password to turn off Find My iPhone on your device, even though it prompts you for the password for your old account ID. Then go to Settings>iCloud, tap Delete Account and choose Delete from My iDevice when prompted (your iCloud data will still be in iCloud). Next, go back to https://appleid.apple.com and change your primary email address and iCloud ID name back to the way it was. Now, if desired, you can go to Settings>iCloud and sign in with your current iCloud ID and password.

How to reset password without iTunes ?

Need to reset password without iTunes. The laptop that had it was damaged and inaccessible.

Only if:
If you previously turned on FIndMyiPod on the iPod in Settings>iCloud and wifi is on and connected go to iCloud: Find My iPhone, sign in and go to FIndMyiPhone and use Remote Wipe to erase the contents of your device. If you have been using iCloud to back up, you may be able to restore the most recent backup to reset the passcode after the device has been erased.
You can also wipe the iOS device by installing the FindMyiPhone app on another iOS device and using that app to wipe the device.
Otherwise you need a computer with iTunes and an internet connection
Place the iOS device in Recovery Mode and then connect to your computer and restore via iTunes. The iPod will be erased.
iOS: Forgot passcode or device disabled
If recovery mode does not work try DFU mode.
How to put iPod touch / iPhone into DFU mode « Karthik's scribblings
For how to restore:
iTunes: Restoring iOS software
To restore from backup see:
iOS: Back up and restore your iOS device with iCloud or iTunes
If you restore from iCloud backup the apps will be automatically downloaded. If you restore from iTunes backup the apps and music have to be in the iTunes library since synced media like apps and music are not included in the backup of the iOS device that iTunes makes.
You can redownload most iTunes purchases by:
Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store
If problem what happens or does not happen and when in the instructions? When you successfully get the iPod in recovery mode and connect to computer iTunes should say it found an iPod in recovery mode.

How do you reset or find out your administrator password without a disk? please help!

i have not tried to download anything in a while on my computer and i am trying to upgrade something and it wont let me without my administrator password and i totally forgot it and definitely do not have my DISK that they are saying i need to put in in order to reset it.
i am hoping there is an easier way..... please let me know.

Forgot Your Account Password
For Lion, Mountain Lion, or Mavericks
    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
       OS X Mountain Lion- Reset a login password,
       OS X Mavericks- Solve password problems,
       OS X Lion- Apple ID can be used to reset your user account password.
For Snow Leopard and earlier with installer DVD
     Mac OS X 10.6- If you forget your administrator password,
     OS X- Changing or resetting an account password (Snow Leopard and earlier).
For Snow Leopard and earlier without installer DVD
    How to reset your Mac OS X password without an installer disc | MacYourself
    Reset OS X Password Without an OS X CD — Tech News and Analysis
    How To Create A New Administrator Account - Hack Mac

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

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.

How to install OS/reset password without optical drive?

I was given a white G3 recently, 900 MHz 1 GB of RAM, pretty decent for as old as it is, only problem is that it doesn't have an optical drive. All of the user accounts have passwords and I can't use a disc to do a clean install or reset passwords. Any clue on how to do do anything without a disc? The closest thing I have to an external optical drive is an IDE drive with an IDE to USB adapter, but it doesn't recognize that on boot. I have an external hard drive if I can somehow mount an image on that. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

How to share cd/dvd:
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-10427176-263.html
& on the computer with the cd/dvd:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1777?viewlocale=en_US
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
Once you have a new administrative account, you can change the password of your old administrative account
blue apple > System Preferences > Accounts
• You can see that it is easy to change your administrator password. You can set a firmware password that you enter before your machine will boot.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1352
• For the best data security, you should use FileVault. Create a good logon password. Define and use a good backup plan. I do not recommend using FileVault unless you really need the security because it is much harder to recover your data should you have a hard drive problem and you do not have your data backed up.

Can't login even after resetting password using install disk

I have been unable to login in using the password on this computer. Twice now I have reset the password using the install disk that came with the computer. After resetting. I quit the installer and then reboot using the computer's startup disk. When I try to login with the new password, it won't let me uses the password even though the new hint is correct. How can I solve this?

I think you have two choices...
Reset OS X Password Without an OS X CD...
http://theappleblog.com/2008/06/22/reset-os-x-password-without-an-os-x-cd/
It'll boot like a newly setup Mac, but all your stuff should still be there once filling out the stuff.
Or, an Archive & Install, which gives you a new/old OS, but can preserve all your files, pics, music, settings, etc., as long as you have plenty of free disk space...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107120
Just be sure to select Preserve Users & Settings.
But first...
"Try Disk Utility
1. Insert the Mac OS X Tiger Install disc that came with your computer, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
*Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.*
3. Click the First Aid tab.
4. Select your Mac OS X volume.
5. Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk."
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Then try a Safe Boot, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, reboot when it completes. (May or may not work)

Resetting password without start up disc

I can't use my password any more, and i was wondering if anyone has found a way to reset my user password without the startup disc, or another mac

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.

Reset password admin- no disk

Can anyone help me with resetting the admin. password? I was told by the MAC specialist that there are certain commands that can reset the password manually. The reason he could not tell me this information is because they want me to buy the disc. He said that buying the disc for this one time issue would be crazy. I acquired my MAC through my cousin who had recently bought a new MAC. He gave me his computer as a alternative to the Windows-based PC. I like so far , but I can't download anything on it because my cousin forgot the password and he gave my the computer, the keyboard, the mouse, and it's cords...lol!!! Can someone help me please??? And thank you in advance.

Reference Ted Landau's "Help Line" Tiger Edition"
TAKE NOTE > Forget Your Password
If you're not an administrative user, get an administrative user to log in; he or she can reset your password via the Password pane in the Accounts System Preferences pane.
If you are an administrative user and there's more than one admin account,get the other administrative user to log in; he or she can reset your password via the Password pane in the Accounts System Preferences pane. Just dick the Reset Password button.
Note:This will not work if you are the initial administrative user to create an account;other administrative users cannot change the password on this account. In this case, you should start up from the Mac OS X Install disc and use the Reset Password utility (as noted later in this list).
After three failed attempts to log in (and after failing again with the password hint, if you set a hint), and if you previously set a master password in the Security System Preferences pane, you will be given an opportunity to enter your master password. If you do so, you will reset
the password for that account (and unlock FileVault if it was enabled).
Note;This does not change the password for the account's original login keychain (which is usually the same as the account password).lnstead,a new login keychain is created; the original login keychain is saved (in the Ubrary/Keychains folder of the account's home directory). If you later want to access the old keychain and the password information it contains, you will still need the old password.
If you're the only administrative user, or you are unable to get the other methods to work for any reason, start up from a Mac OS X Install disc (by inserting the disc, restarting,and then holding down the C key),and access the Reset Password utility (as described more in Chapter 3). Locate the name of the account you want to fix and reset its password. Note:You cannot start up from the disc if Open Firmware password protection has been enabled. If this is the case, you will first need to turn off this protection (as discussed earlier
in this chapter).
Note: After resetting a password, if you previously enabied "automatic login,"it may no longer be enabled.To fix this,simpiy log in and go to the Login Options of the Accounts System Preferences pane to re-enable it.
You can also reset forgotten passwords from Terminal-even the root user password_as long as you know your administrator password. For example, to reset the password for the root user, type sudo passwd root. Provide your administrator's password when asked. You will then be prompted to enter a new password forthe root user.
Note: Doing this will enable root access, even if you have not previously enabled it in
Netlnfo Manager.
If you forgot your master password, you can reset it, but only if FileVault is not turned on for the logged-in aCCOunt.To do so, launch Terminal and type sudo nn/Li brary/Keychains/ Fi leVault*. Enter your administrative password when asked. The FileVault files are now deleted. You can also delete these files from any admin-level account by authenticating using your account password. In either case, the master password will now be cleared and you will have the option to create a new one (via the Security System Preferences pane) without having to know the old one.
TAKE NOTE'" Forgot Your Password? Continued
Note: If you use this procedure to create a new master password, existing user passwords are not automatically stored with the new master password. Thus, the ability to change a forgotten password via the master password option in the Hints window (as described above) win not work. To get this working again, log in to each user's account with his or her current password and change that password to a different password (or use an admin-level account to change each user's account via Accounts preferences-just be sure to give users their new passwords!).This stores the new passwords with the new master password.
Warning! If you forget both the master password and the login password for an account that is currently FileVault-encrypted, there is no way to log in to your account! Period. You can't even use the Mac as x Install disc's Reset Password command to change the password on a FileVault-encrypted account, as this procedure doesn't change the password on the FileVault disk image. This is a good reason to always have a second admin-!evel user account just for troubleshooting.
Hope this helps you decide what you can and can't do.

IMAC 27 wakes up but without Startup Disk?

Put iMAC to sleep and it wakes up with normal looking desktop, but nothing activates. Unable to launch apps etc. I shut down, unplug power, then startup with option key, Startup disk displays and I click enter, and all starts up fine.... I select MAC HD in Preferences but each time I put Mac to sleep this happens it never stays selected. The selected HD startup disk always go away? I would hate to have to re-install S/W to get past this issue. I also ran Disk Utility and it repaired & verified disk and permissions, but still iMAC will not wake from sleep with normal HD startup disk. Any help please?

Hi Nate,
The Apple guy called and we took care of this problem within 15 minutes. I will summarize for you quickly what cured it.
1. Open ACCOUNTS in Syst. Prefs. Clicked on LOG-IN Items, deleted 5 items and closed up.
2. Powered down Mac, unplugged all cables, USB, Firewire except Hi-Speed Modem cable.
3. Started back up with SHIFT key. However Magic Mouse didn't work.. So Powered OFF again.
4. Plugged all cables back in and did a normal Start Up. Booted up normal and issue is resolved
Apple Tech was great, no rushing and was easy to work with on the phone. iMAC is working great again!!
Thank you for your help, and I did ask Tech about resetting PRAM with your method, and he said it is a good idea to do this on occasion, but wouldn't have done much to cure my specific issue.
Thanks again Nate for your effort. Much appreciated! Jim

Resetting Password without startup disks

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for