How to access a mac computer when you don't know the password.

How to access a mac computer when you don't know the password.

At the Gately Youth Center, there was one lonely Mac computer which nobody could access.
Years and years ago, the tech teacher of that time had packed up and left, forgetting to tell the Gately staff the password. Nobody could get in. Poor lonely little currently-outdated Mac.

Until tonight.

With the help of trusty... well... resourceful Google, one young worker of the Breathe Cambridge: Spoken Poetry project managed to trick the computer into creating a new admin account, as if the computer had never made an account before.

These two websites were used:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/40500/New-Admin-Setup-Mac-OS-X-How-to
http://www.macyourself.com/2009/08/03/how-to-reset-your-mac-os-x-password-without-an-installer-disc/

The steps I'd suggest following are as follows:

1. Power on or restart your Mac (should work for any Mac OS X system).
2. At the chime (or grey screen if your chime is turned off), hold down Command(Apple button)+S on your keyboard to enter single-user mode. (http://www.macyourself.com/2009/08/03/how-to-reset-your-mac-os-x-password-without-an-installer-disc/)
3. The screen will be black with white text
   Type the following (include all the spaces or else it won't work):
   /sbin/mount -uw /
4. Hit the return/Enter key
5. Type:
   rm /var/db/.applesetupdone
6. Hit the return/Enter key
7. Type:
   reboot
8. Hit the return/Enter key (http://www.scribd.com/doc/40500/New-Admin-Setup-Mac-OS-X-How-to)
9. Go through the registration process. Voila! A new account!
10. Log into the new account.
11. Go to System Preferences
12. Go to Accounts, and click on the old account (the one you forgot the password to)
    You may need to click on the lock in the corner to be able to change the settings.
13. Uncheck the option “Allow user to administer this computer” and change the password of that old account.
14. Now recheck the option “Allow user to administer this computer."
15. Log out.
16. Log back in to the old account with the changed password.
17. Go to System Preferences
18. Go to Accounts, and click on the new account you had just made (again, you may need to click on the lock in the corner to be able to change the settings).
19. Delete the newer account. Click "Delete Immediately"
20. Voila! Now all you have is the original account with the old files and everything.

Of course, you could have skipped steps 13-20 by just deleting the older account, and keeping the new one, but then you would have deleted the old files you may have needed.

Well, we're done. Good Job!

~Morning Star. 5/16/11

Tips:
-Remember, type ALL the spaces, or it won't work (steps 3 and 5)
-If you cannot change the system preferences, make sure the lock in the corner looks unlocked. If it doesn't, click it to unlock it. (steps 13, 14, and 19)

Key Words (if you are unfamiliar with the terms, look them up, or find someone who is):
-Admin/Administrator
-root
-command prompt

...Random pictures MJ insisted on taking:

 Ooh! A hand~ And part of my face.

 OMG a computer... it's a MAC

 OH NO! It's still a MAC!~

The computer is still there. Creepy.

"I always feel like, somebody's watching me~" The computer is watching me. I swear.

 Haha... no.

~Goodnight!