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General discussion

passwords in new Mac

Jul 11, 2005 3:50AM PDT

I have a new Imac 20" G5 that I ordered through the university where I work. It was delivered to our departmental computer guy who started it up, updated it, and installed the academic licensed version of Office 2004. He inserted my name as user but didn't enter a password. I took the unit home and set it up (pretty easy for a terminally clueless person like myself).When I tried to install the university supported Eudora program via download, I was asked for my user name and password. When I opened the Accounts pane, it would only let me change my password which required a password. When I used the install disc to establish a password, it only showed the root user as an option, something I guess I shouldn't get involved with. I know I'm missing something simple. Does anyone know what it is? Thanks, Jay

Discussion is locked

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Passwords
Jul 11, 2005 5:29AM PDT

Did you try clicking in the password field and pressing Enter/Return? Thus entering the same password as the computer guy who set it up?
Take a look in the system preferences and see what account name you have in there. If your account is there, and it surely must be, then the Installer CD with the Reset Password option should show every account on the machine.
You can safely reset ALL the passwords on the system, including root, with the utility.
If all else fails, you can always start again, only this time, do it your self.
Good Luck

P

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Re: passwords
Jul 11, 2005 10:44PM PDT

Thanks very much. Our computer guy says he didn't enter a password and my account name doesn't show in the installer disc although it does in System preferences. It has become moot, though, because I apparently got a bad hard drive and was sent another to replace it (which I did last night. Remarkably, at least to me, I went through the diagnostics with Apple on Saturday morning and the drive arrived sometime Monday. The packing slip shows the drive being shipped from someplace in California and I'm in upstate New York). So, I suppose I'll be starting from scratch anyway when I install the OS and other software. Not having done this before either: after I power up the computer, do I just insert the install disc and wait for what happens? Is it that easy? There are actually two discs. The second says it also has OS 9.2. I (think) I know that Apple doesn't install OS 9 anymore. Do I need to install it? As always, thanks for the help. Jay

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New Drive
Jul 11, 2005 11:12PM PDT

After you have installed the new drive, just insert the Install CD, it could be a DVD, and follow the instructions. This disk could actually be a Restore CD which will restore your machine to its original factory installed condition. From that point on, it will be as if you had just opened the box and plugged the machine in for the first time. Follow the instructions and all should be well
Give yourself a password. Happy The install and setup procedure is very simple.
Unless you are planning on obtaining, and installing, old software for your machine, I would not bother with OS 9.2
If the program for OS 9.2 is any good, there will already be an OS X replacement for it. You can always install it later, should the need arise. Meanwhile, save some HD space.
Sometimes Apple amazes me with the speed at which they can do things, your HD across country for example, and then at other times it seems as if they have no idea how to do the same thing. 7 days for a HD replacement, brand new machine, to a place have the distance away.
Oh well.
Good luck with the install

P

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Re: Passwords
Jul 12, 2005 12:56AM PDT

Thanks again. Hopefully, I did the hard drive replacement correctly. As the Apple tech said, it was pretty simple and the enclosed instructions were explicit as was the photo essay on the Apple website. But anything to do with something that complex looking scares me a little. At least I didn't drop it, lean on it, or drool on it. We'll see how it works. Once more, thanks. Jay