- Application Crashes
- System Crashes
- Fixing Hard Drive Problems
- Resetting PRAM
- Restoring a Lost Administrator Password
- Reinstalling System Software
- Summary
Restoring a Lost Administrator Password
If the Mac OS X administrator password is forgotten or misplaced, Apple provides a function for restoring a password. Boot your computer from the Mac OS X install DVD (hold down the C key while turning on your computer with the DVD in the optical drive). After the Installer application starts, choose Reset Password from the Installer application menu. A list of detected Mac OS X volumes appears along the top of the window. To reset a password, follow these steps:
- Click the main boot drive to load the password database for that volume.
- Next, use the pop-up menu to choose the user account that you want to reset.
- Fill in the new password in both of the password fields.
- Finally, click Save to store the new password.
After rebooting your system, you can immediately log in with the new password.