[macdragonfl]

Right....Where 2 begin....

Installed Microsoft Virtual PC vers 7 onto the G4 ibook, Installed Windows XP Pro with SP2, No problems, Thanks to gporter ....

Worked great All day, Gave it to the Missus this afternoon to transfer a few things from Disk(CDRom) so she could get up to scratch on how to work,u know the ol hands on technique, Cant do it no harm I said......

Well wasnt I wrong.... She told me at Teatime she was rapped with it, Changed the location on a few items, renamed a folder or 2 , so she knew where a few things were, Even said she applied her own password to her account.... She turned it of and cooked tea(dinner for some) we ate our tea and dessert, she even gave me a kiss and told me "Thanx for all my trouble", i replied no trouble at all...She went upstairs for another play, I was sitting here on the old Pentium 4 browsing the net, Austech info, satindustry.net and whogivesa.info, had a look over at Primeevil.info, then was browsing at toecutters den, and she comes down, "I think ive done something wrong she said", gave me the ibook, and it was on the log on screen, She has renamed the admistrators account name, reckons she changed password,which ive tried in upper and lower case, but it wont let me even access the thing!!! Pulled out the ol Tiger x 10.4 Install DVD and told her 2 watch and learn, wrong again ,even with the install disks it still wont allow me any access at all, Its just stuck on the login screen...

I turn it off, Put in install DVD again, Hold down... Command,shift,option and delete 2 boot (searched and found out this is what u do) from disk instead of Hard drive,Still saying watch and learn,was going to reset all passwords with the utilitie program, BUT bang same thing It asks for a password for her username and put it in,hit return and no go, cant access a bloody thing!!! It says i need this password to install anything??? I think she has some how changed the administrator user account i set up in original install, which ive tried with no luck aswell...

I figure the only way 2 do this is to reformat and reinstall?? Is this correct or not??

Thanks fellas, I know Im starting to be a pain in the arse, But the Local Apple store is 900 kms away from where I live and Ive been told they are very expensive when it comes to doing repairs and system upgrades on machines that arent bought thru there shop...

Any Apple gurus out there that can steer me in the right direction?? Pretty Please!!

[CharlesS]

Since this isn't Windows, you don't need to reformat the disk to do a clean install. Just go to Options in the installer and choose "Archive and Install". You'll get a clean system, with all your data intact.

[sknapp351]

Unless I am reading you wrong, all you have to do to boot from a CD instead of the hard drive is to hold the C button while the machine boots.
SAm

[macdragonfl]

sknapp351
Senior Member

Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 106
Status: Offline
Report Abuse

Unread Today, 01:30 AM
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Unless I am reading you wrong, all you have to do to boot from a CD instead of the hard drive is to hold the C button while the machine boots.
SAm


Ive tried to boot from The TigerX DVD, No go gets me to the login Screen which is Locked,so if I dont have password,I cant access......Even tried making a copy of install disk 1 off DVD, Thinking maybe it wouldnt boot from DVD only CD and still only get to the Login Stage,and without the password she put in,No go!!


and....


CharlesS
Addicted to MacNN

Join Date: Dec 2000
Posts: 7,324
Status: Offline
Report Abuse

Unread Today, 12:43 AM
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Since this isn't Windows, you don't need to reformat the disk to do a clean install. Just go to Options in the installer and choose "Archive and Install". You'll get a clean system, with all your data intact.
__________________
Ticking sound coming from a .pkg package? Don't let the .bom go off! Inspect it first with Pacifist, the Macworld five mice-winning custom installer for Mac OS X. Version 2.0 just released - now a Universal Binary!


It wont let me even access the Disk when it does Boot from it (DVD or CD) Coz it comes up with the same login page!!

Dont know maybe she has really stuffed it up by the sounds of this.......

[Barefoot Matt]

If you're still getting the same login screen, how do you know it's booting from the DVD instead of the hard drive? I'm a relatively new mac user myself, but as far as I know you shouldn't get a login screen when booting from the DVD.

This link might help:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106156
The part for resetting an administrator password is at the bottom.

[macdragonfl]

Thanks for the help Barefoot matt , But when I put the Install Disk in , Even If the disk boots Im still faced with A Login screen with a lock at bottom, stating Username and Password for administrators account??? I was Just talking to a guy from Coffs Harbour Apple store and he has told me if the administrators account has open firmware password protection ENABLED, even to run any new software from any disk, I am going to have to enter the New admin username and Password to let it install anything?? He told me 2 jump in the car and drive down but, I cant for at least 10 days( my kids are on holidays and its a bit far for a return trip for them just to drop off lappy) or post it down, and I dont really wanna put it in a box and send it via mail, coz of the risk of it not getting there or getting damaged in transit(I used 2 work for AusPost for 6 years so i know what Postage of parcels is like)

Have I got any more options or not???

Jeez I wish when I origannally install Tiger that I put a password in for the administrators account and not left it blank(Coz it said not to leave blank!!) for security issues... And this wouldnt of happened, She(the missus) would of not been able to change it without me being there 2 change such an important setting...

[macdragonfl]

This is so frustrating, Just did a google search on resseting original admin passwords for tiger x and It states I should be able to turn Open firmware protection off,via utilities but I cant access this on the disk when it boots coz of the Login crap!!!

I nearly just smashed the bloody thing, I think Ive had enough of it for the day already!!!

What am I doing wrong??? or what have I or she done that wont let me reset things the way all the tutorials and searchs tells me to.......??

[CharlesS]

It sounds like you aren't really booting from the CD. If you have an Open Firmware password set, this would make sense, because an OF password disables using the C key (and, I think, the cmd-opt-shift-delete combo) to boot from a CD.

To boot from a CD when an Open Firmware password is set, hold down the Option key at startup. This will get you into the boot loader, which will let you enter the Open Firmware password to continue.

Once you're into the boot loader, you can select the CD, boot from it, and you'll get in without needing a login. You can then reset the administrator password via the menu, and you're all set.

[macdragonfl]

I already put the bloody thing back in its bag and put it in the cupboard( Thats my too hard basket) I will pull her out and give it another try, Then if all else fails, Ive been told a 4.2 Pound Hammer might do the trick.... LOL


Appreciate the reply and Information mate...

[macdragonfl]

when I restart and hold option button I get three options 1. an arrow in a 3/4 circle, 2. A macintosh harddrive with a cross , 3. A straight arrow pointing right, Clicking button on either thye first 2 options do nothing and the third boots to The desktop, which is a good start but I still cant load anything from any disk, It says I need a administrators user/password to do this, Even wacked the Original DVD in drive while desktop is running, Select install X and it comes to the accept terms page,which i accept it says "Authenticate" and asks for adminusername and pass......

But at least I can access the desktop, b4 I couldnt even login, Am I missing something or what?

[CharlesS]

Was the DVD in the drive when you started with the Option key? You should see a button with an icon that looks like a DVD. You have to click that, then click the button that looks like an arrow.

[Cardinal Clown]

Streeter75,

* The arrow in a 3/4 circle is the reset / reload button.
* Follow on to what CharlesS commented, you may need to click on the reset after putting a CD/DVD into the machine to get it to recognise it. Then select it and then click on the right arrow.

The other option is to boot from an OS-X system on a FireWire hard drive.

Dennis