[Sudogenic]

Hi all.

I'm trying to install some Macromedia software and in the middle of it, it asked me for my Admin Username and Password.

Are these the same details that I inserted when I first installed OSX? Because I cannot remember what password I used... Or, at least, it could be one of a number of them.

Is there any way that I can check and verify my password? (probably by typing it in a few times).

I tried typing in a few passwords, but I eventually got an error message saying that i had run out of attempts.

Any ideas?

This is my Mac and I installed OSX last week - I just simply cannot remember what password I used.

EDIT: I suppose I could simply format the hard drive and reinstall OSX, since I haven't installed anything else yet - But is there any other way? Is there anything which prompts you for the admin password, that I could try out?

[drive-thru]

Open up the Directory Access application (found in Applications>Utilities.
There should be a padlock button in the bottom-left of the window. If you click that it will prompt you for your password (just don't change anything else).

Once you know your password you can change it to something you will remember in System Preferences>Accounts. You will need to know the current password first.
Change it to something you will remember because you need it to install a lot of software, including updates such as Security Updates.

[drive-thru]

If you go to System Preferences>Accounts you can at least see how many characters your password contains, which might help a little.

[drive-thru]

Forget about the Directory Access part, just try to change your password in Accounts. It will prompt you for the old one (which you can guess at for as long as it takes).

[TETENAL]

If you can't remember your password you can to reset it.

Boot from the OS X install CD. In the Installer's application menu the is a tool that allows you to reset the password to something you can remember.

[monkeybrain]

Originally posted by drive-thru:
If you go to System Preferences>Accounts you can at least see how many characters your password contains, which might help a little.

Not true. My password is 4 characters, accounts shows it as 7. It would be bit of a security hole if it did show the correct number of characters.

[Angus_D]

Originally posted by drive-thru:
Open up the Directory Access application (found in Applications>Utilities.
There should be a padlock button in the bottom-left of the window. If you click that it will prompt you for your password (just don't change anything else).

Being prompted for your password is no use if you don't know what it is.

If you go to System Preferences>Accounts you can at least see how many characters your password contains, which might help a little.

No, you can't. Passwords are hashed and shadowed, so you can't discover even how long they are.

[drive-thru]

Originally posted by Angus_D:
Being prompted for your password is no use if you don't know what it is.

No, you can't. Passwords are hashed and shadowed, so you can't discover even how long they are.

Sudogenic asked for an app which prompts for a password so he/she could try out a few. If this fails Sudogenic can always reset it the way Tetenal described.

Ok, didn't know that, unless the password is seven characters long.