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You are here: MacNN Forums > Software - Troubleshooting and Discussion > macOS > Making an admin user when there isn't one?

Making an admin user when there isn't one?
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sra
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Jun 11, 2010, 02:45 PM
 
A colleague has an old G4 iBook, and recently installed Leopard on it. Lo and behold, it seems impossible to install anything else ... because there isn't any admin user on this machine. The only account is a standard one. I have no idea how this came to be, but we need to fix it.

So how does one go about setting up an admin account when anything requiring an admin password (like opening accounts) fails for want of an appropriate account?

TIA,
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reader50
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Jun 11, 2010, 03:05 PM
 
So the root /Users folder only contains the regular account and "Shared"? The only way I can think to do that after a clean install is to create the regular account, point autologin to it, then use the original admin account to delete it's own user folder.

Or your colleague could have enabled the root user, and deleted the original admin account from there.
     
sra  (op)
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Jun 11, 2010, 03:17 PM
 
Well, he didn't do a clean install, but instead just upgraded from his earlier 10.3 installation. I'm not sure what happened, because I just saw the results, not how they came to be.
I have suggested that he create a new admin account from the shell by rebooting in shell mode, removing the file /var/db/.AppleSetupDone and then rebooting again to get a new setup to run. Hopefully, that will get him a new account with which he can upgrade his real account to admin status.

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Art Vandelay
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Jun 11, 2010, 03:22 PM
 
Vandelay Industries
     
sra  (op)
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Jun 11, 2010, 03:28 PM
 
Thanks! That's more or less what I should have thought of...

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seanc
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Jun 11, 2010, 03:29 PM
 
N.E.R.D.: How to get Admin rights in OSX Leopard using single user mode...

No idea if it'll work, found it on Google. Good luck, let us know how it goes.
     
sra  (op)
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Jun 11, 2010, 04:41 PM
 
The solution from the Apple TN fixed it. I'm sure the others would have, too, but once is good enough... Thanks, guys!

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AKcrab
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Jun 11, 2010, 04:42 PM
 
Here is how I do it..

Boot into single user mode by holding cmd-s at startup.
at the prompt type: mount -uw /
then type: rm /private/var/db/.AppleSetupDone

This fools the machine into thinking it's being booted for the first time, and prompts you to create an admin account. Once logged into that account, you can make the original account back into an admin, log in on the old account, and delete the newly created admin.
( Last edited by AKcrab; Jun 11, 2010 at 04:43 PM. Reason: Oops: what sra said only with detailed instructions. :D)
     
sra  (op)
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Jun 11, 2010, 10:32 PM
 
That way works, if you don't have the install disks. If you do, the path via setting a password on the root account as described on the Apple Tech Support page cited by Art Vandelay is clean and simple.

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turtle777
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Jun 11, 2010, 11:58 PM
 
Originally Posted by AKcrab View Post
Here is how I do it..

Boot into single user mode by holding cmd-s at startup.
at the prompt type: mount -uw /
then type: rm /private/var/db/.AppleSetupDone

This fools the machine into thinking it's being booted for the first time, and prompts you to create an admin account. Once logged into that account, you can make the original account back into an admin, log in on the old account, and delete the newly created admin.
Wait a second ?

So you can gain full access even w/o a OS DVD ?

-t
     
AKcrab
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Jun 12, 2010, 12:03 AM
 
Totally. Want me to change your password while I'm at it?

     
tooki
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Jun 12, 2010, 04:06 AM
 
@turtle

You know the saying: if you have physical access to the machine, you can get into anything.

You can use an OpenFirmware or EFI password to prevent single-user mode.
     
turtle777
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Jun 12, 2010, 12:41 PM
 
Originally Posted by tooki View Post
@turtle

You know the saying: if you have physical access to the machine, you can get into anything.

You can use an OpenFirmware or EFI password to prevent single-user mode.
I know, but even that is not tamper proof.

I was just surprised that ther was a solution w/o a OS disk.

All my important data is encrypted anyways.

-t
     
   
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