Terminal Application won't take password

When I insert a command line (copied and pasted in this instance), it asks for my password. I type my password but it doesn't show on the screen, and of course my action fails. What am I missing here? Thanks.

Your password remains hidden in Terminal so it's natural not to see it. As far as the action not working (failed), make sure you're entering it correct. And... that your password is correct. Remember, it's case sensitive and so are terminal commands.

Well, if it's the same as my login screen password then it definitely still does not work.

Doesn't matter anyway. Thanks.

chscag said:

Your password remains hidden in Terminal so it's natural not to see it. ...

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Not only is it hidden, the number of spaces it takes is hidden also - you will see nothing - just type your password and press enter (return).

What's weird is that it carried out my command, but said that the password is incorrect, so all is well that ends well, I guess.

That is weird. I had this problem until member cradom asked if I had TextExpander installed and once I said yes, we worked out why Terminal didn't accept my password. That was because I had Capitalise new sentence on.

Yeah, I must say it's a bit unsettling that it worked, but said the password was incorrect. That's what I hate about my iMac: oddities and unexplainable events, including fixes. Very buggy operating system.

Very buggy operating system.

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Yeah, whenever we can't explain something blame it on the bugs.... You need to play around with Windows 8 for awhile.

I've been playing with Windows since 2000 and then got the Mac in 2012. The Mac OS unquestionably takes the cake in the "buggy" department, and the example in the OP is a perfect illustration.

I guess I got a lemon.

It's "buggy" because you can't see the password? That's the way Unix has been for decades, as a security feature. OSX just continued it.

I don't say this often, but with that attitude toward OSX, maybe you should consider going back to Windows.

Just out of curiosity, which version of OSX are you using and what was the command?

If there's a "sudo" involved and you're using an earlier version of OSX you need to make sure the "root" user is enabled, otherwise it will give the error.

MacInWin said:

It's "buggy" because you can't see the password? That's the way Unix has been for decades, as a security feature. OSX just continued it.

I don't say this often, but with that attitude toward OSX, maybe you should consider going back to Windows.

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No, buggy as in it accepted my command AND said my password was incorrect.

As far as going back to Windows, yes that is a possibility when the time comes for a new computer. I'm not a brand loyalist to any product I buy (peanut butter, car, beer, computer, house paint...)


Caribiner23: OX is 10.9.2 and the command was to get rid of that God-awful start-up GONG.

the command was to get rid of that God-awful start-up GONG.

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I thought we passed on to you some time ago to download and install the free "StartNinja" application to stop the startup sound?

You did and it didn't work. I had Mt. Lion at the time. I thought I'd try it this way just for the heck of it. Also, there's a recent thread on it which jogged my memory and that GONG was driving me to insanity, so I did it this way, but with trepidation. The silence is a godsend!