Admin Password unknown (newbie-ish!)

Hi all

I purchased a second iMac to replace my one with a dodgy logic board.

I bought this from eBay as a boxed, mint condition G5 with a fresh install of Leopard. I paid £250 plus £20 delivery.

However seller was a total knob and when it arrived the case & screen were smashed etc but booted up. I was also sent 2 grey disks - OSX install etc.

I've made a frankenstein out of the 2 iMacs, got the newly purchased good one working but it's not a fresh install of leopard - it's sort of fresh but the guy I bought it from has password protected everything!

I've taken things up with eBay and hopefully will get some of, if not all, of my money back.

I've tried doing a fresh install using the grey disks but they are not the correct ones for an iMac G5.

How can I change the admin password save doing a fresh install?

Glen

Call up Apple, and give them the specifics of your machine, and they will send you the right grey discs for around $20
Then you can boot from the install disc 1 and change your password
see this

Don't change the admin password; once you have the proper discs (either the machine-specific ones or a retail copy of the OS), you should ERASE the drive and start over.

The previous owner leaving their old account behind is a security risk for them and for you. Erase and start over.

good point.....
or is this you being paranoid after the I've been hacked thread? LOL

Cheers

sorry if this is nothing to do with what you want (i was linux user until i got a mac only days ago!), but if you can login at all, can you not use the passwd command to change the password of the account that you dont have the password for?

c7aig said:

sorry if this is nothing to do with what you want (i was Linux user until i got a mac only days ago!), but if you can login at all, can you not use the passwd command to change the password of the account that you don't have the password for?

Click to expand...

Sure it can be done, but it would be smarter to just reinstall the whole system. You can try these steps although they are from 2007 and it may not work anymore.
However, it is way easier to get a disk that works with your mac and use the the reset password utility when booting from the disk.
And as others have said it is a risk to not run a clean install on the mac, as there could be programs installed that you don't know about that could send out private data.

chas_m said:

Don't change the admin password; once you have the proper discs (either the machine-specific ones or a retail copy of the OS), you should ERASE the drive and start over.

The previous owner leaving their old account behind is a security risk for them and for you. Erase and start over.

Click to expand...

Have found a retail copy of tiger. Installed and working fine.

I preferred the more modern look of Leopard, but no way am I paying eBay prices!

6string said:

Call up Apple, and give them the specifics of your machine, and they will send you the right grey discs for around $20
Then you can boot from the install disc 1 and change your password
see this

Click to expand...

manicmad said:

Have found a retail copy of tiger. Installed and working fine.

I preferred the more modern look of Leopard, but no way am I paying eBay prices!

Click to expand...

Maybe if you took my advice, for approx $20 you'd have the modern look of Leopard that you prefer, and more!

6string said:

Maybe if you took my advice, for approx $20 you'd have the modern look of Leopard that you prefer, and more!

Click to expand...

Not from Apple UK - nearest shop wanted nearly £100 for the grey disks with Panther on, I can get a retail copy of leopard for the same money!

Apple online..... Apple (United Kingdom) - How to Contact Us phone number 0800 048 0408.
They ship it out to you for roughly US$20!