Master Password

I wanted to set a master password for my MacBook, which would prompt for a password when waking my computer up and for changing important features.

I set one but than decided I wanted to change the password and went to System Preferences to do so. What's weird though, is once I went through the part of putting my old password (I will call X) in and then my new password (I will call Y) twice, I hit OK. But my password never changed. I still use X to wake up my computer, etc. So then I went to change it again, and it prompts me to put in my password to make this change and X works. But then when I get to the part to change it, I put in X as my old password and Y as the new one again, but it won't let me change it. It says the old password is wrong. So then I put in Y as the old password, and it lets me change it. But then testing it out, X is the only password that works.

Am I insane or is something wrong? I guess it wouldn't be the first time for either.

You have to boot from the DVD. 3 screens into the installation process look in the tool bar at the top for an option to change password. Follow the instructions and you can change it. Then quit the Installation process and reboot the machine from the hard drive.

why would i have to do that? meaning.. why doesn't the thing in system preferences work? is there something buggy about my machine?

I know this is an old thread... Let me point out that a Master Password is not the same password that you would use to wake the computer up from sleep, or from a screen saver, or even to install apps. This is your administrator password.

kiteboarder said:

I know this is an old thread... Let me point out that a Master Password is not the same password that you would use to wake the computer up from sleep, or from a screen saver, or even to install apps. This is your administrator password.

Click to expand...

That would make a lot of sense. The administrator password is what you are asked for when you're editing the apps folder or waking the computer. Good catch kiteboarder.