Login trouble Mac OSX

jed · 01-20-2013, 01:46 AM

So I purchased a second hand mac book pro (regretfully). The guy said he didn't have the cd as it was scratched and no longer worked.(face palm)
He showed me the password and he was able to log in. After departing with £600 [sniff :'( ] the problems start...
I have tried his password and i cant login.
I am a newbie to all this script thingy

System: Macbook pro OSX 10.6.4
I tried every command and this one works temporarily:

2. Turn on your computer while pressing Command+S
3. You will see command line. Do not be worried.
4. Type in /sbin/mount -uw /
5. Type in launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.Apple.DirectoryServices.plist
6. Type in dscl . -passwd /Users/username password
7. Replace username with the Account Holder's First Name and Password with the password you want it to be.
8. Type in exit.
9. At the log on screen go ahead and log on with your new password

So I am able to change admin password and login, but whenever I restart or shutdown. It reverts to old settings and I have to do the command script all over again to login

I cant believe ppl are out there taking others for a ride
I cant believe im soo naive

Forever grateful
Thanking you in advance

hayne · 01-20-2013, 02:55 AM

Whenever you buy a used Mac, you should always erase the hard drive and reinstall OS X from scratch (from the Apple-supplied DVD) since the previous owner may have installed malware unintentionally.

So the problem with a password is really the least of your worries.
You need to buy an official Apple Install DVD for the version of OS X that you want to install (e.g. 10.6 since that is apparently what was on there, or 10.7 since that is more recent - assuming that your MacBook Pro will support 10.7).
You can often get these DVDs relatively cheaply on eBay for example.
Be sure to get the retail version of the DVD - not the one that came with some particular model of Mac (unless it is for the precise model that you have).

If you are close to an Apple store, the best thing to do would be to go there and ask them for help in getting a fresh copy of OS X installed on your Mac.

acme.mail.order · 01-20-2013, 03:27 AM

I don't believe 10.7 was ever released on DVD. hey had those expensive (and unpopular) USB drives...

10.6 retailed for $30, so a used DVD won't cost much. If you know someone with a mac they may have one in a box. Once you find an install DVD it will take less than an hour to restore the computer to a working state.

DeltaMac · 01-20-2013, 06:16 AM

OR, get a new 10.6 directly from Apple - only $20
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC...6-snow-leopard

jed · 01-20-2013, 04:29 PM

Thanks for your replies

Well the reason I bought it also was that it had software on it like photoshop etc again without cd.

So I really do not want to get rid of the software already installed on it

Is there really no way round it?

If I were to buy the the cd and install it would it delete all the software on it?

Thank you again for all your help

DeltaMac · 01-20-2013, 05:26 PM

So, you have photoshop (and perhaps other third party software) that you don't own, and that you couldn't reinstall if you needed to do that?
You could just continue fumbling around, continuing with the same problem.
Erasing a used system is really the best plan - but you don't need to erase, when all you need is a reinstall.
You can purchase the 10.6 installer from Apple, boot to that DVD, and you can reset the user password (as you likely are not following the single-user steps correctly) from the Utilities menu. No reinstall required (although you should do that, too) A reinstall of OS X from the installer does NOT remove the other apps, unless you choose to do an erase, too.
Of course, you really don't know about the condition of your unlicensed apps (remember, you don't own those), so erasing is the best choice.

01-20-2013, 01:46 AM	#1
jed Prospect Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 3	Login trouble Mac OSX So I purchased a second hand mac book pro (regretfully). The guy said he didn't have the cd as it was scratched and no longer worked.(face palm) He showed me the password and he was able to log in. After departing with £600 [sniff :'( ] the problems start... I have tried his password and i cant login. I am a newbie to all this script thingy System: Macbook pro OSX 10.6.4 I tried every command and this one works temporarily: 2. Turn on your computer while pressing Command+S 3. You will see command line. Do not be worried. 4. Type in /sbin/mount -uw / 5. Type in launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.Apple.DirectoryServices.plist 6. Type in dscl . -passwd /Users/username password 7. Replace username with the Account Holder's First Name and Password with the password you want it to be. 8. Type in exit. 9. At the log on screen go ahead and log on with your new password So I am able to change admin password and login, but whenever I restart or shutdown. It reverts to old settings and I have to do the command script all over again to login I cant believe ppl are out there taking others for a ride I cant believe im soo naive Forever grateful Thanking you in advance

01-20-2013, 02:55 AM	#2
hayne Site Admin Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Montreal Posts: 31,940	Whenever you buy a used Mac, you should always erase the hard drive and reinstall OS X from scratch (from the Apple-supplied DVD) since the previous owner may have installed malware unintentionally. So the problem with a password is really the least of your worries. You need to buy an official Apple Install DVD for the version of OS X that you want to install (e.g. 10.6 since that is apparently what was on there, or 10.7 since that is more recent - assuming that your MacBook Pro will support 10.7). You can often get these DVDs relatively cheaply on eBay for example. Be sure to get the retail version of the DVD - not the one that came with some particular model of Mac (unless it is for the precise model that you have). If you are close to an Apple store, the best thing to do would be to go there and ask them for help in getting a fresh copy of OS X installed on your Mac. __________________ hayne.net/macosx.html

01-20-2013, 04:29 PM	#5
jed Prospect Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 3	Thank you Thanks for your replies Well the reason I bought it also was that it had software on it like photoshop etc again without cd. So I really do not want to get rid of the software already installed on it Is there really no way round it? If I were to buy the the cd and install it would it delete all the software on it? Thank you again for all your help

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01-20-2013, 03:27 AM	#3
acme.mail.order League Commissioner Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tokyo Posts: 6,045	I don't believe 10.7 was ever released on DVD. hey had those expensive (and unpopular) USB drives... 10.6 retailed for $30, so a used DVD won't cost much. If you know someone with a mac they may have one in a box. Once you find an install DVD it will take less than an hour to restore the computer to a working state.

01-20-2013, 06:16 AM	#4
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,955	OR, get a new 10.6 directly from Apple - only $20 http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC...6-snow-leopard

01-20-2013, 05:26 PM	#6
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,955	So, you have photoshop (and perhaps other third party software) that you don't own, and that you couldn't reinstall if you needed to do that? You could just continue fumbling around, continuing with the same problem. Erasing a used system is really the best plan - but you don't need to erase, when all you need is a reinstall. You can purchase the 10.6 installer from Apple, boot to that DVD, and you can reset the user password (as you likely are not following the single-user steps correctly) from the Utilities menu. No reinstall required (although you should do that, too) A reinstall of OS X from the installer does NOT remove the other apps, unless you choose to do an erase, too. Of course, you really don't know about the condition of your unlicensed apps (remember, you don't own those), so erasing is the best choice.