jalvord1
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Lost Password on Powerbook G4. Can't update software
My daughter purchased a 12" Powerbook G4 from the university she was attending. The store that sold her the unit provided all the setup and installations, and the computer was ready to go when she arrived. Now, 2 years later, she's out of the school, but does not have the password that was used to set up the computer initially. None of the automatic updates can be done without it (There's currently about 15 critical updates that it needs....). The store was unable to help her retrieve the password.
Can anyone help here? Is there any way to reset the password without knowing it to begin with? Can any updates be accomplished without it? She's worried that if she accidentally 'signs off', she'll have no access to anything....
postscript: the unit is AWFULLY quiet....I'm thinking the fan isn't on, but it's hard to tell. Is it a nightmare to open the unit to check and/or replace?
Thanks for the help!
Can anyone help here? Is there any way to reset the password without knowing it to begin with? Can any updates be accomplished without it? She's worried that if she accidentally 'signs off', she'll have no access to anything....
postscript: the unit is AWFULLY quiet....I'm thinking the fan isn't on, but it's hard to tell. Is it a nightmare to open the unit to check and/or replace?
Thanks for the help!
strung
http://www.simplymac.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=41
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Another possiblity to add to the excellent advice above is to create a new user giving it full administrator rights and do an archive and install using the aforementioned install disks and defintely making sure you choose the preserve all data files, users, etc. option: which is the default, I think. Actually, you may well have to follow Strung's link's directions or Duncan's boot directions as it will probably ask you for an administrator password first,but, either way, once you are in, do an archive and install. http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/archiveinstall.html
That willl solve the data backup concerns neatly and also assure you that you have a good stable base OS on which to apply all the updates. This sounds kind of like a car driven with no maintenance for two years. Maybe it has no apparent problems, but that rod is fixing to fly. Mac OS X is very stable but has a whole routine of daily, weekly, and monthly scripts that are supposed to be prescheduled and set to run during such convient times as sleeping hours(for her,anywhere from 3:00am to 3: 00 pm would likely have worked). I would intuit that a Mac user who does not know her own admin password might also have overlooked this "minor" detail. Anywho, I would much rather do that many updates on a known clean installation rather than on a potential mumble jumble of backlogged maintance errors. Particularly, as some of the recent updates themselves have been somewhat dicey even on well maintained machines.
P.S. before you open anything, try really pushing the cpu by bench testing it with something like xbench. It could be that your delicate poking around has just meant that the cpu is barely doing anything and/or the drives: same same. ie. no heat no fan
http://www.xbench.com/
Run this and you may find that the fans spin up just fine when the computer is really pushed to demostrate its capabilities.
naturally do all the above first:
1. new password:strung
2. backup data to the best of your ability to an external drive:duncan
3. archive and install preserving users and data:pheidius
4. run disk utilty to repair disk (hopefully it will say none neccessary):pheidius
5. repair permissions with disk utility :pheidius
6. apply all updates using the built in updater: pheidius
7. repair all permissions again:pheidius
8. download and run xbench to see if that engages fan:pheidius
9. buy an old clamshell g-3 on ebay for 50 bucks and give to daughter saying she is lucky to have gotten her data back:pheidius
10. hide now good powerbook in closet until she is gone and enjoy:pheidius*
* note: my wife disagrees with the last two suggestions calling them brutal and heartless and critcizing them for not being technical advice at all: go figure.
Finally, also having bought a 12 inch for youngest daughter currently(blessedly) away at university i am minded to ask is she is also driving one of your cars. I did not let mine take one of my Volvos in spite of all the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth(my daughter was mad too) I let her take one that that will not cause me to tear out my hair should she experiment in "fluidless driving"(not the "my gas card" variety,of course),
or play, "see how long you can ignore the funny bright red lights of the dash," or play,"just keep turning up the music should any annoying clunking, grinding , thumping or scraping noises become bothersome." This mac, perhaps, is just the tip of the iceberg.
That willl solve the data backup concerns neatly and also assure you that you have a good stable base OS on which to apply all the updates. This sounds kind of like a car driven with no maintenance for two years. Maybe it has no apparent problems, but that rod is fixing to fly. Mac OS X is very stable but has a whole routine of daily, weekly, and monthly scripts that are supposed to be prescheduled and set to run during such convient times as sleeping hours(for her,anywhere from 3:00am to 3: 00 pm would likely have worked). I would intuit that a Mac user who does not know her own admin password might also have overlooked this "minor" detail. Anywho, I would much rather do that many updates on a known clean installation rather than on a potential mumble jumble of backlogged maintance errors. Particularly, as some of the recent updates themselves have been somewhat dicey even on well maintained machines.
P.S. before you open anything, try really pushing the cpu by bench testing it with something like xbench. It could be that your delicate poking around has just meant that the cpu is barely doing anything and/or the drives: same same. ie. no heat no fan
http://www.xbench.com/
Run this and you may find that the fans spin up just fine when the computer is really pushed to demostrate its capabilities.
naturally do all the above first:
1. new password:strung
2. backup data to the best of your ability to an external drive:duncan
3. archive and install preserving users and data:pheidius
4. run disk utilty to repair disk (hopefully it will say none neccessary):pheidius
5. repair permissions with disk utility :pheidius
6. apply all updates using the built in updater: pheidius
7. repair all permissions again:pheidius
8. download and run xbench to see if that engages fan:pheidius
9. buy an old clamshell g-3 on ebay for 50 bucks and give to daughter saying she is lucky to have gotten her data back:pheidius
10. hide now good powerbook in closet until she is gone and enjoy:pheidius*
* note: my wife disagrees with the last two suggestions calling them brutal and heartless and critcizing them for not being technical advice at all: go figure.
Finally, also having bought a 12 inch for youngest daughter currently(blessedly) away at university i am minded to ask is she is also driving one of your cars. I did not let mine take one of my Volvos in spite of all the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth(my daughter was mad too) I let her take one that that will not cause me to tear out my hair should she experiment in "fluidless driving"(not the "my gas card" variety,of course),
or play, "see how long you can ignore the funny bright red lights of the dash," or play,"just keep turning up the music should any annoying clunking, grinding , thumping or scraping noises become bothersome." This mac, perhaps, is just the tip of the iceberg.