All admin accounts changed to standard

B

bilbojbaggins

Registered
Somehow all the accounts on my computer automatically changed to standard. The mac website said that this can happen after an upgrade and to fix it run the "reset password" utility from the install disc. I am using a school computer so I don't know where a mac os disk is. I am using OSX 10.5.8. I also don't know the root password.

I tried this to fix it : http://en.kioskea.net/forum/affich-73393-change-mac-admin-password-without-the-disk
but the account I created was also set to standard. Is there any way to fix this without the install disc?

Edit:
I also tried this but it hung after starting SystemStarter:
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20001217230925152

I can't even change the time now.... :(
 
Last edited:
Hi bilbo,

Are you sure the account you had on the computer provided by the school was an administrator account?

If it was, I'd recommend opening a help ticket with the school. The easiest way to reset that password is with the install discs; http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1274

If it was with a 100 % certainty an admin user before (if I ran the school, it wouldn't have been), then you'd still need the discs to set the root password http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1278

You could create a new admin user though, then log in as that user, set the other user that is now standard to also be an admin user, log out the just created new admin user, log in as your old user, and delete the admin user that was created a few minutes ago.

However, don't do that if it would lead to any trouble for the computer usage.
If it doesn't work, it's also possible that there are some restrictions on the account you have on the Mac. In which case file a ticket for the school's support system.

First, boot into single-user mode:

1. Shut down the computer if it is on.
2. Press the power button to start the computer.
3. Immediately press and hold the Command (Apple)
and the S keys (together) until you see white text appear.

At the prompt, type fsck -yf and press the return key.
Type mount -uw / and press the return key.
Type rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone and press return.

Type reboot

When the computer restarts, it should act as if you had
just installed OS X for the first time - it will prompt you
for information to set up an administrator level account.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for the reply.

I managed to find an install disc in my lab. I'm running 10.5.8 and the disc is 10.5.4. I tried to boot to the DVD but it doesn't work. Put the disc in, restart, and hold 'C'. The computer makes the 'dong' noise with a gray screen and after 20 seconds restarts. If I continue to hold 'C' it repeats this loop.
 
Ok so I found a 10.5.6 disc and was able to reset the root password. I logged in as root but when I click the check to administer this computer it does nothing. The account remains as standard. I have to log in as root to do anything with administrative privileges. Any suggestions?
 
When you are logged in as root, you can change another account (your normal account) to an admin account. After changing that setting, log out of the root account, and log in as your normal user.
If the account is not then an admin account, then something is wrong with your OS X install, and it should be reinstalled. As Giaguara suggested, this computer belongs to the school, and you should submit a trouble ticket so they can get that working properly. It seems possible (and likely) that the school has configured your system in a way that may prevent you from making changes to the system settings, so your 'fixes' may end up needing their help anyway. Does the school lack the capability, or the resources to fix their own computers?
 
When I say this is a school computer I mean that it was purchased with university funds. It is a MacBook Pro given to me to use. It is not configured in any way as a network or client computer with exception to an unknown root user password (that I reset). I could have someone fix it but I'd be out of a computer for about a week.

Even when I log in with my account and authorize with root it will not stay as administrator privileges. So I guess that I'll have to reinstall to fix this problem :(
 
bilbojbaggins said:
...
Even when I log in with my account and authorize with root it will not stay as administrator privileges. So I guess that I'll have to reinstall to fix this problem :(
Click to expand...

Probably.
If your's is a standard account, then I wouldn't expect that changing (even with root authorization) would work. You're not logged in as root at that point, so I think the system should still prevent the change. There's a way to do that in the terminal, I suppose - and someone else here may help you with that.
The best way is logging in to the root account (you're the root user then, with authority to do most anything, including deleting system files that will disable your system without warning you of that little fact.
You can also create a new account, with admin setting already there, then move all your files and apps to the new account.
Or, a reinstall, using the archive & install option.
 
Something must be broken. I logged in as root and created a new administrator account. As soon as it was created it switched to standard. It even tries to switch the root account to standard (luckily it can't be changed).

I'll just reinstall the OS.
 
OK, I'll ask the question...
What happened that appeared to try "to switch the root account to standard"?
How did you know about the attempt?

The root user is at the top of the 'authority chain', so nothing can take precedence. That's what makes that level dangerous. Basically, root decides what will happen.
If the root user is somehow corrupted, then you don't have a valid root user. You may end up needing an Erase & Install.
 
After you create a new admin user with the method I described above, it will create a new default admin user.
However, as soon as the user is created and is logging in, all admin set scripts, limitations etc take place. So in case of a school environment (or other managed environment), that is usually desired. Otherwise, the method would bypass the set security and allow to change a non-admin to an admin user. So it looks like they have set restrictions on what users are and can be made admins.

Make a ticket in the school system. It can't take them a week to fix, so just include the available times that you and the Mac are available, plus your phone number.
 
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