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April 22, 2007

Note to self: MacOS X single user mode

One of the nice features of OS/X is that since it's BSD if you forget your password you can reboot single user and just change it. You just press Apple-S and boot. Or so I thought. I tried it today on the Mac Mini which I use as an ad hoc DVD player, only to have it come up normally. Natural thought: maybe it's the peripherals.

Step 1: replace the TV with a monitor. No joy.
Step 2: replace the wireless keyboard and mouse with a regular keyboard (no mouse). Machine comes up in single user but I can't seem to type anything. Or rather, I can type but nothing happens.
Step 3: scrounge an old USB mouse and plug it in. Hooray, I can type. Mission accomplished!

Now I just have to pull all that stuff off and wire it back up the way it was. I guess that's some kind of incentive to remember my password.

Posted by ekr at April 22, 2007 11:47 PM | Filed under: Software

Comments

Or just write down your passwords and keep them in your wallet.

Posted by: Nicholas Weaver at April 23, 2007 7:11 AM