How do I Restore an Imac G3 & Reset a Lost Password?

Don't worry if you forget which keys to press to login to your iMac G3.

With so many computer passwords and logins, it's not surprising that you sometimes lose or forget them. Sellers of used computers also forget to completely reset their administrator accounts. The iMac G3 computer comes with a way to restore the system and reset a lost password. The operating system also has enough safeguards in place to ensure that someone can't use this method to hack into your computer too easily.

Things You'll Need

• OS X install discs

Instructions

1. Login to your iMac G3 as the system administrator if you still have a password for that account. Open "System Preferences" and click on the "Accounts" button.

2. Click the user name for which you want to reset the password. Click on the "Reset Password" option, enter a new password, and save your changes. If the account is locked, authenticate it with the administrator password by clicking on the "lock" image.

3. Click on the "Apple" icon in the top left corner of Finder and click the "About this Mac" option to find out which version of OS X you are running. Insert the Mac OS X install disc for your version. Power down your computer, and then reboot it while holding the "C" key on your keyboard to boot from the CD/DVD drive.

4. Click your language, but then close the installer window. Click "Reset Password" from the "Utilities" drop down menu and click the administrator account to reset a lost administrator password. Enter a new password, save it, and restart your computer normally.

5. Back up your data onto an external drive and reboot your computer from the OS X install disc. Click your language and then reinstall your operating system to do a full system restore on your iMac G3 if you still can't gain access to your accounts.

Tips & Warnings

• The "system administrator" account is the root account for your computer. Do not confuse this account with your administrator account for OS X. You will probably only see the system administrator account listed if you reboot from the install disk.

• Write your computer's login information down on paper and store it in a secure place after you restore and reset the password.

• Restoring your iMac G3's operating system doesn't necessarily reset the passwords. You must sometimes use the disk utility to erase your hard disk before restoring the system if you want to reset your passwords, but this will erase all of your data.

• Do not try and reset your password or restore your system from the install disc of an earlier version of OS X. The system has security features that could permanently lock you out of your account if you try this method.

References

• Mac OS X: Changing or Reseting an Account Password