MAC question...now what do I do?

Question

I need to re-set the password on a MAC Notebook w/ OS X. I asked a question earlier and was told I would need an OS X disk which I now have. How do I get the MAC to boot from the disk

Answer 1

Be sure to mention what exact model of computer you have and what version of the OS if you need to reply about this question again.

It's not enough to have just any OS X disk. It must be either the disk that matches your model of computer or a retail version of OS X or it will not boot your computer. If you have a disk that is labeled for another type of computer, you're out of luck.

If you have a CD that will work with your computer, put the OS CD in the drive, open System Preferences > Startup Disk. Now choose the CD. Restart and hold the "C" key for about a minute. You will finally get the install screen but don't install. Just click on the "Installer" menu at the top and select "Reset Password". Then select your user account. Don't select "System Administrator". Unlike a Windows computer, the system administrator is never your account. Now you can change your password.

If you find that the OS X CD is not correct for your computer and you can't get your hands on a bootable one, you can delete all the user accounts (maybe yours is the only one) and the computer will restart into the "Setup Assistant" just like a new computer. To do this, follow the instructions in the second link below, section "III. Restoring from defaults". Then you can create a new account. Be sure to make the "short name" of the new account exactly the same as the short name of the original one. In OS 10.2 or later, your user account will be saved as a disk mimage in a folder called "Deleted Users". Then, if the new user has exactly the same short name as your original user, you can find the old files from it and keep using them.

This is how it should go but you know that computers are sometimes a bit contrary so if you don't have your important data backed up, you're taking a big risk with this process.

Answer 2

Put the disk in the drive, re-start the Mac, and hold down the "D" key I think it is.
That will re-boot the computer from the disc.