Hi David, Hi Peter, Just a couple of things to be aware of here:
1) Although the keychain password is USUALLY the same password that you use to access your user account - there are situations where this may not be the case - see for example: <http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.4/en/mh463.html> > If your Mac OS X login password is not the same as your default keychain > password, you'll be asked for the password whenever an application needs > access to your keychain and your keychain is locked. However, if you haven't previously made the decision to change the keychain password or had to reset your login password, then the keychain password SHOULD BE the same password that you use to access your user account. 2) > If you can't remember what that is, you'll have to change it to one you can > remember. All you can do is boot from your Mac OS X Install DVD (you still > have it, I hope) and change your master password. This will let you back into your account if you forget your user account password - unfortunately it won't work for the keychain which will still have the old password. AFAIK your only option then is to delete the keychain and allow OSX to create a new login keychain using your new password: <http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1631> But then, of course, you lose all the stuff that was in the keychain. It's a bit of a bugger really - the more secure you make things, the more vulnerable you are to ancient brain farts locking you out of your system ;o( Cheers Neil -- Neil R. Houghton Albany, Western Australia Tel: +61 8 9841 6063 Email: n...@possumology.com on 20/12/10 6:23 PM, Peter Hinchliffe at hinch...@multiline.com.au wrote: > > > On 20/12/2010, at 4:59 PM, David Noel wrote: > >> -- I've never consciously used Keychain, but if I open Keychain Access in >> Utilities, it shows me I have 16 entries. I presume these are put in by >> applications, when I answer 'Yes' to 'Save this password?". >> >> -- If I double-click on a particular entry, it has the option to 'Show >> Password'. But if I click on this, it asks for a password I may not have. How >> can I make Keychain Access show me my passwords? > > That password is the same password that you use to access your user account. > If you can't remember what that is, you'll have to change it to one you can > remember. All you can do is boot from your Mac OS X Install DVD (you still > have it, I hope) and change your master password. > > This would have to be close to the top of my list of most common user > problems: people either not remembering their passwords, or worse, forgetting > that they even have one. > >> >> Cheers -- >> >> David Noel >> 2010 Dec 20 >> > > Peter Hinchliffe Apwin Computer Services > FileMaker Pro Solutions Developer > Perth, Western Australia > Phone (618) 9332 6482 Mob 0403 064 948 > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > Mac because I prefer it -- Windows because I have to. > > > -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml> Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> Unsubscribe - <mailto:wamug-unsubscr...@wamug.org.au>
