Mac OS X was the tenth iteration of the Mac operating system and debuted in 2001. The Mac OS X name stuck around for fifteen years but changed to macOS in 2016 to bring the naming scheme in line. You can get a Thunderbolt 3 external drive and format it for use as a Windows partition. There's some steps to it, but that's how I run my Mac Pro (albeit with Thunderbolt 2). How to change the lock screen on your Mac computer First of all, find an image that you want to use as your new lock screen. Make sure it's a.png file, and fits the resolution of your computer.
When you first start using a brand-new Mac or performed a clean install of OS X, you are presented with Setup Assistant, allowing you to create the first user account and specify some initial information, such as keyboard layout and locale.
- If you selected 'Displays have separate Spaces' in System Preferences - Mission Control, you can use the 'Show Desktop' to show all Windows, and then drag the offending Window up to a different Space. Then switch to the different Space (Ctrl - Left, by default) and drag the damn thing back to primary.
- Install macOS or OS X from Internet Recovery Mode, which you can boot into by holding option+command+R while your Mac powers up. Download the relevant macOS or OS X installer from Apple, then use Terminal to create a USB installer you can boot up from.
Under certain circumstances, it can be advantageous to re-run the Setup Assistant. Using some command-line trickery, we can do just this without having to erase and reinstall OS X.
What Setup Assistant Does
Setup Assistant is designed to run on the first boot of a fresh install of OS X, which is why you'll only see it when booting up a a brand-new Mac or one that has been erased and had OS X reinstalled.
Besides options for keyboard layout, time zone and asking if you'd like to register, Setup Assistant also lets you create a new user account. As Setup Assistant assumes the account it is creating to be the first, it is always given administrator privileges.
Why Bother?
There may come a time when you need to set up a second user account on a Mac while attempting to resolve a user account issue. If a Mac has only one user account and it seems to be unable to log in correctly (getting stuck at the login window, for example), having a second account will allow you to access OS X and continue troubleshooting.
By re-running Setup Assistant, we can use the process to create a user account that will automatically have administrator privileges, without having to do so via System Preferences, which we might not be able to access.
There are other reasons why re-running it can be advantageous, though in my experience, the above has always been the most common reason to do so. Sure, you can create user accounts using a number of commands, but Setup Assistant is just far easier.
.AppleSetupDone
Every time OS X boots, it checks for the existence of a file known as .AppleSetupDone
. This empty file is created after the completion of Setup Assistant. It doesn't exist on a brand-new, out-of-the-box Mac, nor on one that has had a clean installation of OS X.
By removing this file, OS X will assume that Setup Assistant has never been run and will launch it as soon as OS X boots.
Setup Assistant is also run with root privileges, which is why it can create a new user account with administrator privileges without the need for any authorisation. We slay monsters mac os.
Removing .AppleSetupDone
To remove this file, we need to boot the Mac into Single-User Mode. This provides a method of interacting with OS X via the command-line, with full root privileges.
Start up the Mac whilst holding down ⌘-S
. After a few moments, you'll see the Mac boot to the command line.
Before continuing, the filesystem must be checked and mounted, so files are't immediately accessible to interact with. To do this, enter the two commands that are displayed within the prompt, one at a time.
The following command will check the filesystem to ensure there are no problems. Enter:
The next command will then mount the filesystem for it to be accessible:
With the filesystem mounted and accessible, it's time to remove the file so OS X will re-run Setup Assistant:
After that, simply enter reboot
and your Mac will restart and boot normally. Only this time, Setup Assistant will launch.
Security Concerns
By now, you're probably wondering why should this be even possible, since someone may use this to gain access to a Mac. Indeed, re-running Setup Assistant would certainly allow for an unauthorised person to create a new account with administrative privileges and gain access to the Mac along with your data.
In terms of security, physical access trumps almost every method of preventing unauthorised access not involving encryption. While a little more complicated with the SSD technology Apple uses in their product lines, access to your data can easily be done simply by removing the Mac's storage device and connecting it to another.
This is where encryption methods such as Firmware Password and FileVault 2 are useful. With a Firmware Password set, it must be entered if the Mac is being booted either into Single-User Mode or to another boot volume. FileVault 2 takes this one step further by performing full disk encryption, preventing any form of access to your data unless authorised by entering your user account password - even if the drive is removed and attached to another Mac.
Dec 21, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions
Recovery Mode in OS X provides a set of solutions for users to utilize when users need to repair and reinstall their operating system in an emergency. You can also reset the Mac password using recovery mode if needed. There are several ways to boot Mac into recovery mode. If you find one method overwhelming, there are several other alternatives you can use. We will walk you through the different ways on how to boot Mac into recovery mode so that they will become undoubtedly useful in a rare emergency.
Part 1: How to Boot Mac in Internet Recovery Mode
Along with the introduction of a locally stored recovery volume, Apple introduced its Internet Recovery service that allows your operating system to download contents of the recovery hard disk partition from the company's service. This option is great to use when your local drive is completely corrupted and you no longer can access locally-stored recovery tools.
To launch Internet Recovery, make sure your Mac is connected to a WiFi network and follow the steps below:
- Reboot your Mac.
- Hold the 'Options', 'Command', and 'R' buttons until the boot chimes are triggered.
- Wait until the system finished downloading the recovery tools from Apple's website.
It is noted that you are unable to boot Mac into Recovery Mode if you are using devices older than the ones below:
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011)
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011)
- MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2011)
- iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011)
- iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)
- MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2010)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2010)
- Mac mini (Mid 2010)
- MacBook Pro (15-inch and 17-inch, Mid 2010)
- iMac (21.5-inch and 27-inch, Mid 2010)
- MacBook Air (11-inch and 13-inch, Late 2010)
Part 2: How to Create a bootable drive into Recovery Mode
You can create a bootable drive to store an OS X Recovery Disk so that you can access recovery tools anytime, anywhere. It would be great if you could invest in a high-capacity USB 3.0 flash drive to store the required tools.
There are plenty of articles outlining how you can create a bootable OS X Recovery Disk, including ours. Once you have this established, you can follow these steps to get your Mac into Recovery Mode:
- Reboot your Mac.
- Hold down 'Option' on your keyboard once you hear the chime sound.
- Attach your bootable OS X Recovery Disk to your Mac and select it from the prompt list.
- Your Mac will launch into Recovery Mode and you can start fixing your Mac.
As you can see, there are plenty of methods you can use to boot Mac into Recovery Mode. There is no need to panic when you find yourself in trouble - just choose and master the method that seems least intimidating to you and you will be well on your way. After you boot Mac into Recovery Mode, you can also restore your data on Mac.
Part 3: How to Boot Mac with Installation Disk
If you are using an older Mac, it probably comes with a grey recovery DVD that you can use to run recovery routines. If you had bought a copy of a newer operating system, you can also use the installation disk to perform recovery.
It is the easiest way to go into Recovery Mode and here is how you can do it:
- Insert the grey DVD and reboot your Mac.
- Hold down 'C' on your keyboard until you hear the boot chimes.
The recovery tool will take some time to load. Follow the wizard that will put your Mac into Recovery Mode.
Part 4: How to Boot Mac into Recovery Mode with Local Recovery
- Reboot your Mac.
- Hold the 'Command' and 'R' buttons until the boot chimes are triggered.
- You will see the OS X utility window that will prompt you to choose one of the four options.
The recovery tool will take some time to load. Follow the wizard that will put your Mac into Recovery Mode.
Part 4: How to Boot Mac into Recovery Mode with Local Recovery
- Reboot your Mac.
- Hold the 'Command' and 'R' buttons until the boot chimes are triggered.
- You will see the OS X utility window that will prompt you to choose one of the four options.
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Part 5: How to Boot Mac into Recovery Mode from Time Machine
It is really important to keep backups of your machine and Apple facilitates this with its Time Machine feature. It would be best to store your backup on an external drive so that you can initiate Recovery Mode using this when your hard drive is wiped out.
Follow these steps to boot Mac into Recovery Mode:
- Reboot your Mac.
- Hold down the Option button when the startup chimes sound.
- Connect your Time Machine drive. It will take some time for the system to detect the drive. You might need to key in your password.
- Choose the drive to launch your Mac into Recovery Mode.
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Video Tutorial on How to Boot Mac into Recovery Mode
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