so when i enter the code, should it be like this??? :
/sbin/fsck -yf
mount -uw /
niut -append / /groups/admin users shortname
reboot
will it let me know on that screen if it worked? will i have to enter a password? i can't wait to try this on monday!!!!!!!!!! i don't know if i can handle the anticipation!
Quote:
Originally posted by lundy
She can't do that, as that action requires an Admin account to change the setting. Catch-22.
[B]so when i enter the code, should it be like this??? :
/sbin/fsck -yf
mount -uw /
niut -append / /groups/admin users shortname
reboot
Not quite. The command is
niutil -appendprop / /groups/admin users username
("niutil" instead of "niut").
Quote:
will it let me know on that screen if it worked?
Unless there is an error message, you should be fine. The niutil command may give some feedback, but unless it's an error, no problem.
Quote:
will i have to enter a password?
Nope. In single-user you are the superuser and can do anything. This is why anyone with physical access to your computer can do anything.
Now in regard to the other issues:
- the master password won't hurt anything as long as FileVault isn't on. If you ever forget your account password, the master password will let you in - that is the purpose.
- Please let us know how this command works, or if it works. I for one have never seen this particular problem and would like to know if this command fixes the problem so I will know how to advise people in the future.
i will let you know as soon as i try! it will probably be monday morning. i cant wait!!!!!! thank you for the suggestions, i am so excited! yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!!!!!!!
Quote:
Originally posted by lundy
Not quite. The command is
niutil -appendprop / /groups/admin users username
("niutil" instead of "niut").
Unless there is an error message, you should be fine. The niutil command may give some feedback, but unless it's an error, no problem.
Nope. In single-user you are the superuser and can do anything. This is why anyone with physical access to your computer can do anything.
Now in regard to the other issues:
- the master password won't hurt anything as long as FileVault isn't on. If you ever forget your account password, the master password will let you in - that is the purpose.
- Please let us know how this command works, or if it works. I for one have never seen this particular problem and would like to know if this command fixes the problem so I will know how to advise people in the future.
She can't do that, as that action requires an Admin account to change the setting. Catch-22.
The niutil command listed should do the trick.
Well. i clearly made a wild shot on this issue.
Quote:
Originally posted by lundy
...
- Please let us know how this command works, or if it works. I for one have never seen this particular problem and would like to know if this command fixes the problem so I will know how to advise people in the future.
i tried the niutil command but my accounts are still standard. poopies, i was so certain this would work! well, what do you think that i should do? you have helped me soooooo much by getting me back into my computer, i would never have known how to do that! i am hoping that some one reading has heard of this and will know how to help me.
thank you so much for everything so far! i'll be home all day and around my computer, so if anyone has any ideas - even if they seem silly - believe me. as long as you explain the process like you are talking to a 2 year old then i will try it! (like i said before, i don't know computer terminology)
thank you-thank you-thank you-thank you-thank you
wait, i just thought of something - it may mean nothing BUT i thought i'd mention it just in case.
after i tried that niutil command, i rebooted and went into
-system preferences
-accounts
(this is where it still listed both accounts as "standard")
but just to try it, i clicked on the lock to make changes and that is where the box popped up that said something like: enter administrator's name and password to make changes.
so i entered my shortname
and i entered my password
password was rejected - soooo, i tried two more times and a password hint came up. if the computer is giving me a password hint for this, does it recognize my login name as an admin???? even though it is listed as standard??? i am super, duper confused. but anyway - i tried using the password that the hint prompted me to use and that didnt work either, but my point is that this box asked for an "admin" name and it still gave me a password hint even though my account is listed as "standard". so what if i now go in under single user mode and change the admin password. do you think that might work?
and if you do think it will work, will you give me the specific commands to enter...i am nervous to do it without you telling me what to do ( i do not want to get locked out of my computer again!)
so what if i now go in under single user mode and change the admin password. do you think that might work?
It might -
passwd shortname
is the command.
Failing that, I'd agree it's time for an Archive Install. A clean install erases the disk, so you'd need another place to back up your data to. Oops - ending a sentence with a preposition - I mean "another place to which to back up your data."
To do the Archive Install, it's trivial - just boot the CD, and follow the onscreen instructions, choosing "Archive Install" when it gives you the choice of the different install types.
ok, i am obsessed... i cant stop thinking that there must be a way out of this (primarily because i don't know how to "back up my system and do a complete reinstall). ok, so - remember how i got myself into this mess in the 1st place by entering the codes that caused my computer to think it was being used for the 1st time. well, i know it didn't work last time...but it seems like there must be a way to go in under single user mode and create a new admin account or grant a standard account admin status.
i just did some googling and found little tidbits of info that sound like a foreign language to me... but maybe you guys could translate and let me know if this stuff is even worth trying.
Just be careful about the spacing in the above expression (.<space>/users/root), and use the backquote (`) not apostrophes (').
If you don't have a valid admin account, it is still possible to reset the password from single-user mode. It is a little more complicated since the NetInfo daemon is not running, and involves using 'nicl -raw'.
The previous post about file-vault is correct. Any encrypted disk images require knowledge of the original password. They can be subjected to brute-force attacks, but this only works for relatively short and easy to guess passwords.
This post has been edited by testuser: Mar 8 2004, 7:29 PM
------------------------
does any of this make sense? or, what about:
------------------------
(i was going to cut and paste but it was a lot so i thought i would just include the link instead) :
but this forum is asking if you can create a new admin account from the single user mode and the reply is very complicated to me. if you think that this is something that will work for me... could you - (sometime when you are not so busy) - tell me what to do, step by step?
honestly,
i know i am asking alot, but as you can see, i am trying to research it too so that you don't have to go so out of your way. i truly appreciate all of this. and i apologize for being so obsessed with this, but i kind of feel like this is a mystery to solve, i feel like the computer version of columbo or murder she wrote!
I, too am interested in how this problem can be solved without having to do an archive and install. It maybe quicker to do an archive, but where's the fun in that? Also, I have this feeling that the problem really should be solvable in Single-User mode. It must be fixable, it must be!
Firstly, may I say how pleasant it is to meet someone who is clearly so interested and grateful for the help they are receiving.
Secondly, I want to check/ask a couple of things to make sure I've got them straight:
1. You can log into your computer, and perform most tasks without a problem. You just don't have any admin rights.
2. You are runnning 10.3. Which version, exactly? You can find this out by going to the Apple menu in the top left corner, and selecting "about this mac".
3. Do you have anything you can back-up important data to? CDs? External hard drive? Another computer?
Here is my plan:
I'm surprised the niutil command didn't work. I'm going to read up on it.
I'm going to have a close look at the forum you linked to, and elsewhere. The posts in that forum are from 2002, and might be too old (i.e., from the Jaguar days)
I think it should be possible for you to create a whole new user with admin rights in Single-User mode. You may need to download a script first, and then run it.
yay! i am so excited that you also imagine that there must be some way to do this in single user mode.
thanks for offering your time to help me with this!
here is what i found when i clicked on "more info" under "about this mac":
Hardware Overview:
Machine ModelteMac
CPU TypetPowerPC G4 (3.3)
Number Of CPUst1
CPU Speedt1 GHz
L2 Cache (per CPU)t256 KB
Memoryt128 MB
Bus Speedt133 MHz
Boot ROM Versiont4.64f1
Serial NumbertYM347ARRPPA
System Software Overview:
System VersiontMac OS X 10.3 (7B85)
Kernel VersiontDarwin 7.0.0
Boot VolumetMacintosh HD
secondly, i have blank cd's if that is what you mean. (i would ordinarily use them to transfer photos or music off of my mac) are those the same as i would use for backing up my data?
and to answer your other question, yes, i am able to do most other things - i cannot change security settings, change account status, install software...etc.
this is so strange, i have never had any reason to go into the account settings before, so i am not really certain how long this problem has existed on my computer. hopefully we can work through this to figure out a solution!
thank you! i look forward to your thoughts on this!
from,
one optimist to another!
Quote:
Originally posted by Mr. H
Hi Erica,
I, too am interested in how this problem can be solved without having to do an archive and install. It maybe quicker to do an archive, but where's the fun in that? Also, I have this feeling that the problem really should be solvable in Single-User mode. It must be fixable, it must be!
Firstly, may I say how pleasant it is to meet someone who is clearly so interested and grateful for the help they are receiving.
Secondly, I want to check/ask a couple of things to make sure I've got them straight:
1. You can log into your computer, and perform most tasks without a problem. You just don't have any admin rights.
2. You are runnning 10.3. Which version, exactly? You can find this out by going to the Apple menu in the top left corner, and selecting "about this mac".
3. Do you have anything you can back-up important data to? CDs? External hard drive? Another computer?
Here is my plan:
I'm surprised the niutil command didn't work. I'm going to read up on it.
I'm going to have a close look at the forum you linked to, and elsewhere. The posts in that forum are from 2002, and might be too old (i.e., from the Jaguar days)
I think it should be possible for you to create a whole new user with admin rights in Single-User mode. You may need to download a script first, and then run it.
secondly, i have blank cd's if that is what you mean. (i would ordinarily use them to transfer photos or music off of my mac) are those the same as i would use for backing up my data?
Yes, indeed. If you don't mind using up CD-Rs on data, you can burn important stuff to CD using the Finder. Instructions can be found by launching Mac help (accessed from the Help menu in the Finder).
Personally, I'd say that this is a good idea, regardless of the situation you are in now. You'll be glad you've got backups should your Hard Drive break or your computer get stolen.
I'm reading up on a couple of things. Hopefully a new post coming in the next 30 mins or so... In the meantime, you can start backing up
SECOND EDIT:Here's an article at securemac.com that discusses changing the root password in Single User Model. I haven't tried this yet and I've got to run out to pick up some supplies to run CAT in the office tonight. If I get a chance I'll do it and post my results.
EDIT: DO NOT DO THIS! This does not work in Single User Mode like it does in the Terminal. I'm going to leave this here because it might spark someone's thought process.
1) Log in to single user mode (Command S during reboot.)
2) type the following sudo passwd root
3) supply a password when asked.
4) reboot.
5) At the login screen you should see a user name Other, click it and for the User Name type root supply the password you set while in single user mode.
6) You should be able to open System Preference and click on Accounts and change one of the existing accounts to an account with admin privileges.
OK. Here is my (hopefully understandable) translation of the thread you linked to.
niutil doesn't work when in Single-User mode. That is why the appendprop you tried didn't have any effect.
Mac OS X uses, amongst other things, a "NetInfo" database to keep track of users. There is an application, or more specifically, a "deamon" which manages this database. The niutil, presumably, works in conjunction with the deamon to update the database. However, in single-user mode the deamon isn't running. You can start the deamon, but then you aren't in single-user mode anymore and are back with the problem of having no admin user or a root password. Apparently, you can use the "nicl" command instead, which I'm just reading up on.
Interesting idea. I could be wrong about this, but I think that even if root has a password, you still can't login to the gui unless you've enabled the super-user in the NetInfo GUI application. I'm guessing that erica never did that.
Anyway, I'm off to my weekly pub quiz now. Back in a few hours...
Interesting idea. I could be wrong about this, but I think that even if root has a password, you still can't login to the gui unless you've enabled the super-user in the NetInfo GUI application. I'm guessing that erica never did that.
Anyway, I'm off to my weekly pub quiz now. Back in a few hours...
I guess, as much fun it is to you guys to solve the problem
for christ sake, it is much better, easier and promising
to back up, what is still there, and than do a clean install.
Tinkering with the niutil is a bad idea. The problem
in which is Erica hooked into is probably a symptom
to much much nastier issues.
I strongly recommend to get rid of the system, and
enjoy a fresh install. Honestly.
Though, if i find something to contribute, i will post it.
you are awesome! thanks for all the info! i am trying to "back up" all of my info (itunes, iphoto, documents...etc.) to CDR. i guess i will try to do a new install. i am just nervous because i don't want to lose anything.
am i doing this properly? i am clicking finder, choosing the application i want to back up and highlighting it, i am going to the file dropdown and choosing "create an archive". it then goes to my desk top in a zip file. now what? i have a blank CDR in my computer but when i click on mail.zip, for example (on my desktop) and go to the file dropdown, the option to "burn disc" is faded so i cannot choose it.
i might be doing this all wrong. this is very scary - i do not feel so much like columbo or murder she wrote anymore... much more like the cowardly lion
i have a blank CDR in my computer but when i click on mail.zip, for example (on my desktop) and go to the file dropdown, the option to "burn disc" is faded so i cannot choose it.
Do you see an icon of a CD on you desktop? If not, click on the Finder menu and chhose Preferences. Click on General (the light switch), if it's not already selected. Click the check box next to CDs, DVDs and iPods. Yu should now see an icon of the blank CD on you desktop. drag you ZIP files to the CD icon. When you've dragged everything that you want to burn to the CD drag it, the CD icon, to the Trash in the dock. Don't be concerned. The trash can will turn to a Burn icon (yellow and black circle). The CD will burn. When it's completed drag the CD icon to the trash again. This time it will turn in to an Eject icon and the CD will eject.
If you have some extra money you might want to consider purchasing and installing Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger instead on reinstalling Mac OS X 10.3 Panther.
Comments
/sbin/fsck -yf
mount -uw /
niut -append / /groups/admin users shortname
reboot
will it let me know on that screen if it worked? will i have to enter a password? i can't wait to try this on monday!!!!!!!!!! i don't know if i can handle the anticipation!
Originally posted by lundy
She can't do that, as that action requires an Admin account to change the setting.
The niutil command listed should do the trick.
Originally posted by erica
[B]so when i enter the code, should it be like this??? :
/sbin/fsck -yf
mount -uw /
niut -append / /groups/admin users shortname
reboot
Not quite. The command is
niutil -appendprop / /groups/admin users username
("niutil" instead of "niut").
will it let me know on that screen if it worked?
Unless there is an error message, you should be fine. The niutil command may give some feedback, but unless it's an error, no problem.
will i have to enter a password?
Nope. In single-user you are the superuser and can do anything. This is why anyone with physical access to your computer can do anything.
Now in regard to the other issues:
- the master password won't hurt anything as long as FileVault isn't on. If you ever forget your account password, the master password will let you in - that is the purpose.
- Please let us know how this command works, or if it works. I for one have never seen this particular problem and would like to know if this command fixes the problem so I will know how to advise people in the future.
Originally posted by lundy
Not quite. The command is
niutil -appendprop / /groups/admin users username
("niutil" instead of "niut").
Unless there is an error message, you should be fine. The niutil command may give some feedback, but unless it's an error, no problem.
Nope. In single-user you are the superuser and can do anything. This is why anyone with physical access to your computer can do anything.
Now in regard to the other issues:
- the master password won't hurt anything as long as FileVault isn't on. If you ever forget your account password, the master password will let you in - that is the purpose.
- Please let us know how this command works, or if it works. I for one have never seen this particular problem and would like to know if this command fixes the problem so I will know how to advise people in the future.
Originally posted by lundy
She can't do that, as that action requires an Admin account to change the setting.
The niutil command listed should do the trick.
Well. i clearly made a wild shot on this issue.
Originally posted by lundy
...
- Please let us know how this command works, or if it works. I for one have never seen this particular problem and would like to know if this command fixes the problem so I will know how to advise people in the future.
I really appreciate this manner.
i tried the niutil command but my accounts are still standard. poopies, i was so certain this would work! well, what do you think that i should do? you have helped me soooooo much by getting me back into my computer, i would never have known how to do that! i am hoping that some one reading has heard of this and will know how to help me.
thank you so much for everything so far! i'll be home all day and around my computer, so if anyone has any ideas - even if they seem silly - believe me. as long as you explain the process like you are talking to a 2 year old then i will try it! (like i said before, i don't know computer terminology)
wait, i just thought of something - it may mean nothing BUT i thought i'd mention it just in case.
after i tried that niutil command, i rebooted and went into
-system preferences
-accounts
(this is where it still listed both accounts as "standard")
but just to try it, i clicked on the lock to make changes and that is where the box popped up that said something like: enter administrator's name and password to make changes.
so i entered my shortname
and i entered my password
password was rejected - soooo, i tried two more times and a password hint came up. if the computer is giving me a password hint for this, does it recognize my login name as an admin???? even though it is listed as standard??? i am super, duper confused. but anyway - i tried using the password that the hint prompted me to use and that didnt work either, but my point is that this box asked for an "admin" name and it still gave me a password hint even though my account is listed as "standard". so what if i now go in under single user mode and change the admin password. do you think that might work?
and if you do think it will work, will you give me the specific commands to enter...i am nervous to do it without you telling me what to do ( i do not want to get locked out of my computer again!)
Thank You!!!!!!!!!!!
Originally posted by erica
oh no.
...
Thank You!!!!!!!!!!!
If i were you, i would copy all important
data over, and than perform a clean install.
Do you have access to all your data? ('though
you are a non-admin user, you should have access
to your, say, data. ) This is all that i can
come up with. Best.
so what if i now go in under single user mode and change the admin password. do you think that might work?
It might -
passwd shortname
is the command.
Failing that, I'd agree it's time for an Archive Install. A clean install erases the disk, so you'd need another place to back up your data to. Oops - ending a sentence with a preposition - I mean "another place to which to back up your data."
To do the Archive Install, it's trivial - just boot the CD, and follow the onscreen instructions, choosing "Archive Install" when it gives you the choice of the different install types.
i just did some googling and found little tidbits of info that sound like a foreign language to me... but maybe you guys could translate and let me know if this stuff is even worth trying.
here is what i found:
------------------------
master password can be changed from the Terminal:
sudo niutil -createprop . /users/root passwd `openssl passwd "secret" `
Just be careful about the spacing in the above expression (.<space>/users/root), and use the backquote (`) not apostrophes (').
If you don't have a valid admin account, it is still possible to reset the password from single-user mode. It is a little more complicated since the NetInfo daemon is not running, and involves using 'nicl -raw'.
The previous post about file-vault is correct. Any encrypted disk images require knowledge of the original password. They can be subjected to brute-force attacks, but this only works for relatively short and easy to guess passwords.
This post has been edited by testuser: Mar 8 2004, 7:29 PM
------------------------
does any of this make sense? or, what about:
------------------------
(i was going to cut and paste but it was a lot so i thought i would just include the link instead) :
http://www.macfora.com/forums/unix_admin-t7989.html
but this forum is asking if you can create a new admin account from the single user mode and the reply is very complicated to me. if you think that this is something that will work for me... could you - (sometime when you are not so busy) - tell me what to do, step by step?
honestly,
i know i am asking alot, but as you can see, i am trying to research it too so that you don't have to go so out of your way. i truly appreciate all of this. and i apologize for being so obsessed with this, but i kind of feel like this is a mystery to solve, i feel like the computer version of columbo or murder she wrote!
I, too am interested in how this problem can be solved without having to do an archive and install. It maybe quicker to do an archive, but where's the fun in that? Also, I have this feeling that the problem really should be solvable in Single-User mode. It must be fixable, it must be!
Firstly, may I say how pleasant it is to meet someone who is clearly so interested and grateful for the help they are receiving.
Secondly, I want to check/ask a couple of things to make sure I've got them straight:
1. You can log into your computer, and perform most tasks without a problem. You just don't have any admin rights.
2. You are runnning 10.3. Which version, exactly? You can find this out by going to the Apple menu in the top left corner, and selecting "about this mac".
3. Do you have anything you can back-up important data to? CDs? External hard drive? Another computer?
Here is my plan:
I'm surprised the niutil command didn't work. I'm going to read up on it.
I'm going to have a close look at the forum you linked to, and elsewhere. The posts in that forum are from 2002, and might be too old (i.e., from the Jaguar days)
I think it should be possible for you to create a whole new user with admin rights in Single-User mode. You may need to download a script first, and then run it.
See you soon...
yay! i am so excited that you also imagine that there must be some way to do this in single user mode.
thanks for offering your time to help me with this!
here is what i found when i clicked on "more info" under "about this mac":
Hardware Overview:
Machine Model
CPU Type
Number Of CPUs
CPU Speed
L2 Cache (per CPU)
Memory
Bus Speed
Boot ROM Version
Serial Number
System Software Overview:
System Version
Kernel Version
Boot Volume
secondly, i have blank cd's if that is what you mean. (i would ordinarily use them to transfer photos or music off of my mac) are those the same as i would use for backing up my data?
and to answer your other question, yes, i am able to do most other things - i cannot change security settings, change account status, install software...etc.
this is so strange, i have never had any reason to go into the account settings before, so i am not really certain how long this problem has existed on my computer. hopefully we can work through this to figure out a solution!
thank you! i look forward to your thoughts on this!
from,
one optimist to another!
Originally posted by Mr. H
Hi Erica,
I, too am interested in how this problem can be solved without having to do an archive and install. It maybe quicker to do an archive, but where's the fun in that? Also, I have this feeling that the problem really should be solvable in Single-User mode. It must be fixable, it must be!
Firstly, may I say how pleasant it is to meet someone who is clearly so interested and grateful for the help they are receiving.
Secondly, I want to check/ask a couple of things to make sure I've got them straight:
1. You can log into your computer, and perform most tasks without a problem. You just don't have any admin rights.
2. You are runnning 10.3. Which version, exactly? You can find this out by going to the Apple menu in the top left corner, and selecting "about this mac".
3. Do you have anything you can back-up important data to? CDs? External hard drive? Another computer?
Here is my plan:
I'm surprised the niutil command didn't work. I'm going to read up on it.
I'm going to have a close look at the forum you linked to, and elsewhere. The posts in that forum are from 2002, and might be too old (i.e., from the Jaguar days)
I think it should be possible for you to create a whole new user with admin rights in Single-User mode. You may need to download a script first, and then run it.
See you soon...
Originally posted by erica
secondly, i have blank cd's if that is what you mean. (i would ordinarily use them to transfer photos or music off of my mac) are those the same as i would use for backing up my data?
Yes, indeed. If you don't mind using up CD-Rs on data, you can burn important stuff to CD using the Finder. Instructions can be found by launching Mac help (accessed from the Help menu in the Finder).
Personally, I'd say that this is a good idea, regardless of the situation you are in now. You'll be glad you've got backups should your Hard Drive break or your computer get stolen.
I'm reading up on a couple of things. Hopefully a new post coming in the next 30 mins or so... In the meantime, you can start backing up
niutil -create . /users/username
niutil -createprop . /users/username passwd \\"\\"
niutil -createprop . /users/username home /Users/username
niutil -createprop . /users/username shell /bin/tcsh
niutil -createprop . /users/username uid 520
niutil -createprop . /users/username gid 20
niutil -createprop . /users/username realname \\"First Last\\"
niutil -appendprop . /groups/admin users username
and then make a Home directory for the user:
mkdir /Users/username
chown username:staff /Users/username
then reboot.
EDIT: DO NOT DO THIS! This does not work in Single User Mode like it does in the Terminal. I'm going to leave this here because it might spark someone's thought process.
1) Log in to single user mode (Command S during reboot.)
2) type the following sudo passwd root
3) supply a password when asked.
4) reboot.
5) At the login screen you should see a user name Other, click it and for the User Name type root supply the password you set while in single user mode.
6) You should be able to open System Preference and click on Accounts and change one of the existing accounts to an account with admin privileges.
niutil doesn't work when in Single-User mode. That is why the appendprop you tried didn't have any effect.
Mac OS X uses, amongst other things, a "NetInfo" database to keep track of users. There is an application, or more specifically, a "deamon" which manages this database. The niutil, presumably, works in conjunction with the deamon to update the database. However, in single-user mode the deamon isn't running. You can start the deamon, but then you aren't in single-user mode anymore and are back with the problem of having no admin user or a root password. Apparently, you can use the "nicl" command instead, which I'm just reading up on.
Interesting idea. I could be wrong about this, but I think that even if root has a password, you still can't login to the gui unless you've enabled the super-user in the NetInfo GUI application. I'm guessing that erica never did that.
Anyway, I'm off to my weekly pub quiz now. Back in a few hours...
Originally posted by Mr. H
Hi fahlman,
Interesting idea. I could be wrong about this, but I think that even if root has a password, you still can't login to the gui unless you've enabled the super-user in the NetInfo GUI application. I'm guessing that erica never did that.
Anyway, I'm off to my weekly pub quiz now. Back in a few hours...
I guess, as much fun it is to you guys to solve the problem
for christ sake, it is much better, easier and promising
to back up, what is still there, and than do a clean install.
Tinkering with the niutil is a bad idea. The problem
in which is Erica hooked into is probably a symptom
to much much nastier issues.
I strongly recommend to get rid of the system, and
enjoy a fresh install. Honestly.
Though, if i find something to contribute, i will post it.
am i doing this properly? i am clicking finder, choosing the application i want to back up and highlighting it, i am going to the file dropdown and choosing "create an archive". it then goes to my desk top in a zip file. now what? i have a blank CDR in my computer but when i click on mail.zip, for example (on my desktop) and go to the file dropdown, the option to "burn disc" is faded so i cannot choose it.
i might be doing this all wrong. this is very scary - i do not feel so much like columbo or murder she wrote anymore... much more like the cowardly lion
thank you all so much!!!
Originally posted by erica
i have a blank CDR in my computer but when i click on mail.zip, for example (on my desktop) and go to the file dropdown, the option to "burn disc" is faded so i cannot choose it.
Do you see an icon of a CD on you desktop? If not, click on the Finder menu and chhose Preferences. Click on General (the light switch), if it's not already selected. Click the check box next to CDs, DVDs and iPods. Yu should now see an icon of the blank CD on you desktop. drag you ZIP files to the CD icon. When you've dragged everything that you want to burn to the CD drag it, the CD icon, to the Trash in the dock. Don't be concerned. The trash can will turn to a Burn icon (yellow and black circle). The CD will burn. When it's completed drag the CD icon to the trash again. This time it will turn in to an Eject icon and the CD will eject.
If you have some extra money you might want to consider purchasing and installing Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger instead on reinstalling Mac OS X 10.3 Panther.