Hi Everett
The root user is disabled by default, i.e. you cannot log into it.
Your created account is an administrative account, but that does not
mean you can do anything unchecked. OS X relies on sudo for operations
that would normally require access, and having an administrator gives
you permission to utilize sudo. It also gives you permission to
directly copy to certain system folders, such as Applications and
Library.
In the event you need to do something that requires root access, you
will be asked for your account password for verification. If you were
running as a normal user (non-admin) you would need to enter both the
username and password of an admin account to temporarily escolate your
privileges for the duration of that operation.
You don't need to enable the root user under most circumstances. In
the terminal, from an administrator account, enter:
sudo su -
to su to root. You will need to enter your account password. You have
a root shell from that point until you log out of it by typing "exit"
or quitting the terminal application.
If you really do want to enable the root user, do the following:
Open Directory Utility, located under Applications/Utilities. Go to
the edit menu, and select "enable root user." Create a password for
root, and that's it. If this item is dimmed, you need to unlock
directory utility (if you're running as a non-admin account this will
be the case). To unlock it, VO down to the bottom of the window and
you will here "click the lock to make changes" button. Press this, and
enter an admin username and password, and it will be unlocked and the
root user can be enabled. Once done, you may log into the system as
root. I probably don't need to warn you, but I'm going to anyway: be
very, very, very careful as root. You won't be prompted for anything,
no matter what the consequences might be.
hth
On Jan 4, 2009, at 19:41, E.J. Zufelt wrote:
Good evening,
I don't remember having to specifiy a password for a root or
administrative account for OS X.
1. Is my default user an administrative user?
there a root / administrative account and how do I get to it?
Thanks,
Everett
2. Is
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