password on start up of mac book somehow changed

James_B
James_B
Community Member

Help. I bought 1 Password and in changing my icloud password somehow made that my password for the initial start up on my laptop. I have again changed the appleid password. When I attempt to logon I get passed the initial password request only to be confronted with it again. While the hint says it is my appleid, it doesn't accept it when I enter it on this second occasion. What has gone wrong?

Comments

  • littlebobbytables
    littlebobbytables
    1Password Alumni

    Hi @James_B,

    I've never used it myself but it is possible to set OS X up so it uses your iCloud password. This would all happen outside of 1Password for Mac though. The first stage would be simply try all the possibilities, your original OS X password, and any of the passwords you've used for iCloud since you started this. As I don't synchronise these passwords I don't know if a Mac can only update it's password after you've successfully logged in with the old one.

    On this MacBook, do you happen to know if you ever turned on FileVault? It isn't on by default and if you haven't enabled entire disk encryption then you may be able to reset the user password. Treat this possibility as more of a fallback though because I don't know if there are any repercussions.

    Hopefully we can help you regain access to your MacBook :smile:

  • James_B
    James_B
    Community Member

    Thanks for the response. All fixed now through Apple but took a few hours. I've explained what I can below and hope it makes sense and maybe helpful.

    I am still not sure what happened other than it all happened after I installed 1 password but it may just be coincidence. I don't play with settings but somehow the FileVault was turned on (as I discovered). What occurred was that the start up password changed. I realise these things don't happen by themselves but do not re-call doing this. I was just happily entering passwords into 1 password. Done it was, though.

    I left my computer, it went to sleep, I woke it and when I entered my password got the message it was wrong. After several attempts I got a message that it could be changed to my icloud password. I took this option, entered it and got a 2nd password screen. The hint told me it was my icloud password so I happily entered it again to get the message it was incorrect.

    (with and without Apple Help) I repeated the process of changing the icloud password several times and finding the first password request would accept whatever the new password was but not the second. The eventual solution was to go into disc utilities where we discovered the filevault activation. It was eventually turned off by using the most recent icloud password change (the one the second password challenge would not accept). On subsequent start up, the password was entered, accepted and the Mac Pro went to the desktop (as normal) without the second password input screen again appearing. And there was much rejoicing.

    So I hope someone finds that experience useful. I learnt a bit about parts of the Mac Pro I never knew about before. Do I feel like a complete idiot/numpty/drongo (insert noun of choice)? Absolutely.

    Silver lining: Through the process of trying different passwords I obviously entered the master password I had created for 1 Password a lot as we ruled out different possibilities at different points of the process. I was getting more and more concerned that I had written it down incorrectly each time it wasn't accepted. When I opened 1 Password again (with one eye closed and slightly turned away) my now pretty well memorised master password worked first time.

    Now, beer o'clock, I think...

  • littlebobbytables
    littlebobbytables
    1Password Alumni

    Hi @James_B,

    It sounds like you managed to carefully navigate out of a nearly disastrous situation so :+1: and it's great to hear Apple were able to help.

    I personally wouldn't link my OS X user account password to my iCloud account. Your Apple ID is used for several of Apple's sites and as such means you want to follow the standard safety measures, a unique and quite frankly horrible password that can't be easily brute forced and definitely not guessable. Given the restricted access to my machines my password isn't quite as horrible, something more akin to Diceware.

    I also do recommend FileVault. Entire disk encryption means that if you should ever lose possession of your Mac then at least the loss is the hardware only. The key though is that it isn't sprung on you and that you understand what it is doing for you and the implications.

    Having managed to come out the other side at least you can say you've learnt about quite a few things, even if it was a bit like a trial by fire :wink:

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