If you can access the files in question, then the first thing to do would be to back them up...
Douglas Leeder
2008-10-12 17:17:37
A:
+18
A:
Sincere condolences.
Try this: Mac OS X - Resetting a Forgotten Account Password
The link shows a walk-through of starting up from the Mac OS X installation DVD and using its Reset Password functionality to reset the administrator account's password.
There's further information here: Mac OS X: Changing or resetting an account password
Node
2008-10-12 17:18:05
+3
A:
If your account is an administrator account. You can open up Terminal.app and type
sudo passwd root
You will be prompted to enter a new root password.
If you don't have administrator access, you can reset the root password using your osx installation cd. Instructions are here.
Gordon Wilson
2008-10-12 17:18:58
+3
A:
If open firmware password has not been set, you can try entering single user mode by pressing apple-s during boot. Then you should be able to do anything you want, since you will be root.
See this apple support document.
I recommend using this capability to make all your father's files readable by your normal user account, then backup all his files and do a fresh reinstall.
freespace
2008-10-12 17:24:01
Booting single-user doesn't make it all that easy to reset passwords, as passwords are stored in NetInfo (10.4 and earlier) or Open Directory (10.5).
Chris Hanson
2008-10-17 00:10:26
No, but it does make it easy to change the file permissions so the files are accessible then. This allows them to be backed up and then the OS reinstalled without loss of data.
freespace
2008-10-17 09:50:14
+2
A:
Boot the computer with a BSD or Linux CD and mount the filesystem.
Brian Dilley
2009-02-25 21:01:58
+3
A:
If you don't want to make any changes to the mac, a little known feature called Target Disk Mode might make it easier.
Jweede
2009-02-25 21:10:04