# Accidently deleted my admin



## OpalMoon13 (Dec 10, 2011)

NEED HELP IMMEDIATLY, I had forgot my password for my admin so I went on google to search up how to reset the password, but instead it completely deleted my Admin account and all my files on the other accounts. I now have a new Admin account that I do not want and I would like to know how to get back my old accounts. This is what the website told me to do:

1. Reboot 
2. Hold apple key + s key down after you hear the chime. (command + s on newer Macs) 
3. When you get text prompt enter in these terminal commands to create a brand new admin account (hitting return after each line): 

mount -uw / 
rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone 
shutdown -h now


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

Once the info is gone, there really isn't a way to get it back. You're lucky as is that doing this didn't hose your install. I don't know of anything you can do to recover the lost files.


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## macguru (Dec 12, 2011)

OpalMoon13 said:


> NEED HELP IMMEDIATLY, I had forgot my password for my admin so I went on google to search up how to reset the password, but instead it completely deleted my Admin account and all my files on the other accounts. I now have a new Admin account that I do not want and I would like to know how to get back my old accounts. This is what the website told me to do:
> 
> 1. Reboot
> 2. Hold apple key + s key down after you hear the chime. (command + s on newer Macs)
> ...


:suprisedo not panic. First, print out this procedure so you can follow it to recover your files.
1. Open your hard disk under the new admin.
2. Open a finder window from your hard disk.
3. Set it to view as “Columns”.
4. Select The Hard disk icon in the left hand pane of the window.
5. In the first column, you will see a folder, “Users.”
6. Select “Users.”
7. In the Users folder should a folder that has a house icon with your new Admin’s name, a folder named “Shared” and another folder with your old users (Admins) name. [If the old admin name is not there as a folder, it means you selected the “Remove this user totally” option when this all happened. In that case, the only option is to restore from a backup, which few people have available. Sorry. If it is there however, you can recover all of your past documents, music, pictures, emails, etc.]
8. Open the folder with your old admins name and make sure all the folders are there. They will be locked, but don’t worry, we’ll transfer the files into the new admin, using a laborious but effective method.
9. Click the old user folder.
10. Select the menu, File:Get Info.
11. At the bottom of the get info window is the permissions area. It has a padlock on it.
12. Click the padlock. Put in your current admin password.
13. Click the plus sign at the bottom of the get info permissions area.
14 This will bring up a window listing the current admin. Select it, and give yourself full read and write permissions for this folder.
15. Close the get info window.
16. Here is the boring part. You may need to do this with each of the enclosed folders. Once this is done, you can open another window with your new admin user folders listed.
17. Line up the folders so you can transfer the contents (Not the main folders) into the like folders of your new admin. (old Music contents into the new Music folder, etc.
18. IN the Library folder, also transfer any Application Support and preferences files you recognize into the like folder of the new admin user.(Like Safari preferences restores your bookmarks. Mail folder in the Application Support restores all your emails, Addressbook all your addresses, etc.
19. Replace or add to the contents of these folders: Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Movies, Music, Pictures and any folders you created in addition to these.
20. Once you are finished, restart your Mac.

NOTE: most if not all applications will operate normally after the transfer. What you are most interested in is the Documents, Music, Pictures, movie and Desktop folder contents. Any applications that get squirmy can be reinstalled.


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