changing password

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I am trying to connect 3 Macintosh computers to a LAN (ethernet). All machines are able to connect to the system but, they seem to have passwords that I did not assign and I can not change them. I have been able to connect 2 computers by assigning guest status to one and server status to the other. When I try to connect the third it searches for the server and then a messges says it could not be found. When I use the chooser to activate the Apple Share feature it asks for an IP address. When I enter the server address it will only allow a registered users connectiion (guest is grayed out). I can not access the correct passwords and then I am unable to complete the connection. My original passwords seem to have changed. How can I reset the passwords?

-- David Kostelnik (starcityphoto@neb.rr.com), April 23, 2001

Answers

Hi there,

First I need to know which operating system you are using. Since you can connect to your server using an IP address, the server machine must be running OS 9 (since IP File Sharing is new to OS 9) but I am not sure which OS your clients are running. Below are two sets of instructions - one for OS 9 machines and one for earlier OS machines.

If you are using OS 9.x you should locate the File Sharing Control Panel, and from there you can modify the Owner Password and any other Users' passwords.

If you are using an operating system prior to OS 9, you need to find the Sharing Setup Control Panel to set the Owner Password and then the Users and Groups Control Panel to set other users' passwords.

Based on what you have reported it sounds to me as if your server machine is the only machine which needs its password(s) reset, but it is always good to go through each machine's users and set the Owner information to something you will remember. Also, depending on your setup, it is usually unwise to leave Guest access turned on. If you are not behind a Firewall it is possible for anybody out on the 'net to gain access to your computer and files if Guest access is turned on. To switch it off follow the above instructions for all of your computers, and when you find the Users and Groups list, double click "Guest" and uncheck the "Allow Guests to Connect to This Computer" box.

Thanks for reading,

--Evan Trent Technical Wizard etrent@atpm.com About This Particular Macintosh http://www.atpm.com An e-zine about the personal computing experience.

-- Evan Trent (etrent@atpm.com), April 23, 2001.


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