Apple Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard - Manual (Page 15)

15
Logging In to Mac OS X
To “log in” means to access your computer using the name and password for a user
account on the computer. Mac OS X is set up to log in automatically using the user
account that you create when you set up Mac OS X.
You can’t log in to your computer.
Make sure you’re typing the name and password exactly the way they were created,
including capitalization. If you still can’t log in but you know the name and password of
an administrator user (such as the first user you created), log in as the administrator
and use Accounts preferences to change your password.
You don’t remember your password and need to reset it.
If you don’t remember your password and you have the Mac OS X Install disc, insert the
disc and restart your computer while holding down the C key. When the installer
appears, choose your language and click the forward arrow. Choose Utilities > Reset
Password, and follow the onscreen instructions.
Tips for creating a good password.
Create a phrase that has meaning to you and pick the first letter of each word, or take
out all the vowels. For better security, don’t use an actual word; use at least eight
characters; and include upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Here are
some examples:
 “I love to shop for sandals in the Spring.” (Il2s4sitS)
 “I work 8 hours a day.” (wrk8hrsdy)
 “My son Aiden is three years older than my daughter Anna.” (M$8ni3y0tmd@)
You can’t log in to your remote user account.
If you are logging in to a server to access your user account and you can’t log in,
contact your system administrator.
Getting Information About Mac OS X
To get answers to your questions about using Mac OS X, use Mac OS Help. You’ll find
information about what’s new in Mac OS X and you can get help with customer issues.
Mac OS Help contains thousands of pages of helpful information. Use the search
feature to quickly find your topic of interest, or click Index and look for your topic there.
To use Mac OS Help:
1 In the Finder, choose Help > Mac Help.
2 Type your question in the text box and press Return.
To get help for an application that’s included with Mac OS X, choose the Help menu for
the application while you’re using it.