How to remove/reset the Master Password (FileVault Password) in Mac

So, you have just got a used Mac and discovered that there is a Master Password (in Mountain Lion), or what is refered to as FileVault , or you have forgotten your Master Password and you want to reset it or remove it completely.. luckily there is a way to do that

The place of accessing that password has changed from Leopard to Mountain Lion (I don’t know about Lion!)..
In Leopard, it used to be accessed through the FileVault preference pane. However, in Mountain Lion, you can access the Master Password screen from Users & Groups preference pane. there is a small button next to remove account button from where you can set or change a Master password.

Note that the Master Password is used as a “safety net” in case you cannot access the computer and you need to reset the password of any user. It is a powerful functionality. You can use it to reset the password and gain access to your home folder even if it is protected with encryption.”This provides protection for users who forget their login password”.

The Master Password is basically similar to a super user password.

Important Caution: Before you do that you must disable FileVault (if it is enabled) as you will see below.If you do not disable FileVault , you will lose access to your Home Folder since there is no private key to open it.
Make sure you follow Step one before Step two !!

here is what you have to do to remove the Master Password or FileVault password:
perform those steps using an Admin account.

Step 1: Disable FileVault

1. in Mountain Lion, go to Settings->Security & Privacy and FileVault tab
2. if FileVault is enabled, you can Turn FileVault off. if FileVault is not enabled, ignore this step

the operation would take some time to complete. This operation basically decrypt the Home Folder of the user and return it back to being with no encryption. The encryption uses a private key.

Step 2: Remove the Master Password

1. Launch Terminal application. Applications->Utilities->Terminal
2. type the following commands:
   sudo rm /Library/Keychains/FileVaultMaster.cer /Library/Keychains/FileVaultMaster.keychain
3. Enter your password

the above command removes two files from your system root (Macintosh HD by default):
FileVaultMaster.cer
and FileVaultMaster.keychain

Those files contain the FileVault master password. If they are removed, the system thinks there is no password set and you can now add a new one!

4. Quit and start again the Settings application

that’s it.

Now test it by starting the Settings application, and go to Users & Groups. You can now “Set Master Password”. Note in Leopard, you access the password through Security & Privacy preference pane.

if you find this post useful, please leave a comment…

How to Reset the Dock to Factory Settings in Mac OS X

You have just bought a used Mac or have been working with your Mac for quite a while, and your Dock has gone out of control. You possibly no longer remember how it originally looked like when started after a fresh install!

So now is the time for you to possibly reset your Dock to original settings without having to do everything manually.

Caution: this procedure will cause your Dock to reset and this means your custom added application shortcuts will disappear from the Dock. Also it means that any settings that you set using the Dock Preference pane in Settings (for example, magnification, position of dock, etc.). Of course you can then start adding and re-arranging your applications on the Dock the way you want it later.

Here is how you can do it..

two methods : The simple quick and one-time method , and a more fun re-usable method

1. using Terminal ->Simple quick and one-time method for busy people
2. using Automator -> a reusable Dock utility

Using Terminal

1. Launch a Terminal application. You can find it at Applications->Utilities->Terminal
2. Type the following code
   rm ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.dock.plist
killall Dock

The first command deletes the Dock preferences file dock.plist. Deleting this file means that the system will replace it with the default factory Dock settings.
The second command resets the Dock so your changes are immediately available.

that’s it.

Using Automator

For even more fun , you can create a small utility that will do the trick for you every time you want it. You might find this is useful if you just like to experiment, learn something new, or simply require a reusable utility that will reset your Dock. You can then later add more to this utility and possibly automate a heap of other things making a “Reset Factory Settings” functionality.

Let us see how this method works…

1. Launch Automator from Applications->Automator
2. Choose Service as the type
3. Choose “no input” under Service receives menu, and In menu choose “Other” and select “System Preferences”. This means that our newly created service will be accessible through the Settings application. I find it is more closely related to the functionality of the service, however, you can add the service to “Finder” too or any other application if you find that more useful.
4. Optionally first add “Ask for Confirmation” action. Search for the action “Ask for Confirmation” and drag it to the actions pane on the right
5. Type a message title as “Dock reset confirmation”, for example and Text as “Are you sure you want to reset the Dock to factory settings?”
6. Add “Run Shell Script” action.
7. Add the following code:
   rm ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.dock.plist
killall Dock
8. Run the service and test that it worked successfully
9. Save the service and name it “Reset Dock”

Now you can access the services from the Services menu in the Settings application..

1. Launch Settings application.
2. go to the menu named Services and select Reset Dock
3. it should do the thing.

You can also create a keyboard shortcut if you like to launch the service (I will leave it to you to find out how!”)

Tip 1: adding an icon to the service
If you like to change the “Icon” of the Service,follow the steps below:

1. Copy the icon you like from any application, shortcut ,etc. You can do that by going choosing Get Info on any application, and highlight the icon, and press Command+C to copy the icon.
2. navigate to ~/Library/Services
3. go to the service Reset Dock and alternate click and choose Get Info
4. click on the icon and paste the copied icon using Command+V.

that’s it.

Please leave a comment if you find the information useful or have questions…