Admin password to install/uninstall software?

[kidA]

all of a sudden this morning my ibook G4 (running 10.3.8) stopped asking for my admin password when i install/uninstall software from the applications folder. it just installs or sends it right to the trash.

anyway, i repaired permissions and it still doesn't ask.

my primary user account is a standard account and i have the admin account/password that only gets used when it's asked for. any ideas?

things i have done recently: i was messing around with the trackpad driver earlier in the week—i installed the iscroll trackpad driver found here that enables two finger scrolling but subsequently uninstalled it.

 

[Les Kern]

To reset the password, boot from your Original OSX CD and under the menu select "change password". But I'm a little confused on your question... not sure what "it just installs or sends it right to the trash." means.

 

[mkrishnan]

my primary user account is a standard account and i have the admin account/password that only gets used when it's asked for. any ideas?

When you go to your account in the system preferences, and you click on the security tab, is the "master password" still set? It sounds like it is, but just checking. And you verified in that tab that your account is still defined as standard and not admin?

Also, I'm not sure repairing permissions sets the permissions on the applications directory. Maybe they've changed?

 

[kidA]

To reset the password, boot from your Original OSX CD and under the menu select "change password". But I'm a little confused on your question... not sure what "it just installs or sends it right to the trash." means.

usually when installing new software or deleting software, a dialog box pops up and asks for an admin username and password. this no longer happens.

a master password was never set. i've never used filevault.

 

[Les Kern]

If there is only one user on the computer, that person IS the admin.

 

[bankshot]

I would check the permissions on /Applications. It's possible that something set its permissions to be world writable. Probably running a Repair Permissions from Disk Utility would take care of that possibility.