HELP!!! Forgot Admin Password (Tiger) - Only have Snow Leopard Disk

[netdog]

Brought the original Intel iMac down as the kitchen computer and nobody had updated it is some time (it's at 10.4.10) and the Admin password has been forgotten.

I don't have the original system disks or a Tiger disk, but do have a Snow Leopard disk.

So here' the weird part.

I can't pop the SL disk in because when I do and ask it to upgrade, it asks for the admin PW before rebooting. Oops, don't know it.

Then I thought I could do an admin pw reset by booting from the SL disk, or at the very least do a fresh install of SL from there.

Great, I thought I would reboot, hold down the C key until seeing the gray Apple (also tried holding until the spinning gear), but the system doesn't boot off the CD for some reason after that with the SL disk in the drive.

Now I am really stumped. How can I reset the PW or do a clean install?

HELP!!!

 

[AndyMulhearn]

Have you tried single user mode?

http://www.westwind.com/reference/OS-X/commandline/single-user.html

 

[netdog]

I haven't yet, no.

I should have been more clear about one thing.

The machine logs in automatically normally. It's changing anything (including unlocking system preferences) that is holding me over a barrel.

I am not sure how single user mode will help me to get where I need to go.

Will it?

 

[AndyMulhearn]

Sorry, I thought the previous link had instructions This may help more:

http://lifehacker.com/278898/reset-your-lost-os-x-password

Hold Apple+S when booting to enter single user mode
#sh /etc/rc
#passwd yourusername
#reboot

 

[netdog]

Fantastic. Thank you!