Can't log in or change password

[jepinto]

Mom's computer suddenly ate her password. All attempts meet with nothing or swirling rotating icon. I'm an admin on her computer, we can reset my password and have-through Terminal-but that is as far as it goes, the password is not usable for anything other than logging in. I can't install anything, can't switch users, can't update. When I log in the entire application folder opens, and EVERY application including stickies opens up.

I'm doing this remotely, she is in Indiana, I'm in Florida (why oh why couldn't this have happened when I was there last week??)

Her Apple ID no longer works and all attempts to reset it have failed.

Suggestions?

[space-time]

Suggestions?

none that are actually useful, but you could mention the OS version. I assume you tried a PRAM reset. Other than that, given that you cannot install Apps to check for malware, and you can't switch users to try guest account, I am about of ideas.

[jepinto]

Sierra 10.12.6 I've Malwarebytes on it,but it says it can't install a background "something" because it won't take my password to do an install

[Markintosh]

Do you need to run the background piece? I think that just controls scheduled scans. I usually skip that part and run scans manually.

I went through this with mom last week. Half way and one hour into the process she remembered her user password that she had changed since writing it down.

[Sarcany]

jepinto wrote:
When I log in the entire application folder opens, and EVERY application including stickies opens up.

...

Suggestions?

First get a handle on that wacky admin account.

Not clear why all of the apps are opening. Try having her log in under that account when it's safe-booted (hold down the Shift key on startup).

Then... Might as well just use your admin credential to create another admin account in the Users & Groups (Accounts) settings. Log in under that nice new admin account and troubleshoot from there.

If you can't unlock the preference panel to create a new account, that (along with the other stuff you've mentioned) tends to indicate that the sudoers file is hosed. It doesn't just get hosed on its own. It usually gets messed up only when the drive is dying or has had a major crash/glitch that corrupted the file-system. Would strongly recommend doing drive-diagnostics at that point including running the Disk Utility from the Recovery volume and if you can get it downloaded and running then do a SMART check with SMART Utility as well.

[jepinto]

One other thing, when I try to retrieve her Apple ID password, using other device, I get a blank spinning page, using both her phone, my phone , her iPad, both my computers.

Trying that so maybe I could log her in using Apple ID instead of user id

[jepinto]

and today everything worked. Was able to log in, get her Apple ID password, install programs, everything. EDIT* and her password worked, same one, no problem.

Ran onyx, ran malwarebytes, deleted me as a user, she can go back to Swagbucks (she is 87 and a bit hard headed).

All is right with her world.