I am all about making computers work for their users. I maintain that while getting the most out of your Mac requires a bit of effort, it should be fun and not make you want to toss the thing out of the closest window.
That said, there are a couple of simple things that one can do to make managing your Mac easier. One of those things is understanding the way Keychains work. Keychain Access is the program that keeps your passwords saved so you’re not prompted every time you access a secure resource like your email.
However, Keychains can be tricky unless you understand these features:
1. You create an administrative password when you first set up your Mac. That means you should either write it down in a safe place (you will need this password every so often), or make it blank (many computer users do not want or need to password protect their computers anyway; it’s just a feature that newer operating systems have to keep your data safe). If you identify with the latter, leaving your password blank is a great option because there’s nothing to remember.
2. If you do forget your password, it can be reset by using the disks that came with your computer. Instructions can be found here. However, when you restart you’ll be plagued by constant requests to enter the login password. Keychain doesn’t know that you’ve reset your administrator password, so constantly asks for it. You’ll need to delete the login keychain by selecting “Delete keychain ‘login’” from the file menu, and then clicking the “Delete References and Files” button.
One of the nice refinements in Snow Leopard is that on first restart after a password reset, Mac OS X will ask if you’d like to reset the keychains, negating the need to do so manually in Keychain Access.
Updated from “Keychain Smeechain” featured in Tech Tails 576.