"Computer admin" vs active account? So someone stole my mac and I just got a new used one and am setting it up and I can't figure out how to get it back to the way I used to have it.

The way it was before, I was a user with no password-- I didn't have to login when the mac started. But whenever I wanted to make significant changes, like installations or settings adjustments, I would have to give credentials.

How do I get back to that? Is it simply a matter of having a normal account and an admin account, and only using the normal account for day-to-day things? I never deliberately made two separate accounts on the previous computer.
The best way to solve this is to have one user who is an Admin and has a password.

In System Preferences navigate to Users &amp; Groups. 


Ensure you only have one active user.
Ensure that user has a password.



  Note: You might need to click the Lock button to make changes.




Then click Back in System Preferences. Navigate to Security &amp; Privacy. Click the Lock button to make changes. Uncheck all three checkboxes:



Now you will be able to turn on the computer without logging in. OS X will launch directly to the desktop. If you need to perform a Administrator level operation like using sudo in Terminal, you will be prompted for the password. Magic! :)