FileVault is the OS X full-disk encryption system, which everyone should use unless there is a really good reason not to. Mostly it just sits there in the background and doesn’t get in the way. Mostly.

If you don’t enter the correct password a few times then OS X will switch to the ‘Reset Password’ assistant. And there is no (obvious) getting out of it – even if you restart the machine you will be taken directly back to the assistant. This is most vexing if, say, the source of your problem password entry was not forgetfulness but a malfunctioning keyboard.

Thankfully there is a non-obvious solution or two.

• Restart the Mac and reset the NVRAM (press Command-Alt-P-R until the Mac chimes)
• Mouse-up to the top of the screen, and the menubar appears. From there select /Startup Disk. Enter your password to unlock the drive and reboot.

Check the video on Der Flounder to see the second option in more detail.