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can I upgrade the harddrive on a machine with a firmware password?
- Thread starter beachball doom
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- boot firmware lock
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No. Purchased from a family member when they upgraded to new Macbook. I've checked with them regarding a password or code. They confirmed they never would have set anything beyond the basic access password. In addition, if a password was set enabling this feature, I would not have been able to accidentally erase/reformat the hard drive or clone back to the hard drive, nor would I have been able to update the OS. Correct?
Did the family member buy it new?
It's not easy to set an EFI password and there a few steps involved in doing so.
Yes, an EFI password will allow a user to perform many functions when booting from the internal drive including running Time Machine and upgrading the OS. Depending the OS, you could boot into recovery mode, access utilities, etc. I'm not sure which functions are available with en EFI firmware but the biggest restriction is booting from an external drive.
Yes. They bought new.
So setting an EFI password is not easy or "accidental". I still don't understand how this happened.
What I was saying is "if" an EFI password had been set and enabled, I would NOT have been able to "accidentally" erase the hard drive, let alone "clone copy" to it back in January. I also would not have been able to upgrade the OS.
So setting an EFI password is not easy or "accidental". I still don't understand how this happened.
What I was saying is "if" an EFI password had been set and enabled, I would NOT have been able to "accidentally" erase the hard drive, let alone "clone copy" to it back in January. I also would not have been able to upgrade the OS.
How did you erase the drive? From recovery mode?
I've never used CCC but use Time Machine regularly. You can create a TM backup on a MacBook with an EFI password because it is an operation that runs after macOS is booted. AFAIK, CCC can be used to clone and internal drive to an external drive after macOS has booted too.
How to set a firmware password per Apple:
- Start up from macOS Recovery: Press and hold Command (⌘)-R immediately after turning on your Mac, and release the keys when you see the Apple logo or a spinning globe.
- When the utilities window appears, click Utilities in the menu bar, then choose Firmware Password Utility or Startup Security Utility. This utility is available only on Mac models that support use of a firmware password.
- Click Turn On Firmware Password.
- Enter a firmware password in the fields provided, then click Set Password. Remember this password.
- Quit the utility, then choose Apple () menu > Restart.
Could you post a picture of the lock screen? Thanks.
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I didn't do the erasing, my son did it via Disk Utility thinking he was on his MBP, as they both looked identical at the time. He wanted a "clean" hard drive since he was having some issues. Unfortunately, he "cleaned" mine. No harm done as I have CCC clone backup. Neither of us had user passwords at the time. We do now!
I use TM as a backup too.
I use TM as a backup too.
Command + r boots from the internal drive so an EFI password doesn't need to be entered if I recall correctly.
Thanks. I learned something I didn't know before.
Regardless of how it happened, the MacBook will need to have the password removed.
alpenmtn wrote:
"I'm at a total loss as to how or why this EFI lock has happened."
Did you buy this Mac new?
Or... used?
"How could a password be entered or "lock" activated overnight?"
Does anyone else have access to this Mac?
Can anyone else "put their hands on it"?
Ah, I wrote the above before I read page 3, so, more comments on the basis that you bought it used from "a family member":
"Yes, but you would need the EFI password. I have never set one up."
Looks like SOMEONE else did. It doesn't matter who, nor whether they knew what they were doing or not when they set it.
Now... you're stuck with it.
Apple will remove firmware passwords, but ONLY if you have the original sales receipt.
If you don't have that, they WILL NOT REMOVE IT. Not even worth asking.
SOME 3rd-party repair shops MIGHT be able to remove it.
You'll have to pay for the service.
If you can't get it removed, you have two choices:
1. Learn to live with it
or
2. Put it into the back of the closet and buy something NEW (or Apple refurbished) that you KNOW "is yours" right from the get-go.
"I'm at a total loss as to how or why this EFI lock has happened."
Did you buy this Mac new?
Or... used?
"How could a password be entered or "lock" activated overnight?"
Does anyone else have access to this Mac?
Can anyone else "put their hands on it"?
Ah, I wrote the above before I read page 3, so, more comments on the basis that you bought it used from "a family member":
"Yes, but you would need the EFI password. I have never set one up."
Looks like SOMEONE else did. It doesn't matter who, nor whether they knew what they were doing or not when they set it.
Now... you're stuck with it.
Apple will remove firmware passwords, but ONLY if you have the original sales receipt.
If you don't have that, they WILL NOT REMOVE IT. Not even worth asking.
SOME 3rd-party repair shops MIGHT be able to remove it.
You'll have to pay for the service.
If you can't get it removed, you have two choices:
1. Learn to live with it
or
2. Put it into the back of the closet and buy something NEW (or Apple refurbished) that you KNOW "is yours" right from the get-go.
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This exact same thing happened to me once, and I did solve it
I went into lost my device and lock it, they will ask you to put a password to unlock it, and that password worked as the firmware pasword.
Reprogramming the chip to delete the password is complex but not impossible, a professional can easily do it
I went into lost my device and lock it, they will ask you to put a password to unlock it, and that password worked as the firmware pasword.
Reprogramming the chip to delete the password is complex but not impossible, a professional can easily do it
