today I bought an iMac 20" 2.16 c2d for $700 which I thought was a good deal but it came with no install discs and the guy did not know the user name or pw... Can I use my aluminum iMac install discs or to they have to be the ones that came with the system. When I try to install leopard it just shows 1 big lock and a section for the pw. Any help?
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How do I reset the admin pw and username?
- Thread starter je1ani
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Sounds you like you may have bought a stolen machine...
Try using your install discs. If they work, great. If not, no harm done. If they don't work, you'll have to contact Apple to get a proper set of install discs for that machine. Then you can boot from them and do a fresh install.
Try using your install discs. If they work, great. If not, no harm done. If they don't work, you'll have to contact Apple to get a proper set of install discs for that machine. Then you can boot from them and do a fresh install.
Yeah maybe.. The guy said he had the iMac for 1 year but the warranty showed bought in July 2007... Wierd and he wasn't computer literate he just said he bought the iMac because it "looked clean" mind you it was in Oakland, CA hahaha
$700 for a 5 month old iMac? Too good to be true? "Owner" doesn't know the admin name or password? Catching a theme here?
Likely a hot machine. At the very least verify it isn't stolen. If it is, yeah, you're out the 700 bones, but that alone should've been a huge red flag.
Likely a hot machine. At the very least verify it isn't stolen. If it is, yeah, you're out the 700 bones, but that alone should've been a huge red flag.
yeah I checked powermax.com/stolen and nothing came up... but anyways when I put in the install CD and hold alt and try to boot it up there's just a big Lock icon with a password which I don't know
It is most likely stolen. But even if it isn't you have a $700.00 brick.
That lock is the firmware password protection. And short of a new motherboard there is no way to change it, if you don't know what the password is.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106482
That lock is the firmware password protection. And short of a new motherboard there is no way to change it, if you don't know what the password is.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106482
D'oh.
Not sure why you're handing over $700 for a machine you can't access, let alone test, BEFORE you purchase...but, hey, at least it's not a mini, right?
Not sure why you're handing over $700 for a machine you can't access, let alone test, BEFORE you purchase...but, hey, at least it's not a mini, right?
Nope, the password protection in this case is in the EFI on the motherboard. Not on the drive.
Firmware passwords can be bypassed with physical access to the machine (as Apple mentions in their support document), but I'm not about to post how to do so on a public forum.
The OP should contact Apple about this situation and work with them to resolve the history of this machine and get proper install discs, etc.
The OP should contact Apple about this situation and work with them to resolve the history of this machine and get proper install discs, etc.