Resolved Trying to factory reset my iMac.

[Dawirt]

Firstly, hello and thank you for letting me post on your forum.
As stated, I'm trying to factory reset my iMac. I just want to delete everything and do a new install.
For the sake of saving my finger from doing a lot of typing I took screenshots of the steps I'v been taking.
The problem is with the email "dawirt@mail.ie" which is an old email that I don't even remember using with my iMac.
It could be something to do with iTunes???
Anyhow, the computer is set up using my current xxxxxx@gmail.com account but thats not helping.
Tried resetting the old email account password but I think that account is now blocked??

HELP!!

 

[Dawirt]

Not too sure if this is relevant?

 

[Fishrrman]

What happens if you put your email address into the box where required? (image in reply 2)

If that doesn't work...
What happens if you put your phone number in there, instead?

If neither work, then I'd suggest you either call Apple's support line, or make an appt and take it into a brick n mortar Apple Store genius bar and let them help you...

 

[Dawirt]

Image 2 goes into Image 2 and so on. I took a screenshot of each step exactly

 

[Fishrrman]

What year is this iMac?
Intel or Apple Silicon?

 

[Dawirt]

5K 27-inch 2020
Intel Core i5.

 

[tonmischa]

Looking at your screenshots:
- Sometime in the past you created an AppleID using the "dawirt@..." address.
- You used this particular AppleID during the 1st-time-setup of your iMac.
- During this setup you enrolled the iMac into "Find My Mac".

(Maybe you changed or logged out of the AppleID later - I don't have an account.png -, but that is not relevant for the "Find My Mac" setup.)

Question:
- Do you remember the password for this particular AppleID?
- If yes, enter it in the dialog box in your "screenshot 4.png".
- If no, follow this guide to reset the password for the AppleID called "dawirt@..."

If you forgot your Apple Account password - Apple Support

Having trouble accessing your Apple Account? Reset your password to regain access.

support.apple.com

It is called an "Apple Account" now; I am still used to the old term "AppleID". Sorry.

BTW: Here is the official Apple Support document you should follow to erase your Mac.

Erase your Mac and reset it to factory settings - Apple Support

Use the Erase All Content and Settings feature to quickly and securely erase all settings, data, and apps, while maintaining the operating system currently installed.

support.apple.com

Good luck!


EDIT
PS: As this is always a confusing step: Make sure to not confuse the administrator password (the password you use to log into your Mac) with the AppleID password. They are completely different things.

 

[Dawirt]

Thats the problem. I didn't remember the password. I tried resetting it unsuccessfully and ended up getting blocked out of the reset window. Too many attempts I think.
I initially followed the "erase your mac" instructions which led me hear.
I eventually removed the computer from my "actual" account through apple login and then proceeded with a system reset.
It worked and when I proceeded to reinstall I got the "following photo" message.
Then I got locked out of my computer.

 

[Dawirt]

In short I Restarted the computer using the on/off button and Command + R formatted the hard drive and reinstalled the OS. (Thats the short version)
It worked. Problem is when I tried to create an account using my actual email address I got this. (see photo).
Basically it says that my email is being used by another account? ?
Now I'm really at a loss.
Talk about being back to square one.
Two things.
Firstly, thank you all for the support and help I'v been getting so far.
Secondly, if I get thrown off this forum for being a complete idiot, I will understand.

 

[Dawirt]

BTW I live in Germany and during the reinstall I forgot to change the language to English.

 

[Fishrrman]

Have you tried "internet recovery" ?

Try this:
(ethernet is best, but wifi ought to work, too - but slower)

Power down -- all the way off.

Hold down these three keys and do not let go:
Command-Option-R

While holding those keys down, reach around and press the power on button.
DO NOT LET GO of those keys!

If you're connected via ethernet, you can let go of the keys when you see the spinning globe.
If you're connected via wifi, let go of the keys to enter your wifi password.

The internet utilities take a while to load, be patient.

When you see the utilities screen, you have a decision to make:
1. Do you want to try a re-install of the OS (only)?
or
2. Do you want to erase the entire drive and start over?
BE AWARE that EVERYTHING gets erased in option 2.

If you just want to re-install the OS, click the installer and start clicking through.
Accept whatever version of the OS you are offered.
Any version of the OS that boots and works normally is better than one that won't.

If you want to erase the whole thing, don't open the installer yet.
Open disk utility.
IMPORTANT -- go to the "view" menu and choose "Show ALL devices".
Now look at the list on the left.
The "top line" is the physical drive inside, that we want to erase.
Click it and click "erase".
Choose APFS, GUID partition format. DO NOT use "case sensitive".

When this is done, quit disk utility, open the installer and go from there.

 

[tonmischa]

So you managed to do a re-install?
Is your data still there? Or is the drive empty?
Did you have FileVault enabled?
That’s dtrange. The activation lock (= Find My) should have kicked in…

Problem is when I tried to create an account using my actual email address I got this. (see photo).

This usually happens when you have already used that mail address in another Apple account. Eg as a secondary mail address for verification purposes.

You should still try to get access to the dawirt AppleID. You might find that you used your actual mail address there.

https://iforgot.apple.com/

 

[Dawirt]

During the reinstall I formatted the complete drive as follows.

"Open disk utility.
IMPORTANT -- go to the "view" menu and choose "Show ALL devices".
Now look at the list on the left.
The "top line" is the physical drive inside, that we want to erase.
Click it and click "erase".
Choose APFS, GUID partition format. DO NOT use "case sensitive"."

I had my data backed up on an external drive as I'm not a fan of FileVault. The drive was wiped.
Just tried that "https://iforgot.apple.com/" link and I got this. (See photos).
I'm presuming thats that email out of the way.
It still doe's not solve my problem with opening an apple account on the iMac as it stands, with my actual email which I'm being told is being used by another account.

Do you still think I should proceed with ....
"When you see the utilities screen, you have a decision to make:
1. Do you want to try a re-install of the OS (only)?
or
2. Do you want to erase the entire drive and start over?
BE AWARE that EVERYTHING gets erased in option 2." ?

BTW I'm using ethernet.

 

[Dawirt]

I'm not sure it's relevant but I do have an ipad under my actual email address.

 

[tonmischa]

Im from Germany too, so don't worry about the German screenshots.

Lets sort through this:

I had my data backed up on an external drive as I'm not a fan of FileVault.

FileVault has nothing to do with backups. That would be TimeMachine.

Do you still think I should proceed with ....
"When you see the utilities screen, you have a decision to make:
1. Do you want to try a re-install of the OS (only)?
or
2. Do you want to erase the entire drive and start over?
BE AWARE that EVERYTHING gets erased in option 2." ?

You already decided on option 2 when you erased the drive.
Let the installer run and see where we end up.

dawirt Mail: I have never seen this error before. This might be something Apple Support has to answer, but maybe the re-install will sort it by itself. (maybe we don't need the dawirt mail anymore...)

I'm not sure it's relevant but I do have an ipad under my actual email address.

The Apple Account on your iPad uses your actual mail address? Then of course you can't create another Apple Account with the same address.
You need only one Apple Account, that you can use on all your devices. Not one Apple Account per device.


EDIT: You should also redact the Serial No from your screenshot. Scammers are always looking for valid serial no's.

 

[Dawirt]

Ok thanks for that.
Regarding "Filevault" sorry for my ignorance. It should have been "Timevault I could have referred to.
The installer ran through, I am using the computer as we "type" so that was not a problem.
What I don't understand though is, I thought when I bought the 2 iPads for my daughter's I thought I installed them using my current account which was the iMac??
Am I missing something hear??
Why can't I set up a user account on my iMac using the same credentials?
Basically, how can I link my account to this iMac.

 

[Dawirt]

Sorry "Timemachine"!!

 

[tonmischa]

The installer ran through, I am using the computer as we "type" so that was not a problem.

That's good to hear. Happy that it worked!

Why can't I set up a user account on my iMac using the same credentials?

It is confusing sometimes, so lets try to sort a bit:

A Mac User Account controls your physical computer, while an Apple Account connects you to Apple's cloud services.

You use your Mac User Account to turn on and enter your computer. Once inside, you sign into your Apple Account within system settings. This links the physical computer to your personal cloud, allowing you to access your iCloud photos, iMessages, and App Store purchases directly on that local user profile.

The Mac User Account is local to your Mac, while the Apple Account is used on all your devices to link them all together.

Once you have created a local Mac User Account (which you do during the 1st-Time-Setup), you SHOULD be able to connect it to your Apple Account. (In the System Settings on the Top Left it says "Anmelden mit Deinem Apple Account". That's where the Apple Account credentials should go.)

 

[Dawirt]

I can't beleive it.
When I was trying to enter the dialogue box to enter my email address nothing was happening. Just tried it again and bingo.
What I was doing was clicking on the left of the dialogue box direct on the text "email address". Nothing.
Just clicked on the far right of the box on the empty space and the prompt just popped up.
I thought initally that the fact that the prompt was not appearing meant I had to open an apple account. Thus the login attempt.
I feel like such an idiot.
Just want to say thanks again everyone especially "tonmischa".
I was wondering because your user name sounded German
Greetings from 84152 Mengkofen.
If your ever in this neck of the woods, drop in to me. There is a beer and a whiskey waiting for you on the house.

 

[tonmischa]

Just want to say thanks again

Gern geschehen. Greetings from 10829 Berlin!