12-16-2010, 10:03 PM

here's my story. my boyfriends mother found a computer in a rental car. she didn't trust the agents at the rental place so she kept it with her. we called the rental place and left our information for the lady to call us if she contacted them again or if they would call her to give her our info. it is now december and of course we never heard from the lady who owns the computer. so now we would like to use it but of course it is password protected. how can we go about getting the computer so that we can use it?? any help would be greatly appreciated.

12-16-2010, 10:19 PM

What you should do is contact Apple with the serial number, and hopefully they have the contact information of who it is registered to.

12-16-2010, 10:25 PM

i know who it is registered to because her name is on the computer when it boots up but i am sure that by now (9 months) she has gotten a new computer. i am sure that apple wouldn't give me her password even if they did know it. so my question is what can i do to bypass her password login so that i can use the computer for myself. already called apple and they charge to do it over the phone. trying to avoid spending a lot of money on this.

12-16-2010, 10:31 PM

Apple is not going to give out anyone's password, and they wouldn't know it anyway.
You can take it into Apple, and leave it with them, and they can organise for the return of the computer.

i know who it is registered to because her name is on the computer when it boots up

Then you can try to locate this person, or take it to Apple as I suggested above!

i am sure that by now (9 months) she has gotten a new computer.

What does that have to do with anything? It belongs to them!

Sounds to me like you have no intentions of returning the computer to the rightful owner, and only wish to bypass the password so that you can keep it!

12-16-2010, 10:41 PM

Originally Posted by 6string

Sounds to me like you have no intentions of returning the computer to the rightful owner, and only wish to bypass the password so that you can keep it!

Whoah there! I think that's an awfully big leap to make.

9 months is a fair bit of time to wait, especially given that the OP left their contact details with the rental place.

The easiest and most ethical thing to do (IMO) would be to format the hard drive and start anew, so as to avoid stumbling into any personal data. Assuming it's an Intel-based Mac, you can do this with the $29 Snow Leopard upgrade disc. If you want to get the best experience, it might be worth it to pick up the "Mac Boxed Set", which includes iLife and iWork.

12-16-2010, 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by cwa107

Whoah there! I think that's an awfully big leap to make.

9 months is a fair bit of time to wait, especially given that the OP left their contact details with the rental place.

It is very possible that the person who lost their computer has no idea where she lost it.
Being a car rental place, also adds the possibility of this person being a tourist, traveller, etc
This being the case makes it very difficult to track down lost items.

I personally would be very greatful, even if after 9 months, that if I had lost a computer (or anything for that matter), that the person who found it made the effort to have it returned to me.... in fact, I would offer them some kind of compensation for their troubles.
But hey, that's just me!

12-17-2010, 03:50 AM

This is actually very simple.
The computer is not yours so hand it over to the authorities and they can track the owner down and return it. Maybe the owner has data on There that is of high value to him/her.
I would have left it with the rental company.

Cheers ... McBie

12-17-2010, 05:56 AM

I agree, 9 months does not equal "it is now mine". Call Apple and give them the information so they can try to contact the owner or call the authorities. Just leaving your name at the rental place is minimal effort.

FYI, my wife works for one of those "rental places" and her office goes out of their way to reunite people with their belongings. After reading your efforts, I think it would have found its way home by now in their posession.

12-17-2010, 04:09 PM

And who knows? The rental company clerk may have just trashed the record of your call as it is not their problem. Take it to the police and advise what happened. If it is not claimed within a statutory period, usually three months, you may well be able to lodge a claim for the return of the goods.

To go about it this way may well leave someone open to a charge of larceny by finding.