hello everyone my name is omar, i need help with this mac i purchased. i met this guy online on craigslist he was selling this imac 21.5 desktop 2.0ghz etc... so he told me the system had a pw and he didnt know it. u can still use the computer but u cannot install things, make serious changes etc.. without knowing the system pw or login. so he said if i purchased the snow leopard disc i will only have to hold down option at the start up of the desktop when the disc is inserted and just wipe it clean. the system ofcourse is running snow leopard. i did what he said and when i went to restart the system i then held down option with the disc already inserted and instead of the apple symbol popping up a pad-loc appeared. still asking for a pw. i then searched online to see if anyone could help and sum1 suggested that i need the leopard installation disc, and that the snow leopard i purchased was only an update. is this true can anyone help? also when i purchased the snow leopard disc at the apple store they assured me it will work.
If you have Snow Leopard (SL) on a disc, it is not "just an update". Updates are downloaded from Apple's website. To boot from the disc, hold down the C key when you start up or Restart. If the computer already has SL installed, using a SL disc that you purchased is completely on the up and up.
Mac Specs: MacBook 2.4 GHz, 4 Gb, 320 GB 7200 RPM WD Scorpio, OS X 10.6.4, Win 7, 3 iPods
To the OP:
You very likely purchased a stolen machine from someone on Craig's List. The type of password that the machine contains is what is known as a Firmware Password. A Firmware password is used to protect a machine from being wiped in the event it's stolen. Some security programs use it in conjunction with their software. Orbicule is one such program.
You should check the SN of the machine with Apple or your local police to see if it was stolen.
Mac Specs: MacBook 2.4 GHz, 4 Gb, 320 GB 7200 RPM WD Scorpio, OS X 10.6.4, Win 7, 3 iPods
To Slydude:
Great tip about bypassing the EFI Firmware password. Someone else mentioned that particular trick to me awhile back but I never had a chance to test it. Looks like it works.
Mac Specs: 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 MBP 6.2, 4GB RAM, 320GB HD
Great tip, but as you mentioned earlier, it is most likely stolen, and I hope as far as karma goes, that the OP follows your advice and checks it out.
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Mac Specs: 2.8 GHz MacBook Pro 4 GB mem, 2.66 GHz Mac Pro 4 GB mem both 10.6.4
True. Hadn't thought of that.
I don't use that type of password because it really only provides some security if you can keep someone from getting physical access to the system. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending upon your perspective, it's not to difficult to find the information.
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Sylvester Roque
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About This Particular Macintosh http://www.atpm.com
Mac Specs: 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 MBP 6.2, 4GB RAM, 320GB HD
"Sly"dude... sure you didn't LOL
Just kidding mate, but could resist a play on your handle (name)!
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