How can I become the User?

[Obsoleet]

A guy on a different forum offered me his daughter's old MBP for the cost of shipping (and I am most grateful!). All the data has been deleted--passwords and files, etc. What is still on there are her user accounts. I tried to do a password reset, but that doesn't remove the old user profiles, so my new PW is useless (I can only access the Guest account).

Is there a step I can take before attempting a factory reset (which is another set of questions)?

My setup is:
MBP Mid-2010, running El Cap 10.11.6
2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
16 GB 1067 MHz DDR3

 

[ferrarr]

See if this helps,

What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac

Reset your Mac to factory settings to prepare it for a new owner.

support.apple.com

It looks like the correct way to proceed is the factory reset.

 

[Obsoleet]

That's where I figured it would have to go. The procedure looks pretty straightforward. The part I don't understand is the OS reinstall. IIUC, the computer connects itself to Apple, where the OS is downloaded. I'm new to Apple services, I don't have an account or Apple ID. Does that matter?

My big question is, what OS will be installed? The machine would have come installed with 10.6; it came loaded with 10.11. Will the download be either of those, or will it try to load something more recent? I know it can't run Big Sur.

 

[MacInWin]

It should, if it can tell, install what was on it most recently. If it cannot, it will install the original, or if that is not available, the first one after that one that is available.

EDIT: But it might be easier to see if the giver can send you her login password so you can go in and create a new user for you, then delete her account completely.

 

[Obsoleet]

I went and signed up for an Apple ID. I've gone through the disk erase, and Apple ID'ed El Cap as the correct OS. It sent me a verification text, but when I get to the install point, I get

This Apple ID has not yet been used with the App Store.
Please review your account information.

I'm signed into my account on a different computer (a PC), but it wants me to first log in with my iPhone or watch, neither of which I own.

 

[chscag]

I'm signed into my account on a different computer (a PC), but it wants me to first log in with my iPhone or watch, neither of which I own.

I suspect it wants to verify you using 2FA (Two Factor Authentication):

Two-factor authentication for Apple ID - Apple Support

Two-factor authentication is an extra layer of security for your Apple ID designed to ensure that you're the only person who can access your account, even if someone knows your password.

support.apple.com

You might want to give Apple Support a call and explain the situation to them. I believe they can verify you by email which you should be able to receive on your PC.

 

[Obsoleet]

I'll call Support. But I'm receiving and responding to the 2FA already.

 

[Obsoleet]

I'll call Support. But I'm receiving and responding to the 2FA already.

Tech support walked me through an internet recovery, which means High Sierra. That maxes out my OS for this unit, which is fine--it's still far more than I need, which is pretty cool, really.

SOLVED!