Help with a Mac G5

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MacGyver1968

MacGyver1968

Fixin' Shit that Ain't Broke
Valued Senior Member
I know very little about Macs. I'm working on a G5 that is "locked". When I boot the machine and hold "c", it won't boot the OS installation cd. If I boot holding "option" I get an image of a lock. I assume this is some admin password.

Does anyone know how to clear the password? I tried taking out the battery on the motherboard, but that didn't seem to work.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Mac
 
Obviously there aren't a lot of G5 owners here. I'm still using a ten year old G4. I take it you've tried all the Mac Help websites? If you purchased the computer through normal retail channels, you might be able to just call Apple.
 
Unfortunately, these are refurbished machines. It doesn't belong to me. I have a feeling there is no easy fix.
 
*fwsucker will display pw. google and ye shall find

*change amount of memory then boot holding down command + option + p + r after bong, thrice
 
Gustav...if you we're a woman, I kiss ya!!!!!! Hellllllllll Yaaaaaa!!!!!

You rock!!!! Thank you soooo much. You just made my job sooo much easier.

I was strutting like George Jefferson, when I saw that little spinning icon come up!!!

Next time your in Dallas, I'll buy you a beer!
 
well done Gustav.


MacGyver1968 - what you encountered was a second layer of security (the first being the user accounts + passwords). Instead of a BIOS, Macs use firmware to control their boot sequence - similar in basic concept, Open Firmware (and now EFI on the intel-based macs)) offers much more than a basic BIOS. For instance, by default all macs will boot off of optical media when the 'c' key is held down. This can be a security risk in public computer labs, where anyone can pop in a CD and then boot off a device other than the properly configured and locked down device. Therefore admins will sometimes turn this feature off in the Firmware.

Removing a stick of ram and resetting the PMU of the machine will reset the firmware of the machine to factory defaults. So now the machine is truly where it should have been when you got it - refurbed to factory spec.
 
Thanks for the explanation, RW. I work for a company that buys used computers and refurbishes them...99% are PCs. Someone in the lab let this one go out the door locked, and it was returned. That's what I do...fix the returns.
 
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