no ideas yet on how to remove open firmware password and reformat?

 

user: admin, password: (leave blank) ?

I have an old G3 iBook, and found that many of todays applications are too much for the laptop. Best bet is to use it for simple things like internet and maybe a bit of word processing

 

yup. thats the idea. maybe a few other things, but thats about all i really need for school.

but i need to get that firmware password reset/ taken off - the "cmd+option+o+f" thing didnt work so i was hoping that somebody could explain the steps to do it another way

 

simpler question: how to remove firmware password when "cmd+option+o+f" doesn't work?

 

I suspect that the computer was loaned not given, otherwise the firmware password would not have been engaged and you would have been given the install disks.

Do what you will with that info. If the tech went to all the trouble to lock down the firmware he also recorded that info in his logs. OTH 2 years in the closet has insured that the battery has completely run down at some point which may mean that the OF password is corrupt and/or recovery not possible. Sometimes it is just not possible to salvage if the password is lost or corrupt. Other times the RAM trick works.

 

I think that if you take out one of the RAM chips, power it on, then off again, it resets the open firmware password. Could be wrong.

 

tried that. no go unfortunately

 

I believe there is some battery or button that will reset the Open Firmware. I read it somewhere. Just as there is to reset a BIOS. There is always a button or a way to completely reset machines.

Did a quick Google search, does this help?

Macintosh Security Site -> Open Firmware Password Protection Mac OS

Be assured, you're not stuck. There is a way to get it all working.

BTW, try taking the 2nd RAM stick and put it in the first slot. Make sure the first stick is removed. It might help, then try that RAM open firmware trick again.

 

thanks, this is the most useful info as of yet.

i have already run into that article, and it was not completely useful, but it reinforced some of the other things I read about.

and from what i understand on these models, there is one stick (128 MB) soldered to the logic board, and the other is the one that I have been, removing and replacing. so your second suggestion is not entirely possible.

here is a link to a pretty useful quote from the apple website

Warning: The Open Firmware Password can be reset and changed by any one of the following (except MacBook Air):

By any administrator user, as designated in the Accounts preferences (or in Server Admin).
Via physical access to the inside of the computer.
When the computer is started up in Mac OS 9.

The "physical access" from what I understand is the "zap the RAM three times" trick. Since I don't have the admin password, I think the only other option might be to start up in OS 9?

How do I do that?

 

Have you tried the "password" (typing Password) trick in Open Firmware, as per the website?

I found this post which might be of use, have you tried it? They might have set it to "Full" protection which would prevent the keystrokes.

"Success! I decided to revisit the issue of disabling the Open Firmware password protection on a Cube I recently acquired and for which I did not know the password. What I discovered is that when I added or removed DIMMs to change the total amount of RAM, it removed the block on the keyboard combination for resetting the PRAM and NVRAM. I was then able to zap the PRAM, which disabled the Open Firmware password protection. As a result, I can now boot the system from the Apple Hardware Test disk and, when holding down the Option key upon startup, I am given the choice of bootable drives from which to choose instead of the Padlock image that I previously encountered. Thanks to everyone who chimed in here in an attempt to help me with this issue."

Try this:

"For iBook (16 VRAM) and later models of iBook, there is no physical reset button.

If the computer is on, turn it off.
Reset the power manager by simultaneously pressing and then releasing Shift-Control-Option-Power (Power Button) on the keyboard. Do not press the fn (Function) key while using this combination of keystrokes.
Wait 5 seconds.
Press the Power button to restart the iBook computer. "


Also, have you tried taking out the battery for at least 20 seconds? Best to try everything possible. I'm sure it'll work someway, there is no way something in there could hold the memory for such a long time, unless it was flash memory which I'd doubt it is.

I don't see how starting up in OS 9 will fix the problem, but it's worth a try. There is an Open Firmware Password application included with some OS X versions and can be downloaded from Apple, but I would assume it asks for the Open Firmware password before you can change it.

Good Luck!

 

Have you tried the "password" (typing Password) trick in Open Firmware, as per the website?

Tried this one, no go

What I discovered is that when I added or removed DIMMs to change the total amount of RAM, it removed the block on the keyboard combination for resetting the PRAM and NVRAM. I was then able to zap the PRAM, which disabled the Open Firmware password protection. As a result, I can now boot the system from the Apple Hardware Test disk and, when holding down the Option key upon startup, I am given the choice of bootable drives from which to choose instead of the Padlock image that I previously encountered.

I'll try this, but it sounds like i need an apple hardware test disk. Anybody know where I can get a cheap one to use for this?

Try this:

If the computer is on, turn it off.
Reset the power manager by simultaneously pressing and then releasing Shift-Control-Option-Power (Power Button) on the keyboard. Do not press the fn (Function) key while using this combination of keystrokes.
Wait 5 seconds.
Press the Power button to restart the iBook computer.

havent tried this one yet

Also, have you tried taking out the battery for at least 20 seconds? Best to try everything possible.

tried this one

I don't see how starting up in OS 9 will fix the problem, but it's worth a try.

yeah, the apple site doesnt explain the details on how to do those three steps. it only hints at them. so in this way it was only half helpful.

If anybody knows exactly what you are supposed to do after restarting in OS 9, that would be pretty helpful.....

when i get home i will give those new ideas a try. then i'll repost and let everyone know how it went.

......i really want this thing to work. my wife and i are sharing a laptop right now and its starting to get annoying

 

alright so I think I am part of the way there............

i did some sort of combination of things previously described that may have actually removed the firmware password. i think. I booted into firmware and typed in the command to turn off security, and the command to boot. it didnt ask me for a password either time, and then booted. so far so good....

so...

then i booted up and placed the osx 10 install disc into the tray. closed the tray and the disc icon pops up onto the desktop. window pops up and i click on "install". nothing happens.

so then i restart the computer and hold 'c' while it starts to get it to boot from disk. no go. just boots normally.

restart again and hold the "option" key. i get that screen with the lock and the space for you to enter a password.

so i can boot normally, but there must now be another thing that is stopping me from booting from disc.

any ideas?

 

Are you trying to put in a 10.1 disc?

The disk has no drivers for your iBook so it won't boot. You'll need at least a 10.2.1 disk to boot.

However, the Open Firmware thing is still quite strange. It's hard to try out different things when you're not actually at the computer!

You have for sure tried taking out the RAM, then doing those tricks?

I think possibly if you were to install a RAM stick of different size than the current it might notice that theres something completely different and never was installed before.

 

yeah its a 10.1 disc, so maybe thats half my problem.

and trust me, definately done the ram thing. probably at least thirty times by now. i can literally take the ram out and reassemble the computer in less than a minute now.
just googled an article a minute ago that said to try resetting the PMU. the instructions dont make any sense though, because it says to turn the thing off then do a key combo that includes the power button, then wait five seconds to turn it on. trouble is, when i hit the first key comboi cant wait five seconds to turn it on because it is already turning on!

so i will try the same key combo but i will start it in the 'on' position

 

still cant boot from disc, but i think at least the pmu was reset so maybe the battery will charge better thats what the apple website says anyway.

i'm willing to throw ubuntu on this thing. but the disc wouldnt autoboot either, and it doesnt have an icon to click on to get it to start

 

That's strange, what I did on my iBook worked and reset my own open firmware password.

Obviously, after the chime I typed in Command + Option + O + F

What I did was first enabled the password on my iBook (it did not have a password) by entering:

password

Skipping over to resetting it, I typed in:

password

and typed in a new password or right now, blanked it.

Then, I typed in (on the next boot to make sure)

setenv security-mode none

It asks for a password and entered what I have previously set, which, I assume has cleared the password protection. I previously had set it to "full" which is probably what yours has.

Try this again, it might work as long as you have access to the Open Firmware prompt.

 

sonofa.............

booted to open firmware again and put in

setenv security-mode none

.....then the thing asked me for a password.

ARGH!

man this is crazy frustrating. so i think this means that it was, in fact, still locked.

 

Did you type in "password" first? That is the code that resets the password, it will not ask you for an existing password but it will just ask for a new one, as far as I know.

 

yes i tried that. so i think that it is still locked

 

A couple possible approaches:

Boot into open firmware with command-option-O-F and type the following:

setenv security-mode none
reset-all

Alternatively you can try to accomplish the same by using the nvram CLI utility with Terminal:

sudo nvram security-mode="none"

Good luck!

 

A couple possible approaches:

Boot into open firmware with command-option-O-F and type the following:


Alternatively you can try to accomplish the same by using the nvram CLI utility with Terminal:



Good luck!

i tried the first option and it seemed to work once, and then the next time i booted into firmware it asked for a pasword


the second option i dont relaly know what you mean by "nvram CLI utility". is that in open firmware also, or do i have to boot up normally to get to "CLI utility" ? how to I get to it to type in those prompts?

 

so it's been a while since i have visited this thread. hopefully i will get a chance to try fixing it tonight. wish me luck!

 

This might be good news dressed up as bad news. A password prompt when trying to boot from CD means that the open firmware password is still enabled, something you hadn't encountered before. Give the original procedure another shot (remove RAM, zap PRAM, etc. etc.) and see if it will take this time. If something's changed, it can't hurt to revisit a couple old methods.

 

Did you change the password using the "password" command? If it's asking for the password you can try entering that password you made, or reset it again.

It seems a bit messy but as far as I can tell you're getting somewhere!

 

Wow. this is getting complicated.

Below is what I tried last night.

Let's try and build a set of "steps" to do this. you can copy what i have and change it so that i get the sequence right if you need to.

1) Open computer. take out ram
2) put back together
3) restart, then after chime - 'zap' the pram three times with [cmd+option+p+r]
4) immediately boot into firmware with [cmd+option+o+f]
5) at prompt type [setenv security-mode none], hit enter
6) then type [reset-all], hit enter
7) computer boots up from hard drive. hit eject key to insert osx disc
8) restart computer. hold 'c' key to boot from disc. (nothing happens, just boots normally)
9) double click the osx disc on the desktop and hit 'install'
10) computer says it needs to restart, then says "put in your admin password"
11) use the 'apple' menu to restart, computer boots normally from hard drive

at what stage should i try and set "password" again?

 

So anyway. when i 'zap' the ram, and go into firmware, the commands that firmware will allow me without a password are different from when i just boot into firmware without 'zapping' the ram.

this leads me to believe that the firmware is disabled.

however, when i put the ram back in and restart into mac os x (10.2) then it seems that all the security is reset

1) so how can i tell if the firmware is enabled or disabled? 2) once that is disabled shouldnt i be able to restart the computer with a disc in and hold 'c' and get a boot menu?

this has not happened yet, so it has led to the confusion.

plus i have tried holding the 'option' key and all i get is the screen with the "lock" and the line where you are supposed to enter a password.

3) how can i tell if there is other software on the computer that is maybe 'resetting' the firmware (if thats even possible) or if the firmware is on or off.

this thing is driving me clinically insane. plus my wife is driving insane as well. she wont stop bugging me about getting a new computer so if i can get this thing working it will shut her up (hopefully)

 

this thing is driving me clinically insane. plus my wife is driving insane as well. she wont stop bugging me about getting a new computer so if i can get this thing working it will shut her up (hopefully)

Uhhh, if the spouse (insert appropriate relationship: child, parent, friend, partner, client, etc.) wants a new computer, get the new computer and minimise the grief. Even if you get the thing going, you won't win..... The kind of mental investment involved in working through something like this is only worth it if you are doing it, in the first place, for yourself.

 

Well, yeah, I think you should just go for a new computer. Sell this or give it to someone who can fix it, and buy a new one. Then you have a win-win situation, both parties will get a working computer.

I would try a few other things before giving up.

I have done this on my iBook and it seemed to have reset something?

reset-nvram
reset-all

Try that. I had a password on before, now when I type in the "password" command it asks for a new password.

This seems to be key to resetting the password, as it is non-volatile memory.

Non-volatile random access memory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

so are you saying that i should do this before 'zapping' the ram or after?

 

so i tried this and : again same result

it seems that when i 'zap' the ram i am able to enter prompts in firmware without the need for a password.

but
1) i cant boot from disc immediately after and
2) i cant boot from disc after booting into mac os x and telling it to use the inserted disc for startup

and
3) the next time i boot into firmware (without zapping the ram) it needs a password

4) this has happened even when i have tried to set a new different password

so this has got to be the main reason why i cant reformat.

any ideas?

 

ok so if nobody has any new ideas- how about this angle- if i got a new hard drive and logic board i shouldn't have any problem then, right?

at this point i think it's possible to get a logic board with a 900 MHz processor for this same machine, and it might cost me less money, heartache and grief.

Plus if I get a new hard drive I might be able to get a large one that what I already have.

Anybody see any reason why that wouldn't work?

......is it possible to install a different logic board (like an even newer one, not g3) into the same machine? If this is possible, how would it work and what would I need?

 

sounds like you don't have the right OS level disk anyway, so no matter what it won't boot ...
leave aside the password issue for the moment and get the right boot disk.

 

i have a 10.2, it's the version that the machine came with

 

Is it 10.2 straight? It needs to be 10.2.4 at least.

 

its 10.2.5, and it gives me the option to install when i click on it, just wants a password

 

so how tough is it to overhaul/upgrade this thing with a different motherboard and hard drive?

would i still have the same problem?

whats the biggest hard drive that i could put into this thing

 

Pretty difficult.... Not really worth it, it is worth it if you want to learn something, but not necessarily worth the effort compared to the cost of buying a new one or trading plus cash.

 

i really like the thing- i guess you could say i'm kind of attached to it. Not quite ready to give up but dont know who to turn to.

....so if i swapped the hard drive and tried to reformat/reinstall , the firmware would give me issues...is this correct?

if that would work, what is the biggest hard drive that I could get to work properly? does anybody know?

....if i was planning on fixing the "graphics" issue anyway, it can't be that much more difficult to pull out the hard drive while i am at it and just replace it with a new one. I'm just worried if i replaced it and found that firmware wasn't letting me reinstall it would be a big waste of time and money