Imac Firmware Password - Is it bricked?

[cashmax]

I have a 2013 Imac 27" that works fine. I had some issues with the internal hard drive and decided to just install a new OS on a sandisk external hard drive about a year ago. It's worked fine since then. I also upgraded the ram at the same time.

The other day I decided I was going to upgrade the OS and revert to the internal hard drive.

But as soon as I try to boot from anything other than my external SSD, the Mac asks for a firmware password and won't allow me to access the boot menu. It will only allow booting from my SSD.

Tried every password I would have used with no luck. I don't recall setting this password, perhaps I did it by accident when I upgraded the SSD, but certainly don't remember.

The Mac was purchased more than a decade ago by my company at the time, which was sold many years ago, so there is no way I have original proof of purchase.

Is the firmware password associated with the drive? - In other words can I (using another MAC) upgrade the OS on the external drive and then plug it back in or is the Mac forever stuck on this drive with the same OS?

[Mandat]

cashmax said:

I have a 2013 Imac 27" that works fine. I had some issues with the internal hard drive and decided to just install a new OS on a sandisk external hard drive about a year ago. It's worked fine since then. I also upgraded the ram at the same time.

The other day I decided I was going to upgrade the OS and revert to the internal hard drive.

But as soon as I try to boot from anything other than my external SSD, the Mac asks for a firmware password and won't allow me to access the boot menu. It will only allow booting from my SSD.

Tried every password I would have used with no luck. I don't recall setting this password, perhaps I did it by accident when I upgraded the SSD, but certainly don't remember.

The Mac was purchased more than a decade ago by my company at the time, which was sold many years ago, so there is no way I have original proof of purchase.

Is the firmware password associated with the drive? - In other words can I (using another MAC) upgrade the OS on the external drive and then plug it back in or is the Mac forever stuck on this drive with the same OS?

Can you get into the boot menu via the current access you have with the external drive?

Once in, can you reset the password that way?

[cashmax]

Mandat said:

Can you get into the boot menu via the current access you have with the external drive?

Once in, can you reset the password that way?

No - If I try to do anything other than just boot on the external SSD, it doesn't work - if I remove it and boot I just get a question mark and If I hold down option key it requires a password.

Edited by cashmax on Saturday 29th March 09:49

[Road2Ruin]

I don't know about macs, bit PCs used to have the ability to reset the Bios via a jumper setting on the motherboard. Might be worth looking in to.

[mmm-five]

Can you get into the recovery console (by holding down command-r during boot) where the Reset Firmware Password tool is?

If not, the official way is to take it to an Apple Store with proof of purchase…but you don’t have that…and even if you did, it wouldn’t show that you owned it…only your company at the time.

It must be that the internal drive that has encrypted (possibly as it was a corporate machine), and that’s why your external SSD solution still works.

But on some iMacs there was a loophole where removing the RAM and resetting the PRAM can bypass it…

1. Shut down your computer
2. Push the 2 levers outwards to release the RAM cage
3. Gently wiggle the RAM stick(s) out and put them aside
4. Boot up the computer while holding COMMAND+OPTION+P+R (this resets the parameter ram)
5. Wait for the startup chime to sound 3 times
6. Release the keys and shutdown the machine once you reach the login
7. Replace the RAM module and push the levers back until they lock into place
8. Now if you boot up the machine you should bypass the Mac firmware password.

[cashmax]

mmm-five said:

Can you get into the recovery console (by holding down command-r during boot) where the Reset Firmware Password tool is?

If not, the official way is to take it to an Apple Store with proof of purchase…but you don’t have that…and even if you did, it wouldn’t show that you owned it…only your company at the time.

It must be that the internal drive that has encrypted (possibly as it was a corporate machine), and that’s why your external SSD solution still works.

But on some iMacs there was a loophole where removing the RAM and resetting the PRAM can bypass it…

1. Shut down your computer
2. Push the 2 levers outwards to release the RAM cage
3. Gently wiggle the RAM stick(s) out and put them aside
4. Boot up the computer while holding COMMAND+OPTION+P+R (this resets the parameter ram)
5. Wait for the startup chime to sound 3 times
6. Release the keys and shutdown the machine once you reach the login
7. Replace the RAM module and push the levers back until they lock into place
8. Now if you boot up the machine you should bypass the Mac firmware password.

Thanks for taking the time to write that- but the firmware protection prevents a PRAM reset.

The odd thing is that this never existed before, otherwise I could never have booted from an external drive (thats what the EFI lock is designed to prevent)

I have reached the conclusion that the mac is indeed toast - I wanted to use opencore legacy patcher to update it because many of the google apps dont' work anymore and thats what I use, but thats never going to happen. Shame because there is nothing else wrong with it.