MacMini locked and is asking for six digit password.

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Level 1

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MacMini locked and is asking for six digit password.

I purchased my MacMini six months ago and it was second hand. The seller advertised it woth latest Lion OS. Two daus ago, while my wofe working on it, it seized operation and is now asking for a six digit code. I tried reaching out to the previous owner but cant locate him. Any idea how i can reset this? I troed calling Apple for help but they are asking 50 dollars to do this. It seams unreasonable for something i already paid for to pay again for resetting my unit. I tried reinstalling the OS by restarting the unit and holding the two keys " Command & R" or other key combinations but i can not get passed the six digit code or the "lock" screen. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Mac mini (Mid 2011), Mac OS X (10.1.x)

Posted on Oct 5, 2012 2:37 AM

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Answer 1

Paldeng

Level 2

285 points

Oct 5, 2012 4:48 AM in response to Mikogaki

Is there a big Padlock Icon when it do that? It seems to be a Firware Password. The previous owner must have set it up and forgot to tell you about it. You need to remove one Memory or change a higher memory to bypass that one. Info on Firmware Password http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1352

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Answer 2

Mikogaki Author

Level 1

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Oct 5, 2012 7:28 AM in response to Paldeng

Thank you Paldeng. Exactly as you mentioned, after a try or two the screen is a padlock. I am reading the reference page andwill advise.

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Answer 3

Paldeng

Level 2

285 points

Oct 5, 2012 7:32 AM in response to Mikogaki

Yup. I hope it'l help you. It seems that the Fix that I told you is a taboo here since its a security issue. 😢 Waiting for my comments to be blocked.⚠

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Answer 4

Mikogaki Author

Level 1

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Oct 6, 2012 6:45 AM in response to Paldeng

Still having issues...

The keyboard does not respond. First i thought it was due to bluetooth kb not connecting fast enough. So i bought a Macally usb KB. That didnt work either. As i am reading more blogs, how do i verify if i have Intel based or Power PC based machine other than tear it apart? It seems like for Intel you need to remove the Cmos battery to reset the bios. What am i doing wrong? Going through multiple key holding scenarios and ofcourse replacing a ram each time, does not result in 3 chime reset indicator. I even tried left and right keys.....very frustrating! Any thoughts?

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