Disable Firmware Password

Hello, I'm running OS X 10.5.1 on a MacBook Pro 17", 2,4 GHz Intel Core Duo.
I have enabled the Firmware Password with the Tool that was offered on the Install DVD.
It seems with the firmware password enabled i am no longer able to reset the PRAM by holding down the altcommand+rp keys on startup.
Is there any other way to reset the PRAM? Or, is there a way to disable the firmware.keyword? I only found options to change it.
Thanks in advance.

hello - first of all: thanks for the quick response!
i just found a solution myself on retry, it is even simpler:
boot from cd, select the firmware password utility, then unmark the box sying something like "require password for editing firmware settings" (i use a german localization of os x leopard).
that's all.

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10.6.7 Disabling firmware password

Im wondering if it's possible to disable the firmware password without the startup cd and without touching the ram
i need this because i use single user mode. but the only way to do so is to modify how the mac boots using a third party app. Its annoying because i don't use single-user mode all the time and cant just prees command-s because of the firmware password

I believe the following page will answer your question and give you instructions. You may need your installation DVD to change the password.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1352

Powertmac g5 reset or disable firmware password

How do you reset or disable the firmware password.
Most commands are disabled on boot
Removing battery and memory and resetting SMU have no result.

Apple doesn't use firmware to keep folks from stealing computers.
I was just hoping someone would know. The folks at the Apple store don't know much. They used to call me all the time for help. It is a fun thought, though, dragging this PowerMac a half mile across the parking lot and through the mall, then hoisting it up on the counter.
Officially, it's no longer supported, though.
I guess I'll find another Powermac to use, install this drive in it and install an OS on this drive, then reinstall it in this box and try one of the programs available to remove the password.
Thanks again

Disable Firmware Password Protection

I have a G4 Digital Audio. Since i installed a 1,7GHz procesor upgrade (Sonnet Encore) and had to apply a patch to the firmware it seems that open firmware password protection is enabled. Now i'm in trouble as i can't start up from a selected disk (i didn't consider it's on a > 128 GByte partition) and as i don't know the password (i haven't enabled it) i can't use the option key, so i can't startup the computer from any disk. Reading this: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106482 i realized about the password protection and that there may be a way to bypass it having fisical access to the computer. Any hint what i can try to start up my computer again?

Hi, Olaf -
There is a way to do that, but to help others avoid having their Mac's security breached (particularly those with laptop machines) it is not publicized. You should contact Apple Support by phone, or take your machine to an AASP.

Boot Process with active EFI Firmware Password

I have a MacMini with Linux installed (for an embedded application) on the internal hard drive, and Mac OS X 10.5.6 available on an external Firewire / USB drive. The machine is a 1.83 MHz 2008 production unit with EFI version MM21.009A.B00 firmware installed (no later update is reported as available via the OS X Software Updater).
The system normally boots from the internal (Linux) disk without user interaction when first powered up.
In order to restrict users from starting the system from alternate devices, we activated an EFI firmware password. After doing so with the Open Firmware Password application on the OS X installer DVD (booted with option key and selecting the DVD icon, or with the C-key held), the system no longer automatically boots either of the two available hard disk devices. Rather a flashing file folder icon with question mark appears when the machine is powered up without any user interaction.
With the EFI password active, it is necessary to hold the option key down, enter the password, and then select the desired disk device icon (either internal Linux or external OS X device) in order to boot the system. It appears that the system can no longer automatically select a boot device when started up, even if only one is available. This requires that every user of the embedded system must know the EFI password in order to start the system. This seriously compromises the protections that a user would expect to achieve by using the EFI password capability.
Is this the expected performance of the firmware after the EFI password has been activated, or is this performance the result of a design flaw in the EFI code when the firmware password is active (i.e. is this a"feature" or a bug)?

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
The EFI firmware protection is there for people who work in environments where their machines must be secure from intruders, and secures information in event the machine gets stolen. If that sort of protection is too much for your needs, just setup your security and account preferences to log out when energy saver and/or screen saver is activated, and automatic log on is disabled. That's pretty good unless a person who steals your machine or has access to your machine has the original discs which came with the Mac, or newer retail operating system (up to the limits of the machine's hardware). So consider how much security you need, and you can ask the system to be that secure.

DON'T Install Snow Leopard on early MacBook Pro with Firmware password on!!

I'm going to summarize my postings from yesterday because I don't want anyone wasting their night like I did.
Many of us who upgraded from Tiger created a Firmware password to ensure that people won't be able to wipe and re-install the HD for sale if the computer gets stolen. I also note that, like me, many have been suffering the recent won't wake from sleep issues that make it feel like the HD is dead. Sometimes it starts from sleep, mostly it's a real hassle to get it to wake up and when it does it's generally in safe sleep mode. I managed to find a "halfway" good fix for that issue by changing the sleep mode from 0 to 3 in the terminal, found a useful script by Googling the problem. Fixes 90% of my issues on that score. But I wanted to install Snow Leopard to "hopefully" fix that issue for good.
HOWEVER, if you have a MacBook Pro 2006-2007 model and the original install disc is still Tiger, WARNING TURN OFF THE FIRMWARE PASSWORD if you created one before you attempt an install. Otherwise you'll be completely stuck in black screen **** and you cannot restart from the Snow Leopard disc once you have it in, neither can you eject it because you never get that far.
The computer, after installing Snow Leopard just gets stuck on the grey screen for a while and then goes black. The computer will not boot from the Snow Leopard disc, Techtool Protege or Leopard disc and the BIGGEST PROBLEM is; you can't Zap the PRAM with firmware active to try and continue installation as some other posters have suggested. Basically, you're screwed.
To get the Snow Leopard disc out I rebooted in Windows and ejected the disc, then put in first the Leopard disc... didn't work... then rebooted, ejected and put in the original installation disc with Tiger, that did work but no firmware password reset!!!
The only solution was for me to wipe the disc, reinstall Tiger from the original install disc, which was the only one that worked. Once I could restart the computer again in Tiger, I was finally able to reboot from the Leopard disc and disable the firmware password.
Then I restarted, zapped the PRAM and using the Leopard disc, restored my machine to its former self with my Time Machine back up. Ran Techtool Pro 5 to fix permissions and rebuild volumes etc. and now have it working again.
I think I'll leave Snow Leopard for a while since I don't know whether the zapping PRAM works during install and frankly, don't have the time to go through this entire debilitating process again. If anyone does manage to get things running on the earlier MacBook Pros please let me know how it went!
Anyway, just thought I'd give people a heads up on the Firmware password thing... it's really a bugger on the older models because it wasn't originally included on the original install disc leaving you with no options!!

Sorry, just wnated to post a comment not question, wasn't sure how to mark it!

Open Firmware password works or doesn't work on MBP?

I'm confused...
This article describes how to set up Open Firmware Password on Macs, including, Intel-based Macs and even states what OFP disables on Intel-based Macs when enabled:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106482
just to finish the article at the bottom with the following sentence:
"Note that Intel-based Macintosh computers do not use Open Firmware. Thesesteps do not apply to Intel-based machines."
So, what is what? OFP works or not on MBP? If yes then what works and what doesn't?
I've read one post here stating that it didn't stop booting from CD at all.
An expert advice will be appreciated.

I'm another confused MBP user.
I have a 15" MacBook Pro (MBP) and want to protect the Intel based machine using Apple's Open Firmware Application.
Since the MBP doesn't have an open firmware layer, how do you apply a firmware password? Apple's site is of no help and has conflicting information.
I tried the OF Application (V 1.1) from the Tiger install DVD and receive a message about my firmware being too old to use with the application. The MBP SMC version is 1.2f10 and the Boot ROM is version MBP11.0055.B03. Both are current.
Has anyone been successful???
thanks

Turned on fileVault AND firmware password, can't boot into verbose mode?

Just out of curiousity, I turned on fileVault AND firmware password on my retina macbook pro,
and when I boot up holding command-v, instead of getting the firmware password screen, I get the filevault password screen.
Is this normal and expected behaviour?

The firmware password disables that shortcut; verbose mode can still be used by using the Terminal to change the NVRAM boot arguments, which requires an administrator password.
(100118)

Open Firmware/ Firmware Password

Sorry, I hope this is the appropriate board for this question.
I'm confused about the Open Firmware/ EFI password application.
I restarted using the install DVD, then navigated to the Firmware Password App. I checked the box and filled the password.
However, it seems that if I want to disable it, all I need to do is restart from the install DVD and untick the Firmware Password box, and that's it. I'm not even asked to put in the old password to make sure that I'm me, and not a thief or someone like that.
Second, and this may be related, the restart while holding command-option-o-f keystroke to access the Open Firmware doesn't work. My MBP just continues to merrily boot up.
Am I missing something here?

However, it seems that if I want to disable it, all I need to do is restart from the install DVD and untick the Firmware Password box, and that's it.
Yes, but doing so requires that you have either the firmware password or an administrator password for that computer. To increase security, disable automatic login from the Accounts or Security pane of System Preferences.
Second, and this may be related, the restart while holding command-option-o-f keystroke to access the Open Firmware doesn't work. My MBP just continues to merrily boot up.
That keystroke is for PowerPC Macs only.
(50864)

Update to Mavericks, Firmware password lost

Hello,
about a year ago I set up a firmware password for my MacBook 5.1 (Aluminium Unibody MacBook, no Pro). I forgot to store the password in 1Password, so now I'm stuck with a MacBook which has a firmware password set I can't reset.
Will the Mavericks installer ask for the firmware password? Or will it just install Mavericks like it installed every other 10.8.x update in the past months?
Bye,
Oliver

Hello,
thanks. But a firmware password is something different than an account password: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4347468 .
I know that there might be a chance that Apple might disable the firmware password when I go to an Apple Store, but I'm interested in getting to know if installing the update to Mavericks requires the firmware password or not. "Dot updates" did not require the firmware password, but I don't want to create a bricked machine in case Mavericks does.
Bye,
Oliver

Open Firmware password

I can't seem to reset this password. I've tried taking the battery out and hitting the reset button.
Anyone have any ideas?

Setting up firmware password protection in Mac OS X
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1352
iBook - Open Firmware Password Reset
http://notepad.bobkmertz.com/2006/11/ibook-open-firmware-password-reset.html
[Open Firmware Password Protection|http://www.securemac.com/openfirmwarepasswordprotection.php] - also how to disable and retrieve OF password

Booting into Single User when having Firmware password protected...?

Hi,
I have to put a number of iMacs to the laboratory so that users could log on but without administrative rights. In order to prevent them from booting the external devices and booting into single-user to gain root access, I have set the Firmware password, which does a nice job of blocking "C" and "CMD-S", etc commands during the bootup.
However, I wonder: in some occasions when we need to perform some troubleshooting, we could not boot the system into single-user mode. I know that I could press "Option" key during the startup, which will bring into the "Startup Manager". After then, the Manager shows the devices for booting. I find that even when I double-click the "Macintosh HD" and then press "CMD-S" immediately, the system does not perform single-user booting. Of course, pressing "CMD-S" when the Mac starts up does not work as well, as this command is blocked due to the Firmware password set.
I wonder if there is a way for us, the system administrators, to get into the single-user mode in this case. Of course, I do not expect an answer of getting an Installation DVD, booting the DVD, involving the Firmware Password Utility to disable the Firmware Password, in order to gain back the single-user booting ability...
Thanks.
Dominic

For Mac OS X, setting an firmware password will lock out all commands. While Single user mode is useful for troubleshooting, it can also be used wrong by the wrong people which is why it is disabled along with the rest of the 'startup commands'
So a few thoughts here:
- I'm asking in this case: does holding down the option show network drives in server situations such as yours? If so, you could have a network server (network startup disk) to start the computer from to do the trouble shooting you need and still be able to keep the firmware password in place
- I've been reading up on Unix commands lately and found a nice gem: nvram. Being a unix admin, you may already be familiar with it. It's the unix command for working with open firmware variables.
When you use the firmware utility to set the password the 'security-mode' variable is set to 'command' by default. I know there are two other options: 'none' (no password set) and 'full' (don't know what else this blocks). Is it possible that there is some way to selectively block the commands you want to stop (startup from other drive, zap pram, etc) but still allow Single User Mode?
Not sure myself, just putting something out there. Maybe it'll spark something for ya.

Firmware Password Not Changing

I have a iBook G4, from a school who had a surplus. But it had firmware on it, and although I was able to get rid of the firmware protection by physical access, I can't change the password. Every time I launch the program, and try to set the password it reverts back to the old password (I know this because my set password doesn't work) and I have to open the computer up again to get rid of the password.
I also tried to just disable the open firmware password before opening the computer up from the admin account and it won't even turn off!
How can I get the firmware password to what I want?

I fixed by resetting the firmware then going into firmware then typing...
password
(I entered the password here)
(I verified the password here)
setenv security-mode full
shut-down
And it saved my password! I won't be using the GUI interface from Apple anymore.

Zap PRAM with Open Firmware Password?

I'm wondering if there is any way to do this...
I have an older MacBook that had some kind of issue recently, that first prevented it from booting at all, and after resetting the SMC it would boot but the screen is black...
I remember from many years ago that there was an issue with the screen staying black that would be fixed by zapping the pram...
Problem is the system has an Open Firmware password. And while I do know what that passowrd is, it's kind of impossible to go in and disble it with a black screen...
In essense, is there any possible way I can zap the PRAM that doesn't involve psychicly guessing what I'm doing???

I'm fully aware of the key combination. The problem is when Open Firmware password is enabled, holding CMD-OPT-P-R has no effect.... The only way I know to be able to use the key combiantion is to disalbe the Open Firmware password first, then reboot and hold hte keys down.
Which is where my problem lies, as I can't zap the PRAM until I disable my Open Firmware password, and I can't go though the steps to disable my Open Firmware password until after I zap the PRAM in order to re-enable my screen...

Safe Mode & Open Firmware Password

I have the Open Firmware Password enabled, which prevents my machine from booting into Safe Mode when I hold the shift key at startup (as expected). As a result, if I want to use Safe Mode, I have to boot up from my install DVD, disable the password and then reboot. Very tiime consuming!
I just read about an Apple Support document about a way to boot into Safe Mode by entering the following terminal command:
sudo nvram boot-args="-x"
Has anyone tried this before? I'm a little hesitant to test it out in case I run into some sort of Open Firmware/Safe Mode conflict.

Try booting while holding the Option key. It should ask for the firmware password, then let you use boot modifier keys.

Disable Firmware Password

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