How to unlock MacBook Air that was purchased used

I just purchased a MacBook Air from RAC. I opened it and the previous user, or a employee at RAC hadn't closed things down. As I was closing things getting ready to try and reset it. The computer returned to the log in page. Now the computer is locked and I have no idea what to do. I am not wanting to reset completely to factory settings because the previous owner put a very expensive program on it that I would like to keep.
I have no idea what year it is or any other info like operating system

Has the previous owner relinquished registration of the Air to him/her?
You should be able to register the device at that time with YOUR apple ID, thus satisfying the system's request for a valid Apple ID that owns the resident copy of Mountain Lion (if the system came with it).
The old user can go on Apple's website to edit your Support Profile to delete ownership registration of the product(s).
The new user, you, then simply registers your "new" device, also online. Once the old owner has deleted ownership, the serial number is freed for a user (new owner) to add it. The new owner should have an Apple ID first, which I imagine you do, since you login here with that ID.

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I accidentally dropped macbook air that was in a book bag. The keyboard is working because I can see the light but the screen is black and it won't turn off. How should I fix this? Please Help ME!!

I accidentally dropped my friend's macbook air that was in a book bag. The keyboard is working because I can see the light but the screen is black and it won't turn off. How should I fix this? Please Help ME!!
I tried to turn it off and it didn't work... and I held on to the shift key too and it still doesn't work..
Please help me..

Accidental damage is not covered under Apple warranty. And it seems there is much accidental damage. Only a Genius Bar tech looking at it can tell how much it will cost to repair.
Cost to repair will be high, I suspect (though Genius Bar will confirm/deny.
There is no gentle way to say this sir/ma'am ... someone will need to pay for your friend's MBA repairs.

HT201335 I have a MacBook Air that was bought April 5, 2011. It seems it should be supported for Airplay mirroring but I can't get it to work and I do not have the icon on my bar. Any suggestions?

I have a MacBook Air that was bought April 5, 2011. It seems it should be supported for Airplay mirroring but I can't get it to work and I do not have the icon on my bar. Any suggestions?

Welcome to the Apple community.
AirPlay Mirroring requires a second-generation Apple TV or later, OS X 10.8 or better and is supported on the following Mac models: iMac (Mid 2011 or newer), Mac mini (Mid 2011 or newer), MacBook Air (Mid 2011 or newer), and MacBook Pro (Early 2011 or newer). It also requires the computer to be using wi-fi.

How to download a video that was purchased online to a dvd or other so i do not use my data watching video

how to download a video that was purchased online to a dvd or other so i do not use my data watching video
i have a mac book pro
the video is a sewing video from craftsy

Hi,
Is the album still available in Itunes store? Can you redownload it fro previous purchases?
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2519.
If it is available, delete file from library and redownload.
Jim

How to fix macbook air that is frozen after log in, it says start up disk is full.

Hi! Im getting an error message on my macbook air that the start up disk is full, so i trashed some files and this morning when i turn it on it still says the same error message, and just freezes upon log in.. it wont let me do anything, it only display blank screen. plaese help. thanks.

Hi Laiwin,
What did you delete? Did you by any chance delete anything out of the /Library or /System folder off the root level of the drive? Probably the best option is startup the computer and then immediately hit Command + V. This will boot into Verbos mode. When does the boot process stop? What does it say? This will help tell us where it is failing in the boot process.

How do I reinstall ML in English on a Macbook Air that was originally in Chinese?

This is a copy of my question that got posted in the wrong thread..
I'm trying to help a friend who was given a used 13" MacBook Air (A1369) by the Chinese exchange student staying with him. It needed a screen repair, which was done, and we were able to change the display menus to English which is fine for general use. BUT... The previous owner had all kinds of Chinese games and programs as well as a partitioned HD. The plan was to just erase and reinstall Mountain Lion (which it came with, we THINK) and he'd have a fresh start.
Using the Recovery system would be great, except that since the comp was from China, and the ID associated with it is in Chinese, all of the instructions, menus and EVERYTHING are in Chinese. We can get online fine, and tried booting from a USB drive but everything is still in Chinese. We got as far as making a bootable USB and it looked like everything was OK, and started the erase/restore process but it got stuck in Chinese instructions and menus!!!
Is there a way to buy new copy of Mountain Lion with a new Apple ID that will be in English and then install it on a computer that was already running Mountain Lion? It seems I should be able to DL the OS to a USB drive and then just boot and install from that. But I'd have to DL on another Mac with its own ID running Lion. (Or use a Linux PC which seems like an even worse option.)
Any ideas? Suggestions? Laughter?
Thanks!

You've got me. You may well need to repartition the drive.
One thing I did remark in your post is that you purchased and downloaded Mountain Lion using your friend's Apple ID. That is a mistake. You must use your own Apple ID. The license is tied to the Apple ID. The copy you now have you cannot use under your Apple ID. You can install it with your friend's Apple ID and continue to use it, but you will not be able to update it nor do anything else with it that requires an Apple ID. You need to purchase and download Mountain Lion using your Apple ID, not your friend's.
When you run the installer for the first time it typically requests you choose a language. Be sure you select English. Don't click through assuming English will be the default.
Beyond this I don't know enough to make a further suggestion. Perhaps it's something embedded in the firmware of products going to the Chinese market.
If someone doesn't come up with a decent solution, then you might want to contact Apple Customer Support:
Apple Store Customer Service at 1-800-676-2775 or visit online Help for more information.
To contact product and tech support: Apple - Support - Contact Apple Support.

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You have to take the computer to the Apple store along with ownership documents like invoice.
Best.

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This question should NOT be answered. Using Find My Mac to lock one's computer is a personal security measure for those whose Macs have been lost or stolen and may be in the hands of criminals. Publicly posting instructions for defeating that measure would be tantamount to abetting theft.
If you have foolishly locked your own computer and need to unlock it, take it to an Apple Store. Be prepared to prove you are its rightful owner.

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You have to take the computer to the Apple store along with ownership documents like invoice.
Best.

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How to unlock macbook air ?

My macbook is stolen

Report theft to police. We can't help you.
What To Do If Your iDevice Is Lost Or Stolen
If you activated Find My Phone before it was lost or stolen, you can track it only if Wi-Fi is enabled on the device. What you cannot do is track your device using a serial number or other identifying number. You cannot expect Apple or anyone else to find your device for you. You cannot recover your loss unless you insure your device for such loss. It is not covered by your warranty.
If your iPhone, iPod, iPod Touch, or iPad is lost or stolen what do you do? There are things you should have done in advance - before you lost it or it was stolen - and some things to do after the fact. Here are some suggestions:
This link, Re: Help! I misplaced / lost my iPhone 5 today morning in delta Chelsea hotel downtown an I am not able to track it. Please help!, has some good advice regarding your options when your iDevice is lost or stolen.
1. Reporting a lost or stolen Apple product
2. Find my lost iPod Touch
3. AT&T. Sprint, and Verizon can block stolen phones/tablets
4. What-To-Do-When-Iphone-Is-Stolen
5. What to do if your iOS device is lost or stolen
6. 6 Ways to Track and Recover Your Lost/Stolen iPhone
7. Find My iPhone
8. Report Stolen iPad | Stolen Lost Found Online
It pays to be proactive by following the advice on using Find My Phone before you lose your device:
1. Find My iPhone
2. Setup your iDevice on iCloud
3. OS X Lion/Mountain Lion- About Find My Mac
4. How To Set Up Free Find Your iPhone (Even on Unsupported Devices)
For your future reference:
STEM 2.1
MacPhoneHome 3.5
MacTrack 7.5.0
VUWER 1.7
Sneaky ******* 0.2.0
Undercover 5.1.1
LoJack for Laptops

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I use only one Apple ID and only one ID. I did have to change the password at one point but I had no issues at all with updating apps after I changed the password.
If you can download new apps with the ID that you changed the password for, I would think that you will be able to update apps associated with that ID as well.
Did you try restarting the iPad after signing out of the one account and then sign in to the other account/accounts?

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I recently purchased a MacBook Air and was told by Apple that Keynote and Pages were compatible with MS Applications.. I have since tried to open a Powerpoint Presentation but it comes up with an error message and is not right. Help!

If there are fonts, transitions, builds, video or audio in the PowerPoint file that are not compatible with Keynote, it will either prevent the presentation opening or Keynote will substitute the settings causing playback changes.
I use Open Office to play and open any PowerPoint files sent to me, they play exactly as in PowerPoint.
Open Office is free, you can download it here:
Open Office for Mac

How come my macbook air has so little space. I deleted everything that I don't need and everything that has the most space I'm told NOT to delete. Everything I find is in either KB or very low MB.

How come my macbook air has so little space. I deleted everything that I don't need and everything that has the most space I'm told NOT to delete. Everything I find is in either KB or very low MB.

Check what is in your SSD/ storage on your macbook Apple Icon > about this mac > more info > STORAGE tab on top
recommend handy useful APPS such as :
Disk Expert
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/disk-expert/id488920185?mt=12
Disk Map
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/disk-map/id715464874?mt=12
dont need them, but theyre very useful.
also the best is DAISY DISK
https://itunes.apple.com/app/daisydisk/id411643860?mt=12&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
See here for answer about the OTHER which is taking up space:
http://pondini.org/TM/30.html
and here:
http://pondini.org/OSX/DiskSpace.html
See Kappys excellent note on the rest of “other” files taking up your space:
What is "Other" and What Can I Do About It?
see here:
Your Solid State Drive and having enough space inside your Macbook Air & Pro
Solid State Drive usage premise, or the “more space / upgrade SSD” question
There have been questions posed and positions taken by many people who are trying to use their Macbook Air or Pro’s solid state drive (SSD) as a mass media storage device, for either pictures, videos, massive music collections or all three combined; but this should not be the working premise of a ‘limited’ SSD and its use.
In which, it’s the case of those users with either 128GB, 256GB, or even 512GB of internal SSD space, that have or are running “out of space”, that questions are raised. The immediate premise of some users can sometimes be “(how to / if) upgrading my SSD” when in fact in nearly all instances another approach is the logical and sensible one that needs to be looked into and exercised.
Any Macbook containing a SSD should be idealized as a ‘working platform’ notebook containing all your applications, documents, and weekly or bi-weekly necessary files. All collections of media files such as pictures, music, and videos, unless directly needed should be kept off the notebook and on an external hard drive or likewise. While the ‘working platform’ premise is also the case with larger internal conventional hard drives of 1TB+, its implementation isn't as critical except in terms of data protection.
Realistically, you should at most coordinate roughly 20 to 25% of your total SSD space to all audio-video personal use media (picture / music / video collections), leaving the remaining amount on an external HD.
Nobody should consider any notebook a data storage device at any time under any circumstance, rather a data creation, sending, and manipulation device; and in the case of a SSD, this is more important for purposes of having sufficient working space on the SSD and reducing SSD ‘bloat’ in which cases someone is wrongly attempting to use the SSD space as a large media storage nexus.
The rare exception to the collective usage and premise of SSD use in which a much larger SSD is truly needed are for those in video and photography professions that require both the extremely fast speeds of the SSD and the onboard storage for large and or many video and photography files. However this also falls under the premise of a ‘working platform’ for such peoples rather than the intent of many who are using the SSD as passive and static data storage for media files very infrequently needed or accessed.
All on-notebook data collections should be logically approached as to necessity, and evaluated as to whether it is active or passive data that likely doesn’t need to be on the notebook, allocations of space-percentages to as-needed work and use, apportioning space for your entertainment media, and questioning whether it should it be on the notebook for more than short-term consumption.
Considerations should be made in the mind of any user in differentiating the necessary system data (System hub) comprising the Mac OSX, applications, necessary documents that both must and should be on your internal SSD, and that of the users personal data (Data hub) comprising created files, pictures, music, videos, PDF files, data created or being created and otherwise, that likely unless being used soon or often should be parked on an external hard drive for consumption, or temporarily loading onto the internal SSD.
You both can and should purchase whichever SSD size you need or see fit, but even in the case of the largest of SSD, unless use-considerations are made, and SSD spaces are allocated as should be the case indicated above, one can easily and immediately run into this quandary of “needing more internal SSD space”, in which instance a different approach in usage must then be implemented.
However it is almost always the case, that such large media files are wanted to be stored internally rather than actually needed, in which case the external HD is both prudent as well as necessary. Additionally costs per MB are infinitely less on an external HD than an internal SSD in any consideration of data expansion needs.
A Professional Example
In the case of a Macbook Air or Macbook Pro Retina with ‘limited’ storage on the SSD, this distinction becomes more important in that in an ever rapidly increasing file-size world, you keep vital large media files, pics, video, PDF collections, music off your SSD and archived on external storage, for sake of the necessary room for your system to have free space to operate, store future applications and general workspace.
You should also never be put in the position of considering “deleting things” on your Macbook SSD in order to ‘make space’. This is especially what your external HD is for.
Professionals who create and import very large amounts of data have almost no change in the available space on their notebooks internal SSD because they are constantly archiving data to arrays of external or networked HD.
Or in the case of the consumer this means you keep folders for large imported or created data and you ritually offload and archive this data for safekeeping, not only to safeguard the data in case your Macbook has a SSD crash, or gets stolen, but importantly in keeping the ‘breathing room’ open for your notebook to operate, expand, create files, add applications, for your APPS to create temp files, and for general operation.
Slim USB3 1TB external hard drive
External Hard Drives
External hard drives are both extremely cheap and regardless of the size of your internal SSD (or even internal hard drive if the case), you need an external hard drive with your SSD equipped Macbook for several reasons:
1. Data backup and protection.
2. Redundancy for important data.
3. Necessitated ideal space for large media files for collections of pictures, videos, and music etc.
While ever changing in price, typical portable 2.5” external hard drives in USB3 run roughly $65 for 1TB or $120 for 2TB small portable USB3 hard drives. Such drives range in thickness between 5mm and 15mm, with recent improvements in storage of 500GB drives in 5mm profiles.
There is almost no premise in which a small 12mm thick 1 Terabyte USB hard drive cannot be taken along with any Macbook as an external large storage extension inside any Macbook carry case or pouch. Typically such external HD profiles are not much bigger than a deck of cards.
External hard drives are a foregone necessity for purchase with any Macbook for at the very least Time Machine backups, data redundancies, and ideally for large media storage.

I have recently purchased a new macbook air I was wondering what the "other" represents in the flash storage

I have recently purchased a new macbook air I was wondering what the "other" represents in the flash storage?

Everything that cannot be classified in one of the other categories.

How to unlock MacBook Air that was purchased used

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