Removing Single User Mode password on late 2010 white macbook

Fusion3214

So I recently purchased this macbook off of ebay for a fairly good price. The previous owner had told me that the laptop had come with a password lock, and he had no clue on how to remove it. I tried to reseat ram, and clear the pram and the password is still there.

John

Hi! Thanks for the post!

The first thing to be clear on is whether you're talking about a PRAM password, or an operating system password. I will assume it's a PRAM password, but many people get them confused, so it's worth making the distinction. To verify it's a PRAM password, hold down the "option" key when powering on the laptop, and you should see an image of a padlock. If you don't, it's most likely an OS password and you just need to wipe the drive and reinstall the OS.

Have you watched my "Apple Open Firmware PRAM Password Reset" video? If not, click on the "Tutorials" tab and check it out. Reseating the RAM won't help -- you need to change the amount of RAM (either add or remove a module), and then immediately reset the PRAM four times (the initial chime sound plus three more resets). If you only do the reset once, or stop short of three additional times, it won't be unlocked. If you change the amount of RAM and then power it on without resetting the PRAM immediately, it will register the new amount of RAM and you'll have to change it again.

I know for a fact that the 2010 white unibody is a laptop that will unlock following this procedure, so if you see the padlock, then change the RAM and reset the PRAM four times, it will unlock. So if it doesn't, I suspect something is being missed in the procedure.

There is also the possibility of bad RAM in place which isn't registering, and so when you remove it, it doesn't register a change. So if in doubt you can try different RAM, but this is a stretch and would be a very unlikely scenario.

Anyhow, thanks, and let me know how it goes!

John

Fusion3214

Alright thanks john, Ill try it when I get home