MacPro 2019 16 core Activation Locked Need Help/Advice

Comments

• John

  July 2022

  Hi!

  Is there some reason you didn't return it to the eBay seller when you realized it was locked?

  It probably won't work, but you can take a printout of the eBay listing to the Apple store along with the Pro, and they might release it.
• jamesrbarton

  July 2022

  Thanks for responding John. Issue was not known until 8+ months following purchase, when I did a Reset Your Mac procedure, as I was trying to eliminate the OS from some troublesome application software issues we were having.

  Apple HQ has told me either to get the person who engaged the lock to release it or to provide an original Apple receipt, which can't be located (Seller out of business). Will an Apple Store provide any more assistance than the corporate office? We have a reseller in town which looked horrified when I asked for help weeks ago and said "Cannot help you. Can't access those servers. Go away please."...the nearest Apple Store is a 6 hour round trip. Any further advice would be appreciated thanks!
• John

  July 2022 edited July 2022

  It often depends on which Apple tech you talk to, and if you're talking to a manager. I would take the eBay receipt and the computer to an Apple store and argue that the machine worked for 8 months, which it shouldn't have if it was activation locked. Did the seller give you the login/password to use with the machine? Because it's extremely odd that it would let you in at all unless you were using the credentials and iCloud account that were involved. Give them some proof that the machine has been working all this time if you can, and you can argue it's unfair that a year later it's kicked in.

  Do you have a Time Machine backup of the previous working install that you can try putting back on?

  A while back I recall some of the jailbreakers claiming to have a T2 bypass, but I don't know enough to help you with that. You might want to google around and see if you can find it.
• John

  July 2022

  Also, are you sure this is activation lock and not a firmware password? Again, extremely odd that it worked all this time.
• jamesrbarton

  July 2022

  Yes certain it is an Activation Lock--see attached JPEG--the drive was erased at the time of engaging the Reset My Mac function--I have all the necssary files backed up

  Activation Lock screen.jpg

  but not a clone of the drive--do you or anyone else know of a person/group that would take this on as a "repair job"--I've had no luck finding anything on the web. Thanks again John for responding!
• John

  July 2022

  I wonder if the previous owner (not the original owner) is scamming you and did a bypass. It's called a bypass because it bypasses the setup wizard and also the handshake during which the machine is determined to be locked or not. So you're able to use the machine with that copy of the OS, but the second you wipe and reset, the bypass is no longer in effect, you get the setup wizard, and then the lock comes back.

  It happens all the time with locked iPads -- people get them cheap, bypass them, and sell them as good, and then a year later when they do an OS upgrade or wipe the system, the lock is back.

  I really think this is probably what happened, because there is just no other explanation as to why the machine wouldn't have been showing locked the whole time. I'd really drill down hard into the previous seller and give him a hard time.

  But that aside, I'd still try the Apple store, show them the eBay receipt, try to prove to a manager that it's been working this whole time, and convince them that it's not right. The managers have a lot of discretion to lock or not unlock, so it's worth a shot.

  It's probably been too long, but if you paid via PayPal and put it on a card, you may still be able to do a chargeback.
• jamesrbarton

  July 2022

  Thanks for all your counsel John, much appreciated. Hopeful an Apple Store can come to our rescue!