Apple ID from Prior Owner Issue

[tlts]

i bought used iMac.
the person i bought from has their Apple ID information still on this iMac.
i noticed this when i was trying to get drivers for an HP printer. Apple Store Updates has them but i have no access thru prior owners Apple ID.
attempted to contact the person i bought from and he is long gone. he will not answer email.
i tried to delete his Apple ID but not successful.
my Apple ID is in the computer but the Apple Software Update will not allow me to do anything. Keeps going to his Apple ID. (quite annoying) There are updates to Pages,Numbers,iMovie and Keynotes in there so i thought that was my problem. I put them in the trash to see if that would allow Apple Software Updates. No success.
(i try to avoid the apple store.... i do not like the idea. I would like to have the choice of going to a store to download whatever it is I want instead of REQUIRING I go thru the APPLE Store exclusively)

Would you know what i can do to erase the prior owners Apple ID off this computer?
I really need to get the HP drivers. I went to HP.com they directed me back to Apple Store.Then of course Apple Store has NO support . This kind of stuff makes me think how much of a mistake it is to purchase MAC... should have gone with Windows...less hassle!!

Also, I did go to Apple Store and signed out from the prior owner then signed in with my Apple ID.
no success. i closed everything and restarted my computer. The ASU still under his ID!

 

[DeltaMac]

If the old AppleID is interfering with your use of your "new" iMac, then I suggest that you erase the hard drive, and reinstall OS X as a clean system. The other reason to do that, is that you don't know what ELSE the former owner did to the system and other software that might have been installed.
Most experienced Mac users here will recommend that you clear off what is there now (reformat), and start from scratch. You can reinstall from a completely blank drive, by booting to Internet Recovery. You can boot to that by restarting, while holding Option-Command-R. You will see a rotating globe on the screen, indicating that you are booting to Apple's servers for the install. Works well. You need a working internet connection to get there, but that's easy enough.
Just so you know, system downloads/updates are typically all through the App Store. Occasionally, there are alternates to that, but generally the App Store is your easiest path to updates.

 

[Swiss-G]

Have to agree with the post above.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904

Erase your drive and install OS X
Generally you don't need to erase your startup disk to reinstall OS X. The OS X Installer is designed to allow you to perform an install in place over the same version or earlier versions of OS X. If you're transferring your Mac to a new owner, you might want to erase your built-in startup disk before reinstalling OS X.

Important: Before you erase and reinstall, back up your important files. If you’re using a MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro, make sure the power adapter is connected and plugged in while performing these steps.

You can use these steps to erase the files on your startup disk and install a new copy of OS X:

1. Before you begin, make sure your Mac is connected to the Internet.
2. Restart your Mac. Immediately hold down the Command (⌘) and R keys after you hear the startup sound to start up in OS X Recovery.
3. When the Recovery window appears, select Disk Utility then click Continue.
4. Select the indented volume name of your startup disk from the left side of the Disk Utility window, then click the Erase tab.
5. If you want to securely erase the drive, click Security Options. Select an erase method, then click OK.
6. From the Format pop-up menu, select Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Type a name for your disk, then click Erase.
7. After the drive is erased, close the Disk Utility window.
8. If you’re not connected to the Internet, choose a network from the Wi-Fi menu.
9. Select the option to Reinstall OS X.
10. Click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions to reinstall OS X.

Additional options

If you want to reinstall the version of OS X that came with your Mac, or if you need to reformat your entire startup disk, hold down Command-Option-R at startup instead. This starts your Mac from Internet Recovery.

If you have more than one partition (like Boot Camp) and you want to erase the entire startup disk, you can use Disk Utility to remove partitions or repartition your drive. Start your Mac from Internet Recovery, then use Disk Utility to repartition your startup disk before you erase it. Make sure you back up any important data from all partitions before repartitioning a drive.

Learn more

• How to install OS X on an external drive
• What to do before selling or giving away your Mac
• If you see a folder with a question mark when you start up your Mac
• Use the version of OS X that came with your Mac, or a newer, compatible version

When you reinstall OS X using Recovery, your computer's serial number is sent to Apple as part of this process to help authenticate your request to download and install OS X.

Last Modified: Sep 16, 2015

 

[tlts]

all of this sounds very complicated with lots of room for error, on my part. i have no idea about all of this.
i do not want to loose any of my emails or files i have on this computer. to erase my hard drive sounds drastic....deltamac talks about having a black drive.
i was trying to get the previous owners apple id off my computer so i could access the apple software updates and i need to do that to download hp printer drives. maybe i will just go buy another printer for $100 and be done with it all.
to chance loosing files or any of my emails is to risky for me not to mention this computer comes with pages,numbers,iMovies and other applications that i have used or hope to use. i do not want to have to pay to have them reinstalled or loose any those files.
you are experienced with apple products so you may not understand somebody like myself who has no knowledge. you probably could do all these things you talk about in your sleep .....that is how easy it is for a seasoned computer person... not so for a novice. you words like partitions, repartitions,disk utility...are all greek to me.
this entire matter is upsetting because i have a document i have to print so i need a printer. not being able to access the apple software updates is annoying. the exercise you have outlined leaves to much room for a novice (a newbie)to error and then mess-up the entire system not just the access to the updates.
this will be the last mac i will purchase and i will not have anything good to say about them to the people i interact with.apple is to rigid for my liking. i will try to sell this on craigslist and purchase a windows computer.
i do like this forum. you responded so fast. thank you for being here. however i do think you are in place for seasoned apple users. i was glad swiss g broke down what deltamac was saying. both were good information but at the end of the day there is to much terminology i am not familiar with.
i will take a look around google to see what i can find out about the recovery process, and the how to of all this, and something about having a blank drive and what all that would mean.
thanks for your time and response. you have been great!

 

[DeltaMac]

Ah, good response.
I used the term "blank drive" to mean that you would erase your existing hard drive. Then, when you reinstall OS X, it is completely new, with no pre-existing settings, or older users.
You would then set it up, using your existing AppleID, when asked.
If you have already purchased the often "extra-cost" Apple apps, such as Pages, Numbers, iMovie, etc. Those should appear in your App Store as Purchases. And, you don't need to purchase a second time, just download from the App Store to install.

These are not things that you should have to endure, feeling like that "newbie" that we all have experienced at one time or another.
There are some users here who will try to give you a rough time if you don't come here with "expert" knowledge about something that you have little experience.
Others try to have patience, and WILL guide you to a successful conclusion, if you can be patient, and willing to give information about what you have tried, and also willing to try a few steps. Some of those "steps" may be more involved than others, but sometimes you get a good result - a good fix! - with much less effort than it might take for similar circumstances when using that Microsoft Windows system that so many folks seem to like.

One important item to be aware of - if you want to fix this, AND if you need to erase your hard drive AND you already have personal files, pictures, music, whatever, that you want to keep - you will need an external drive that you can use to back up your files.
That's something that you should already have, or you should seriously consider getting an external drive for backup, even if you go back to using Windows.

 

[Swiss-G]

all of this sounds very complicated with lots of room for error, on my part. i have no idea about all of this.snip....

It's not that complicated if you follow the steps above...

You can make a Time Machine back-up before you start so can always revert back if anything goes wrong. As DeltaMac says you should look at a back-up solution regardless.

With regard to your printer, you mention it's an HP printer. Which model is it and let's see if we can help you install the latest drivers.

 

[tlts]

its an hp color laser jet cp 4025
this computer is an iMac Retina..... apple says they updated these drives sometime in october.

so there are two apple ID's on this computer....the previous owner and mine.
why would apple NOT ALLOW two apple ID's to do a software update? when his ID is signed out and i sign in my id ....i ought to be able to update software with my id...thus be able to get these printer drivers!...what problem does /should apple have with that scenario?

is backing up to a Time Machine as you say ...swiss-g... the same as having an external drive as deltamac says?
this computer only has USB ports ...this mac does not accommodate disk drive access...(i so now appreciate my older mac...a G4...steve jobs was so open to the american way....choice!)
so would a thumb drive be considered an external drive?
i am thinking a time machine backup would not be external since its in this computer...correct?

 

[DeltaMac]

Time machine backups would normally be to an external drive of some type. Whatever would have enough space to back up the internal drive. I think the right idea for the size of the external drive would be at least 50% more than the size of your internal.

 

[tlts]

thank you!

 

[Swiss-G]

its an hp color laser jet cp 4025
this computer is an iMac Retina..... apple says they updated these drives sometime in october.

so there are two apple ID's on this computer....the previous owner and mine.
why would apple NOT ALLOW two apple ID's to do a software update? when his ID is signed out and i sign in my id ....i ought to be able to update software with my id...thus be able to get these printer drivers!...what problem does /should apple have with that scenario?

is backing up to a Time Machine as you say ...swiss-g... the same as having an external drive as deltamac says?
this computer only has USB ports ...this mac does not accommodate disk drive access...(i so now appreciate my older mac...a G4...steve jobs was so open to the american way....choice!)
so would a thumb drive be considered an external drive?
i am thinking a time machine backup would not be external since its in this computer...correct?

That printer is supported by OS X

Try deleting the Macintosh HD/Library/Printers/hp folder and using software update again making sure you are signed in to the Mac App Store using you AppleID.

If that sound too daunting the try downloading and then install the full HP package from the following link:

https://support.apple.com/kb/DL907?locale=en_US

 

[tlts]

thank you swiss-g...
i went to the link...i got a dropdown that says can't open because it did not come from the mac app store!.....
So ...
I have gone to the store...i bought a printer with cables that I was able to do a plug and print!....done... have my documents printed and mailed out.
So now with regard to this MAC computer...I am selling it!! NEVER to purchase another Apple product.
I do not like the idea of
1.not having "choice" of how i make a purchase. Apple is to territorial, controlling and rigid. There is no reason on this side of heaven why i should not be allowed to make a purchase from my Apple ID as long as I am signed in and the prior owner is signed out.
2. Not having the option of placing a disk to download whatever i want. Back in the day it was an option!
3. Apple Store ,exclusively , with no option of price shopping elsewhere.
Definitely not for me ..... choice is king for me!!!!
For those reasons Apple would never again be a consideration for me.I will be waiting for family or friends to ' ask me' why I am now so anti Apple products. Can not reasonably argue with facts.
i have an iPhone..that's going along with my iPad... when that needs updating i will use it for netflix or for games.
I will purchase a non apple phone and a non apple tablet not to mention a WINDOWs computer.

Again, thank you for help... you and DeltaMac have given out great information.
Don't go to far, with Apple products you will keep on giving

 

[imacdave1]

Don't waste your money on replacing a perfectly good printer. I'm not sure if time machine would work beings it would back up the previous owners information as well. Personally I'd buy a flash drive and put the files I wanted to save on it than format the hard drive and reinstall a fresh OS on the HD and reinstall the files the off the flash drive. Rather than spend $100 bucks on a new printer buy an external HD and use it save your files.

 

[DeltaMac]

...
So now with regard to this MAC computer...I am selling it!! NEVER to purchase another Apple product.
I do not like the idea of
1.not having "choice" of how i make a purchase. Apple is to territorial, controlling and rigid. There is no reason on this side of heaven why i should not be allowed to make a purchase from my Apple ID as long as I am signed in and the prior owner is signed out.
2. Not having the option of placing a disk to download whatever i want. Back in the day it was an option!
3. Apple Store ,exclusively , with no option of price shopping elsewhere.
Definitely not for me ..... choice is king for me!!!!
... I am now so anti Apple products. Can not reasonably argue with facts.
i have an iPhone..that's going along with my iPad... when that needs updating i will use it for netflix or for games.
I will purchase a non apple phone and a non apple tablet not to mention a WINDOWs computer.

Again, thank you for help... you and DeltaMac have given out great information.
Don't go to far, with Apple products you will keep on giving

Sorry that you have your security settings a bit too high. You can adjust those so apps "from identified developers" are perfectly OK, and usable. (System Preferences/Security & Privacy/General, Allow Apps Downloads from...
I suspect it won't be long before ALL operating systems provide a "store" of some kind, and urge users (and developers, too) to use those stores - mostly because of security issues.

 

[tlts]

I did go to system preferences an clicked on downloads without ID...made no difference...for whatever reason.

No doubt Apple has the reputation for high security. My thought in that regard is if hackers like ....lets say.... Anonymous.... want to hack into my computer, i do not rate Apple so high on security as to keep them out.
Any technology can be hacked ....so .....you do the best you can with the security technology out here for Windows.
Windows may at some point in time provide a store, but I cannot see their store as the 'only' way to make a purchase of their product.

 

[Sun Baked]

Right now the other guy is the system administrator for the computer, and you have a sub account under that.

He likely will not give you access to his account in any case, since it would allow you to mess with his current computer (since is opens his keychain on the computer.)

Only option left it to start fresh by reinstalling the computer to factory fresh status, putting yourself in a the administrator on the machine upon first boot. and maybe restoring your own files from a time machine backup.

Of course, using this method will likely lose you all the extra programs they had loaded on the machine under their Apple ID.

Since my mom is using my old computer with an account on the machine, if she wants anything updated. I have to log in using my password ... unless I upgrade he account to administrator access (might not be a good idea, since she goes crazy when she see's popups asking her to download their software to fix the computer.)

So two choices, have them upgrade your user account (and it sounds impossible) or start fresh on the computer.

I know it is a pain, but there is a reason you cannot update anything on the account without an administrator password.

 

[tlts]

yes...it is a pain......
i understand the reasoning behind admin password protection.....however i do not agreed with Apple.....
as i ought 'to be 'the system admin when i am logged in with my apple ID.....then proceed with any updates as i choose.
Because there is an alternative to Apple...i.e. Windows...I choose Windows....thus ending going thru hassle.
Apple made a conscious choice of how they wanted to handle purchases for their product... I do not agree with how they do it...so my choice is to make my technology purchases elsewhere!
I do everything possible to keep my life low stress and to remove aggrevation ....whenever...wherever..!

thank you ...Sun Baked... for your time and suggestion.

 

[Mr. Buzzcut]

yes...it is a pain......
i understand the reasoning behind admin password protection.....however i do not agreed with Apple.....
as i ought 'to be 'the system admin when i am logged in with my apple ID.....then proceed with any updates as i choose.
Because there is an alternative to Apple...i.e. Windows...I choose Windows....thus ending going thru hassle.
Apple made a conscious choice of how they wanted to handle purchases for their product... I do not agree with how they do it...so my choice is to make my technology purchases elsewhere!
I do everything possible to keep my life low stress and to remove aggrevation ....whenever...wherever..!

thank you ...Sun Baked... for your time and suggestion.

Some confusion here. You would have the same issue with a hand me down Windows box. Also, you do not have to use Mac App Store to get software on a Mac. Your assumptions are incorrect and others have provided good advice.

 

[tlts]

Excuse me Mr. Buzzcut....

I have not made any assumptions.....I have stated clearly my experience with the Apple computer.(beginning & end of story) (.)

However, you are making an assumption....
1. I do not know what I am talking about
2. you do not have to use MacApple Store
both your assumptions are incorrect.

Additionally, I have never had this experience with a Windows computer. For any Windows computer I have operated.... I have a disk i insert into the computer... a disk, by the way, I bought from a store ..... of MY choosing.

I am not the one to drink the "APPLE KOOLAID" !!

 

[Mr. Buzzcut]

Excuse me Mr. Buzzcut....

I have not made any assumptions.....I have stated clearly my experience with the Apple computer.(beginning & end of story) (.)

However, you are making an assumption....
1. I do not know what I am talking about
2. you do not have to use MacApple Store
both your assumptions are incorrect.

Additionally, I have never had this experience with a Windows computer. For any Windows computer I have operated.... I have a disk i insert into the computer... a disk, by the way, I bought from a store ..... of MY choosing.

I am not the one to drink the "APPLE KOOLAID" !!

Well I don't know how to help if you're not open for feedback and suggestions that don't match your assumptions. On Mac you can simply drag an app to the app folder or run the installer, depending on the app.

Oh, Windows does indeed have an App Store, too. Good luck!

 

[Swiss-G]

Excuse me Mr. Buzzcut....
Snip...

Can you do the following please:

Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Users & Groups

You'll see a dialog box like this:

Can you confirm if your user account is Admin or Standard?
Do you see an account for the previous owner and is that Admin?

 

[tlts]

so this is a snapshot of my users & groups....
User is Admin...
I was able to change the Admin password after I purchased from the previous owner.
previous owner information is not seen.



Somebody.... maybe DeltaMac ....asked about my security and privacy settings.
I have it set to Allow apps downloaded from Mac App Store....

thanks Swiss-G

 

[Swiss-G]

Somebody.... maybe DeltaMac ....asked about my security and privacy settings.
I have it set to Allow apps downloaded from Mac App Store....
View attachment 605755
thanks Swiss-G

If you click the padlock in the bottom left of the dialog box you can change Allow apps downloaded from to Mac App Store and identified developers which will allow you to install software from outside the Mac App Store.

 

[Sun Baked]

Since you are the administrator, you can trying going to System Preferences/iCloud and log out the other user, using "sign out" to stop using the other user. and log your Apple ID in.

The do the same thing with the App Store, open it and go to the Store Tab and go down to where it says "sign out" and then sign in with your Apple ID.

However, this likely may disable some of the apps tied to their Apple ID.

 

[Weaselboy]

so this is a snapshot of my users & groups....
User is Admin...
I was able to change the Admin password after I purchased from the previous owner.
previous owner information is not seen.

Hey tlts... I'm late to the thread, but sorry to see you are having all this trouble. I'd be frustrated also. If you are up for trying a few more things, I may have some ideas. If not, just set fire to that Mac and I'll totally understand.

Some good suggestions in the thread already, and Swiss-G's comment above should allow you to get apps for outside the App Store.

I think what got you all messed up to start with is the old owner did not properly erase and configure the system before giving it to you. Normally what one would do is erase the disk and reinstall the OS... that way when he new owner turns it on they are prompted to make their own admin account with their own AppleID and all. It sounds like that did not happen.

It also sounds like maybe you kept the old owners admin account and just renamed it... is that the case??

Can you try a test for me? In that Users & Groups pane, unlock it and click the plus at the bottom left and add a new admin account. Call it whatever you want. Now reboot and login to that new account. Now go to the App Store from that account and login with your own AppleID. Does that seem to stick and work okay?

As far as the iWork and iLife apps that are on there, that is going to be a problem. Those are registered to the original owner and not you, so you do not own them under your AppleID. Your only option if you want to keep and update them is to buy them under your AppleID. If that is a deal killer, just tell me know so we don't waste any more of your time.

If you can accept having to buy the apps yourself, and the new admin account seems to fix things, let us know and I think we can walk you through the rest.

 

[tlts]

WOW...thanks...that's a lot. Swiss-g...I did what you suggested.

See below, I got the previous owners Apple ID( showing portion of his ID)...again

when you say ..."which will allow you to install software from outside the Mac App Store." what does that mean? Where would I go outside the app store?
Sun-Baked....I followed your suggestion ...." System Preferences/iCloud and log out the other user," this is what I see there

early on... I signed the previous owner out the app store and I signed in with my ID...no progress...
Weaselboy...when you state.....
"It also sounds like maybe you kept the old owners admin account and just renamed it... is that the case??"
The Admin name never changed... I changed the password for Admin....I could not change the word "Admin" but had access to change the password.
Weaselboy, before I go to the Users & Groups to add a new admin account....does that erase any files or documents I currently have on this computer?
Regarding the apps... you say they are registered to the original owner and not me?..... Apples's website states MAC is fully loaded.(see below) This tells me the apps come with the computer ...they do not belong to whoever...


What am I missing.... if apps come fully loaded on MAC how would I have to pay for them?
...either they come with it or they do not...if they come with the computer "why does it make a difference" who was the original owner?
I am glad you bought this matter up.
It got lost with me speaking of only the ID matter. Before I wrote any of this, I had taken Pages,IMovie,Keynote and another App( escapes me right) and put them in the trash in an attempt to take out the previous owner apple id....since these apps were in "update".
Then I went to the apple store to re-install them. At the end of trying to re-install ......Apple took my credit card and "charged" me!(Thankfully I was doing one at a time.) I thought it was in error because , once again,they say the apps come with the computer.
I tried to get a refund from Apple but Apple does not give refunds... so I spent $19.99 + tax on something that was supposed to come with this computer...and Apple Store does not refund.

A deal killer for me would always be deception!

Again,thank each of you for all your help....you' re great!!!!