Do you think this mac mini is stolen?

[nic2991]

Found this on kijiji, sounds too good to be true. From the seller:

"Hey guys i selling a new mac mini. i don't use it anymore i have a macbook pro and i forgot the password for the mac mini. You can get it fixed at the apple store for free."

Sounds like the base model previous generation mac mini, 2 gb ram, 2.26 GHZ c2d, 250 GB hard drive (this would have been an upgrade?). I'm thinking that this is worth at least $400-500, he's selling for $200. And the thing about the password is pretty strange. What do you think?

 

[alust2013]

Sounds stolen. Wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole.

 

[nic2991]

Yeah, thought so. Just out of curiosity, what would the apple store do with this if someone brought it in?

 

[sunburn]

Yeah, thought so. Just out of curiosity, what would the apple store do with this if someone brought it in?

who knows, but being in possession of stolen property whether you stole it or not is a crime where i am from.

 

[nic2991]

who knows, but being in possession of stolen property whether you stole it or not is a crime where i am from.

Definitely, but what I meant was what could they do to the computer. I found the answer though.

 

[Jayomat]

Found this on kijiji, sounds too good to be true. From the seller:

"Hey guys i selling a new mac mini. i don't use it anymore i have a macbook pro and i forgot the password for the mac mini. You can get it fixed at the apple store for free."

Sounds like the base model previous generation mac mini, 2 gb ram, 2.26 GHZ c2d, 250 GB hard drive (this would have been an upgrade?). I'm thinking that this is worth at least $400-500, he's selling for $200. And the thing about the password is pretty strange. What do you think?

Despite the fact that it may be stolen, you could just insert a SL or leopard Disk and reinstall OSX no problemo, and set up a new password However, it sounds pretty stolen to me, as I wouldn't sell a pc with my personal data on it, which I guess must still be on this machine, but that's just me

 

[gnasher729]

Despite the fact that it may be stolen, you could just insert a SL or leopard Disk and reinstall OSX no problemo, and set up a new password However, it sounds pretty stolen to me, as I wouldn't sell a pc with my personal data on it, which I guess must still be on this machine, but that's just me

There are probably some people who don't care or who have no private data on their computer, but anyone _who set a password_ on their MacMini would definitely not sell it this way.

 

[PhelpsiPhan]

Yeah mate i would just walk away

 

[BertyBoy]

Well, does it come with any of the following ....

original discs
original box
the keyboard and mouse (since the owner now has a MBP).

If none of these, it's been pinched, or found. G4 Mac Minis go for more than $200 in the UK on eBay.

 

[Consultant]

If you got money and time, you can probably find out who it belongs to, contact the owner, and report the thief to the police.

However at that price, I suspect someone has already bought it.

 

[gameface]

I had a powerbook I was trying to sell a while back. I turned it on to reinstall the OS and for the life of me couldn't remember the password. Us people who try to keep a secure system change passwords often and tend to make them up of random letter and numbers. I remember things I do daily but once put to rest for a couple years sometimes it isn't always the case.

Never had to have a website email you a password reminder???? If you haven't in your whole time of being online, you either use the same password for everything or save your password in your browser. Either way, you aren't being secure.

 

[BertyBoy]

Never had to have a website email you a password reminder???? If you haven't in your whole time of being online, you either use the same password for everything or save your password in your browser. Either way, you aren't being secure.

I've managed to get by with just 4 passwords, used according to how secure I need it to be, so one password for all my secure buying accounts, another for personal computer access, another for email, and a final for non-financial site access (like MR) and junk email accounts.
All are about 13 characters - well made up from 3 or more concatenated words, ie. stairwaytoheaven, with numbers replacing similar letters like a hax effect, ie. st41rw4yt0h34v3n. Of course, this is not one of the passwords, but you get the idea. It works. Each begins with a different letter so if I have to write one down for a particular account, I just need the first letter which gives nothing away.

 

[gameface]

I've managed to get by with just 4 passwords, used according to how secure I need it to be, so one password for all my secure buying accounts, another for personal computer access, another for email, and a final for non-financial site access (like MR) and junk email accounts.
All are about 13 characters - well made up from 3 or more concatenated words, ie. stairwaytoheaven, with numbers replacing similar letters like a hax effect, ie. st41rw4yt0h34v3n. Of course, this is not one of the passwords, but you get the idea. It works. Each begins with a different letter so if I have to write one down for a particular account, I just need the first letter which gives nothing away.

Good for you. Doesn't change the fact that if someone has the one to your bank account they also have the one to your other "secure buying accounts". Your way is probably just as bad because all of your "secure" accounts have the same password. I used the numbers as letters thing 5 years ago and would be the first thing I would try if trying to figure out someones password. It doesn't make you smart it makes you like everyone else.

What I was trying to say is that forgetting passwords happen. The fact the moron doesn't know how to fix it before selling it says something, but not necessarily that it is stolen. I was saying that a user like myself who has been using macs since the OS8 days have forgotten a machine password login, so it is possible for some dope smoking teen to forget theirs as well.

 

[KítscheñÇinqµe]

what's the name of wasilla high mascot?

Is there a s/n registry for stolen stuff worth more than "x" pesos?

Good for you. Doesn't change the fact that if someone has the one to your bank account they also have the one to your other "secure buying accounts". Your way is probably just as bad because all of your "secure" accounts have the same password. I used the numbers as letters thing 5 years ago and would be the first thing I would try if trying to figure out someones password. It doesn't make you smart it makes you like everyone else.

yeah, 'numbers as letters thing' should be in dictionary crack. But, bb says he prefixes each variant of his 4 categories. therefore each pass is different, and still not subject to dictionary crack. however, a slightly more expensive crack could try simple dictionary+dictionary prefixes and suffixes. To dodge that, I'd insert the unique character at the 7th character (etc)

I've managed to get by with just 4 passwords, ...snip..
Each begins with a different letter so if I have to write one down for a particular account, I just need the first letter which gives nothing away.

I prefer varied interweave of unusual but personally memorable strings, eg, 3 dog licenses from 1936
4660 32981 5642
with your nickname for a the 1492 barcelona neighbor's annoying cat
frigface
result if do this until end of either string:
4fr6ig6fa0ce3
or
435f626r694i082g
unlike cheap physical combination locks, pass crack doesn't know when it guesses *one* character correctly, so assuming crack doesn't first try simple patterns, 3434343434 is as secure as 4026692471. *and* the interweave is not a *common* simple pattern.
for good measure when possible use a freaky symbol somewhere in the password
435±f626r694i082g

IMO :-0