Does replacing a hard drive circumvent a firmware lock?

[Surfactant]

Hey, first off, I acknowledge that this post sounds sketchy as anything. In short, I found a MacBook Pro 15 (I think 2017 model) in the middle of 42nd St., NYC, about a week ago, being repeatedly run over. I picked it up, got it home, and the screen is intact and the thing turns on just fine (kudos, Apple). I have tried to locate the owner via craigslist, to no avail. I went to the Apple store today. They could not get any useable contact info from the serial number and wouldn’t even take the machine from me.

So, believe that story or not. The machine has a firmware lock, and it looks like there’s no getting around this. That’s fine, but throwing the machine away seems silly. The most obvious solution that I could try is replacing the hard drive, but would this get around the firmware lock? Or does that reside in the bios and is therefore unavoidable?

Any help appreciated, I’ve done some hardware work before but only on windows machines so I’m a Mac noob. Thanks.

 

[Adam.Kb2Jpd]

Go to the Rossman group and let them have a crack at it.

 

[bcave098]

Hey, first off, I acknowledge that this post sounds sketchy as anything. In short, I found a MacBook Pro 15 (I think 2017 model) in the middle of 42nd St., NYC, about a week ago, being repeatedly run over. I picked it up, got it home, and the screen is intact and the thing turns on just fine (kudos, Apple). I have tried to locate the owner via craigslist, to no avail. I went to the Apple store today. They could not get any useable contact info from the serial number and wouldn’t even take the machine from me.

So, believe that story or not. The machine has a firmware lock, and it looks like there’s no getting around this. That’s fine, but throwing the machine away seems silly. The most obvious solution that I could try is replacing the hard drive, but would this get around the firmware lock? Or does that reside in the bios and is therefore unavoidable?

Any help appreciated, I’ve done some hardware work before but only on windows machines so I’m a Mac noob. Thanks.

No. As implied by the name, it resides in the firmware. Plus if it's a 2016-2017 15" model, it doesn't have a replaceable SSD.

 

[Adam.Kb2Jpd]

Never, ever believe in a firmware lock. There has to be a way to remove the firmware lock using the USB ports or lightning port.
It isn't public knowledge but a good repair shop knows all the secrets.

See my first post and see if they are game for it.

Go to the Rossman group and let them have a crack at it.

https://www.rossmanngroup.com/

 

[maflynn]

[MOD NOTE]
We don't entertain discussions on circumventing apple's security features here on the forum, so I'm closing the discussion down. These sort of threads tend to degrade into accusations and insults fairly quickly.