Imac SSD upgrade – Firmware password lock

[ng0ns]

Hello good people

So, my dad bought a used 21.5 Imac (2017) a few weeks back (previous owner bought it new but decided to sell after a week, so its basically new). Given that it came with a 1tb fusion drive, we decided to switch it for the Samsung EVO he was using in his previous Macbook (He don’t need storage, only speed).

All went according to plan in terms of opening and swapping the drives, but upon rebooting (attempting to ctrl+r to boot menu) it popped the apple logo and then swapped to a black screen with a lock and password field.
After a little reading on the subject it seems someone must have enabled the EFI Firmware password protection which doesn’t allow booting on other drives e.g. external or otherwise.

I’ve contacted the previous owner, but shes blank, claiming never setting up anything of the sort. I’m unsure if this can be enabled during first boot installation, but she didn’t strike me as the type who would know how to do so afterwards (let alone thing about it). My guess is that the shop might’ve had it returned from a prior owner, not reset it correctly and resold it as new (or perhaps discounted, hard to tell from the recite).

TLDR;

Knowing firmware is locked with an unobtainable password ...

1. Would I be able to remove the new SSD and insert the original HDD and have the password prompt go away? Or is the system locked until correct password is entered, no matter the drive (it booted prior to switching drives).
2. Warranty void on opening and swapping diskdrive? Searching around it seems everyone has a different story. Some say the rest of the system is still under warranty, others do not. This isn’t Apples issue of cause, but I would likely levy it against the reseller.
3. Even if the old HDD would work again, I’m assuming that not having the FW password would be a roadblock if reinstalling OSX in the future?

Really appreciate the help guys and gals

 

[Fishrrman]

Whenever I see a new owner with of a "used" Mac with "firmware password" problems, "stolen" comes to mind. Particularly if a lower-than-normal sale price was paid.

If it does have a firmware password set, Apple can remove it, but ONLY if you provide them with PROOF of ownership -- a sales receipt (which if the "original owner" is bona fide, she should have). Without that, Apple won't touch it.

Other than that, you could restore it to its original configuration and see if it will run that way.

Yes, the warranty is now void because you opened it. I doubt Apple will "fix" it without payment for doing so.
And even then, they WILL NOT remove the firmware password without proof of ownership.

So... you might as well "put it back the way it was" with the original drive.

If it still won't run, you won't like my advice, but I'm going to give it anyway:
Put it into the closet.
Your dad should buy a NEW iMac from Apple, or perhaps an Apple-refurbished model from the online store.
Get one with an SSD pre-installed.
And never, never, NEVER put a firmware password onto it.

Final thought:
There are people on ebay who advertise at being able to remove such passwords.
I've never used them, but you might check that out.
Some 3rd-party repair shops might do this.
But again, Apple? Never.

 

[TwoH]

It is possible to remove the firmware password - however it will require removing the firmware chip (need a rework station) and having purchased a firmware password removing tool kit. It is not by any means the easiest thing to do - but it is possible to remove the firmware password.

 

[maflynn]

[MOD NOTE]
Thread is locked as we don't discuss means to bypass security, and the fact that accusations of theft almost always arise.

The only solution is to reach out to the original owner