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Mac g4 Passworded O_O

M

Menekali

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 11, 2003
5
0
My friend just gave me a power mac g4 and monitor, and well it has usernames with passwords on them, and im not sure what to do. He knows none of them since it is his aunts who just moved away to arizona (weird family problems i suppose -.-) but i dont kno wwhat to do. Is there a way to bypass the passwords or delete the usernames? Or format the hd as its starting up anything like that?
Also is there a way to format a mac hd and install windows and say run windows on the g4 properly? More importantly is this password problem. Can anyone PLEASEEEE help ME??!!?
 
oh come on thats not fair. To pass judgement on me like this... i dont understand. I run a skatecompany with my friend ryan, and we've been best friends for years, and hes simply givin me this computer, hes givin me other things like cd players and stuff in the past, and he allready has one of those macs thats like a computer bulit into the screen you know what im talking about, and he gave it to me. Really unfair guys to not pass knowledge onto me because you think i stole it :( Can you please just help me out a bit with this? I need it to give to my mom, i dont need it im not a mac users hence my questions, so could someone just help me out here, if its simple thanks alot btw to anyone who will do so. Bye
 
Originally posted by Phatpat
install windows! obscene, positively obscene
Click to expand...

was just a question and i know it wouldnt work it was a stupid question, but can you help me out with this had drive sitation? Thanks-
 
Re: Mac g4 Passworded O_O

Originally posted by Menekali
My friend just gave me a power mac g4 and monitor, and well it has usernames with passwords on them, and im not sure what to do. He knows none of them since it is his aunts who just moved away to arizona (weird family problems i suppose -.-) but i dont kno wwhat to do. Is there a way to bypass the passwords or delete the usernames? Or format the hd as its starting up anything like that?
Also is there a way to format a mac hd and install windows and say run windows on the g4 properly? More importantly is this password problem. Can anyone PLEASEEEE help ME??!!?
Click to expand...

You can't run Windows on a Mac. You can run it via Virtual PC, which you can get from www.microsoft.com .

As for getting past the usernames and passwords, the best way to do this would be just to startup from the OS X install CD and simply do an erase and install of the system software, since you don't need any of the files on the system anyway. To start up from the OS X install CD, just put the CD into the drive, restart, and then hold down the C key on the keyboard.

I would try and get in contact with the person who originally owned the computer, though, and make sure that they don't mind their stuff being erased.

I don't think people should be so quick to pass judgment on this person. Although if he has stolen the computer (and I'm not implying that), he's probably going to find out how to do the stuff he wants to do from someplace, anyway. And I'd rather risk giving the information out, given that there's probably a greater chance that the guy's a newbie and would be turned off by the lack of help.

But maybe I'm just naïve. :rolleyes:
 
What you need: OSX install disk.

Run it, but dont install. File>reset password.

See where that gets you.
 
Thank you VERY much bro. Yes i DID NOT steal this computer but i mean i see how it may sound so i understand and hold no grudges my friends.

So ill do what you say, and reinstall the OS, i was thinking just this, but wasnt completley sure. Now one more question, how will it be using a windows keyboard on a mac? I have a ps2 to usb converter, and am going to hook up a ps2 keyboard onto the g4. Would this be ok like will i be able to use all of the same functions and such? Thanks sooo much for the help by the way my friend i highly highly appreciate it. I am not at all oriented with Macs so any help will help thanks.
 
Originally posted by Menekali
Thank you VERY much bro. Yes i DID NOT steal this computer but i mean i see how it may sound so i understand and hold no grudges my friends.

So ill do what you say, and reinstall the OS, i was thinking just this, but wasnt completley sure. Now one more question, how will it be using a windows keyboard on a mac? I have a ps2 to usb converter, and am going to hook up a ps2 keyboard onto the g4. Would this be ok like will i be able to use all of the same functions and such? Thanks sooo much for the help by the way my friend i highly highly appreciate it. I am not at all oriented with Macs so any help will help thanks.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I *think* a PS2-USB converter should work just fine. The windows key won't work (since you aren't running windows), but you should be able to type just fine. You will lose some of the Mac keyboard shortcuts since they use keys that windows keyboards don't have (some of the more windows oriented keys might act like the mac ones if you plug it into a mac, I really don't know).

Next thing you want to do once you get it running is check what version its running. If it's Mac OS X 10.0, it sucks big time. 10.1, so-so. 10.2 great (10.3 comes out in a few weeks). If it's running Mac OS 9 then you'll probably want OSX on it if it's decently fast (>128MB ram, >450MHz processor, I'd say).

Third thing: ignore the zealots. They piss off most of the Mac users just as much as they piss off the Windows users. <glares at Phatpat>
 
Thanks alot for the help, thanks ALOT. Ill get back to everyone on my progress, after i get the OSX cds from my friend. Thanks again!
 
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