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School Laptop Reset Tomorrow! Please Help!

Cryosim

Cryosim

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 15, 2014
25
0
Hello,
I own a MacBook Pro that is used for school. Before anyone shouts out "oh its 4 skool u shudent be duing dat", this is MY PROPERTY and not the schools. I am responsible for anything that happens to me.

Tomorrow, the IT administrator is carrying out a full reset of the computers. I have a LOT of personal data on this computer as well.

I have enabled FileVault as well as a Firmware Password, but I am scared I will be asked for my password.

Is there any way to create a "honeypot" of sorts that the IT administrator could reset so that I could keep my personal data?

This is the only alternative to buying an external hard drive, so please help.

I also have W8.1 installed via Bootcamp.
 
Cryosim said:
Hello,
I own a MacBook Pro that is used for school. Before anyone shouts out "oh its 4 skool u shudent be duing dat", this is MY PROPERTY and not the schools. I am responsible for anything that happens to me.

Tomorrow, the IT administrator is carrying out a full reset of the computers. I have a LOT of personal data on this computer as well.

I have enabled FileVault as well as a Firmware Password, but I am scared I will be asked for my password.

Is there any way to create a "honeypot" of sorts that the IT administrator could reset so that I could keep my personal data?

This is the only alternative to buying an external hard drive, so please help.

I also have W8.1 installed via Bootcamp.
Click to expand...

I think you mean that they will do a clean install window? Or will be also clean install OSX too? Why do they have to do this?

It's very likely that they will ask for your password or else how would they 'reset' your computer? If they don't do it then they are not doing their job.

Just get an external drive and backup all your stuff OR clone your OSX with CCC.
 
By 'reset' that probably means an entire OS wipe and install. You could create a partition and move all your blablabla to the partition, and so then the main partition can be erased and reinstalled. You need plenty of disk space to work with though. Problem with this is that it would be visible as a volume and even appear in the OS installer.
If your blablabla is small then you can upload it to Google Drive (15GB max) or Mega.co.nz (50GB max).

This is your computer and your property so you cannot be forced for your password to erase all your blablabla. You could just refuse; what could he do?
 
Yeah... if this is your property, tell them to go blow it out their ass. They have absolutely no right to lay a finger on it, let alone format it.

The only reasonable thing that they could REQUEST that you allow them to do is to uninstall any school-provided software / licenses, and to remove any saved network passwords. This does not require a wipe (nor would a wipe guarantee that these would be gone / not backed up anywhere else..). They can stand over your shoulder and watch YOU do it for them.
 
If it is truly your property and your a student the IT admin does not really have much in the way of a reason for why they are clearing your machine. I feel like we are missing part of the story...

On the data side: As with all computer data you should have extensive layered backups of your data... it is just common sense.
 
Last edited:
WTF kinda school take people's laptops and "resets" them.

Our IT doesn't touch our stuff even when helping.

I'd back up to a external HDD if possible...
 
Yoshi Yogurt said:
WTF kinda school take people's laptops and "resets" them.
Click to expand...

I could easily see this in any IT environment, but on company machines not personal machines. It could be as simple as trying to ensure a secure environment by erasing machines every year.

Again I reiterate, something is off with this story, we aren't hearing the whole story here...
 
I'm pretty sure we're missing some of the story here.
If a personal computer is allowed to connect to a school network, and use the various network services that are provided, then the school systems that I have been around require you to sign an agreement for that use.
And, using the services means, among other things, that you can be subject to account resets. If your personal files are on the school network, then you need to make sure those are backed up. Reset (wiping) your network user account shouldn't mean that your personal computer is wiped. If you have an agreement to allow wiping your own property, on demand, that might be a reasonable requirement. You may not like it, but if you agreed to that possibility to be able to connect to the network, there's not much recourse that you have, and they can simply block you from connecting if you don't hold up your end of the agreement. Pretty straightforward stuff, that...
So, your task is simple. Copy all the data on your network account (if any) to your computer. Backup to your own storage first, if your computer will be wiped.
Task done.

finally - if you are using FileVault, and you don't have your own personal backup, then you are simply looking forward to losing your files.
 
A lot of the time these machines are actually rolled out as part of a school-funded program. The parents pay for the machines over a period of time and the computer becomes property of the student once that period is up - usually the last day of school.

The school will usually reset the machine to remove any site-license software and to restore the machine to factory settings. The student can then restore the data from their backup which is also usually provided by the school as part of the scheme.
 
Urgent Update

So to clear things up...
This is an outright computer. My parents have paid the full fee for the computer at the start of the year.

Also, the "reset" i'm talking about is a "school image". At least, that's what the IT guy calls it. I'm connected to a school network, yes, but it provides only unrestricted internet access, no special services, and no filters. I am not going to let them reset my computer for the sake of a few "drivers" they may install.

In our school, the "hacking" has gotten out of hand. Most students have administrator rights on their computers, even though they had a standard account with very restrictive parental controls on them. This was extremely easy to circumvent, as I am a programmer, but imagine what it would have been with them enabled!

Also, I'm scared that the IT guy will enable the Firmware Password on our computers because a nosy student was watching me enable it on my MacBook and heard him talking to the IT guy about it.

I am aware that the password can be reset by taking it to an Apple store with proof of purchase; however it was bought through the school even though it is my property so they may have proof of purchase.

I have FileVault enabled, do I have to take this off to create a 1:1 clone of the disk?

Thanks for all your help!
 
All I can say is that the school should have no right to do ANYTHING to those computers which you/your parents payed full price for. That includes applying parental controls, doing full wipes, etc.

Maybe you could pop in a spare hard drive so they wipe that instead?
 
Cryosim said:
Hello,
I own a MacBook Pro that is used for school. Before anyone shouts out "oh its 4 skool u shudent be duing dat", this is MY PROPERTY and not the schools. I am responsible for anything that happens to me.

Tomorrow, the IT administrator is carrying out a full reset of the computers. I have a LOT of personal data on this computer as well.

I have enabled FileVault as well as a Firmware Password, but I am scared I will be asked for my password.

Is there any way to create a "honeypot" of sorts that the IT administrator could reset so that I could keep my personal data?

This is the only alternative to buying an external hard drive, so please help.

I also have W8.1 installed via Bootcamp.
Click to expand...
I do not believe they have this right
just say NO
 
Recommend that you speak with your parents and look at the agreement between them and the school. The school is fully entitled to ensure all it`s licensing is respected, and you are also using the school network so it`s not unreasonable for them to want to protect it.

Just clone your drive or back up your data, it`s not a drama, given your a programmer...

Q-6
 
Urgent Thread Update

So I bought the hard drive, but I have a few concerns now.

The hard drive is 1TB in size, partitioned into four partitions: a main boot partition for my OS X backup, a Time Machine partition, a partition for Boot Camp, and a partition for personal data.

I have already backed up via Time Machine, and am waiting for the main backup to finish. I intend to overwrite the contents of the Macintosh HD once the reset has been done with the OS X backup partition.

A few concerns here: would the IT administrator need my password to reset? I can key in the Firmware Password once, but other than that I will not provide any other passwords, encryption keys, private keys, etc. Will this be enough?

Also, while booted into the backup OS on the portable hard drive, can I copy the contents of the Mac OSX partition back onto the Macintosh HD?

Thanks for all your help,
Cryosis
 
What happens if you choose to keep the laptop home, when they plan on doing this re-imaging?

Since its your computer, don't bring it in, and then tell them since its your property, you choose not to have them work on the computer.
 
maflynn said:
...don't bring it in, and then tell them since its your property, you choose not to have them work on the computer.
Click to expand...
And the school can choose to not install any software they may be providing, and to not allow access to the network, printers, and internet.

I can't provide much help on the backup process, but I think you are going to have issues with bootcamp. Windows is super picky about being installed on the correct partition and having the drive formatted just right. Maybe you are familiar with all that though.

Can you just grab your data and reinstall any software after the reset? Not to sound like an IT admin here, but what the heck are you doing on the laptop? I'm only speculating (and my sincere apologies if this isn't the case) but if there are torrents or pirated software then they absolutely have the right to keep their network from being used for that. (for their own legal protection.)

My rule of thumb is anything used for work (or school) gets kept pretty clean. Get a second laptop for extracurricular activities. (even used - core2duos are cheap, perfectly functional and upgradable to latest OS if you get the right one.)
 
austinpike said:
And the school can choose to not install any software they may be providing, and to not allow access to the network, printers, and internet.
Click to expand...
That's their right, but my perspective is that I don't want any software installed on my computer. My company has a policy if you want to use your own personal laptop for work, then you need to register it with them, and they install apps and do things to it, that I would rather avoid.
 
Cryosim said:
So to clear things up...
This is an outright computer. My parents have paid the full fee for the computer at the start of the year.

Also, the "reset" i'm talking about is a "school image". At least, that's what the IT guy calls it. I'm connected to a school network, yes, but it provides only unrestricted internet access, no special services, and no filters. I am not going to let them reset my computer for the sake of a few "drivers" they may install.

In our school, the "hacking" has gotten out of hand. Most students have administrator rights on their computers, even though they had a standard account with very restrictive parental controls on them. This was extremely easy to circumvent, as I am a programmer, but imagine what it would have been with them enabled!

Also, I'm scared that the IT guy will enable the Firmware Password ...

I am aware that the password can be reset by taking it to an Apple store with proof of purchase; however it was bought through the school even though it is my property so they may have proof of purchase.
...
Click to expand...

If the IT department is alert - I predict that your IT guy will lock you down, or lock you out... :D
 
We have a similar system at our school, except with iPads instead of MacBooks. We, too, pay for the iPad's over the 4 years of our time in high school. However, they're school issued, therefore school regulated. They're our property, technically, since we pay for them, but they're given to us for educational use and not personal use. If the school gave you the machine, even though you paid for it, you have to follow they're code of conduct. At least that's how it works at our school. If you bought the laptop on your own dime FOR school, then yeah to hell with the IT guy. But if you're using a school server on your MBP to connect to storage and whatnot then yeah, they can wipe that. Just my two cents
 
Cryosim said:
So to clear things up...
This is an outright computer. My parents have paid the full fee for the computer at the start of the year.

Also, the "reset" i'm talking about is a "school image". At least, that's what the IT guy calls it. I'm connected to a school network, yes, but it provides only unrestricted internet access, no special services, and no filters. I am not going to let them reset my computer for the sake of a few "drivers" they may install.

In our school, the "hacking" has gotten out of hand. Most students have administrator rights on their computers, even though they had a standard account with very restrictive parental controls on them. This was extremely easy to circumvent, as I am a programmer, but imagine what it would have been with them enabled!

Also, I'm scared that the IT guy will enable the Firmware Password on our computers because a nosy student was watching me enable it on my MacBook and heard him talking to the IT guy about it.

I am aware that the password can be reset by taking it to an Apple store with proof of purchase; however it was bought through the school even though it is my property so they may have proof of purchase.

I have FileVault enabled, do I have to take this off to create a 1:1 clone of the disk?

Thanks for all your help!
Click to expand...

This doesn't make sense to me. If the computer is yours (or your parents'), then it's none of the school's business whether you have admin privileges or not. Why would they be restricting your account on your own computer?

I sense a misunderstanding here. Either the school's reset and other policies apply only to their own computers and not to yours, or the computer fee is just an extra fee paid along with tuition rather than a purchase and thus it actually belongs to them.
 
556fmjoe said:
If the computer is yours (or your parents'), then it's none of the school's business whether you have admin privileges or not. Why would they be restricting your account on your own computer?
Click to expand...
As mentioned several times in the thread, if he is accessing the school's network or using software licensed to the school, then they have the right (possibly even the legal responsibility) to make sure the usage adheres to their guidelines regardless of who owns the computer.

He can of course tell them to go pound sand, and they can turn off his network access. Which may make it difficult to get assignments done.
 
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