Re-install OS, but we do not have the password!

Hello

I do volunteer work in a Museum of computing and we have recently been given 5 x 2.6Ghz Core 2 Duo iMacs. Every 20 "screens, circa 2006. They have OSX Lion installed, but the machines need to be set to zero and a clean install with the Museum in the admin.

Donors in their wisdom (University of Cambridge) failed to restore these machines to the factory settings. They have simply laid on the Museum and have no help to offer on passwords etc. They are all missing their remotes, but otherwise are in pretty good shape, physically.

Any advice on how to get these back to factory settings?

With the old Mac where people had forgotten password I could just start from an OSX disc, substitute and perform a clean installation. These new Macs require me to download a new installation of OSX from Apple servers, which will check the record and then probably ask a password continue.

Any help would be much appreciated, because all my experience is with Mac G3 & G4 (apart from my recent Macbook Pro and I did not have to mess with that at all).

You must repartition and erase the drives, then reinstall OS X from scratch on each of them. Passwords are not required, unless readers are that FileVault protected in this case, the owner needs to unlock. Otherwise:

Install OS X using the recovery network

Make sure that you have backed up your files because the following procedure will remove all of the hard drive.

Start on the recovery of the network server:

Restart the computer after the ring, press in and hold the COMMAND + OPTION + R keys until a globe appears on the screen. Wait patiently - 15 - 20 minutes - until the main recovery menu appears.

Partition and format the hard disk:

  1. Select in the main menu disk utility and click on the continue button.
  2. After load of THE select your newly installed hard drive (this is the entrance Out-dented with the mfgr.) ID and size) in the list on the left. Click the Partition tab in the main window of THE.
  3. Under the scheme of titled Volume set the number of partitions in the menu drop-down one. Click the Options button, set the GUID partition scheme, and then click the OK button. Set the type of Mac OS extended (journaled) format. Click on the apply button and wait until the process is complete. To leave and return to the main menu.

Reinstall OS X: Select reinstall OS X and click on the continue button. Be sure to select the correct drive to use if you have more than one.

Note : You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest to use Ethernet if possible because it's three times faster than wireless.

This should restore the version of OS X, originally installed on the computer.

Tags: Mac

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