In this post, I'll talk about the process that I figured out and what worked for me. What's not simple, however, is figuring out how to read and write to the EFI chip. However, I've found that there is another way, which I've been successful with for the unibody MacBook Pro-it's essentially just modifying a couple bytes in the EFI ROM, which should be simple. Virus removal Windows repair Password removal Mac repair Screen repair Keyboard repair and Much more Feel free.According to Apple, the only way to remove an unknown firmware password from a MacBook (2011 and later) is to take it to the Apple Store with the original proof-of-purchase.For instance, one commenter on a thread I read explained that a family member had gifted the system to them, but no longer remembered the password nor had the receipt, leaving no options to reuse the computer. Many threads on the Internet show that this situation is often not a result of theft, however. This is understandable from Apple's viewpoint, as it can deter theft once the Mac is stolen, the thief cannot reimage the computer, making it useless. The problem with this system is that, if you are in the unfortunate situation of neither having the firmware unlock password nor the original proof of purchase, you have no other options. You can read more about this process here.In the mess of computer parts, I found a 2012 MacBook Pro A1286 that was missing its battery, memory, and hard drive. However, the student whose basement had been formerly used for the organization had graduated, so all the hardware had been moved to the new location. The non-profit took donations of computers and refurbished them to be donated to families and other students without computer access at home. I was volunteering for the non-profit he ran.
Scbo File On Windows Mac Repair ScreenOne source was the Rossmann Group Forum and another from ghostlyhaks.com.However, the article on ghostlyhaks.com was somewhat dubious and provided inaccurate information, particularly with the schematic, but the general description of the steps was correct.This schematic is not only somewhat confusing, it is incorrect. As I searched for methods to remove the firmware lock, I saw the recommendation to bring the computer to the Apple Store over and over, and that there was no other way.There actually turns out to be an alternative, but I only found two sources online that described the process. To find out which was the case, I took the risk and purchased a brand new OEM battery off of eBay for $48, as well as a hard drive retention bracket.Once I got all the parts installed, the Mac powered on, but the problem of the firmware lock remained. I wasn't sure whether it was due to the 60W charger I was using rather than the 85W recommended, or whether it was due to the different A1278 battery I had temporarily rigged to power the laptop up. A way to connect to the Raspberry Pi - I used SSH, but serial can work as well. I am also not responsible for any bricked Macs this may result in, do this at your own risk with the possibility of a bricked Mac in mind. I'll describe the method that worked for me it may be somewhat different on your particular MacBook. Even then, they are not strictly necessary, they merely provide some protection from voltage fluctuations.The post on the Rossmann Group forum did cite the latter source, but it actually had an accurate schematic! TutorialI've bored you enough with the story, let's get to the exciting part. Best photo sharpening app for macSOIC 8-pin clip - This is probably the most important out of all the components, you'll want something quality that can make a solid connection with the pins of the EFI chip. A power supply capacitor - A small ceramic capacitor will do, I used a 104μF. A couple low resistance resistors - I used 150Ω. Some jumper wires - Many thanks to my friend Liam, who provided me with some. Flashrom - This is a package in the Raspbian repositories, so you can install it with apt. Raspberry Pi - I used a Pi 3 Model B with Raspbian 8. To use it as an SPI programmer, we'll need to install flashrom from the Raspbian repositories. The chip will be fairly large and have eight pins.The particular chip on my A1286 was a Micron 25Q064A.First we'll need to set up the Raspberry Pi to function as an SPI programmer. On the A1286, the chip is located near the SD card reader and speaker. To get to the chip, you'll need to disassemble your MacBook to the point where you can see the top side of the logic board and identify the chip.
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