800 MHz iBook g3 Mac OS X 10.4.4

[urkel]

Hey guys, you'll never believe this one!

My friend found the machine listed in the title at our dump. Perfecct working condition, except for one thing. We don't have an admin password. He gave it to me to fix, and I'm either going to get someone to lend ma a 10.4 CD (no DVD drive) or stick OS 9 on this guy. I'm typing on it right now; it found our wireless and everything. I would do Linux, but I dunno how Ubuntu would handle the wireless card. Pretty much nothing has the sufficient access privelages except for the internet and the built in apps but not utilities. Anyone have a suggestion for this great conquest??

 

[alk]

Ubuntu should work fine. I loaded it up on a Compaq laptop w/ a WaveLAN Gold (essentially the same card as the AirPort card). Assuming, of course, that the iBook G3 doesn't use AirPort Extreme...

Peace,

Drew

 

[Patrickool93]

Did you remove the battery and look under it for a password? The keyboard? I've found a couple Admin Passwords for old laptops there...

 

[~tl]

It's fairly easy to reset the admin password. Boot up the machine holding [Cmd] and . That will enter you into Single User Mode. Then type sh /etc/rc and press return. Now type passwd followed by the short username of the admin account and press return again. It should now prompt you for a new password twice -- so choose what you want to use. Finally type reboot to restart the machine.

Hope that helps [] ]'>

 

[Dan 7.1]

yes, Ubuntu 7.04 likes the original AirPort cards just fine. just don't expect the same performance out of the machine as you would get with 10.3 or the like.

 

[urkel]

It's fairly easy to reset the admin password. Boot up the machine holding [Cmd] and . That will enter you into Single User Mode. Then type sh /etc/rc and press return. Now type passwd followed by the short username of the admin account and press return again. It should now prompt you for a new password twice -- so choose what you want to use. Finally type reboot to restart the machine.
Hope that helps [] ]'>

Actually, I saw this online, and the d@mnde&t thing is it won't boot into single user mode for me. It just loads OS X normally, but thanks for the tip.

 

[urkel]

yes, Ubuntu 7.04 likes the original AirPort cards just fine. just don't expect the same performance out of the machine as you would get with 10.3 or the like.

How do I find out if it has an AirPort Extreme card? The system profiler requires more access privelages than I have.

 

[The Macster]

It won't have an AirPort Extreme (Wireless G) card because those only fit iBook G4s. iBook G3s take the original AirPort (Wireless B) cards, and if it has one of those you're very very lucky, because those alone sell for around £50 on eBay UK. There will be instructions in the relevant service manual for seeing if there's a card in it - I think you just turn one screw and lift up the keyboard and you will be able to see if there's one in there or not.

 

[urkel]

I know it does have a wireless card, because I'm surfing at my friend's house on wireless DSL right now.

 

[~tl]

It's fairly easy to reset the admin password. Boot up the machine holding [Cmd] and . That will enter you into Single User Mode. Then type sh /etc/rc and press return. Now type passwd followed by the short username of the admin account and press return again. It should now prompt you for a new password twice -- so choose what you want to use. Finally type reboot to restart the machine.
Hope that helps [] ]'>

Actually, I saw this online, and the d@mnde&t thing is it won't boot into single user mode for me. It just loads OS X normally, but thanks for the tip.

Very strange... has someone set a firmware password on it?

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106482

 

[Patrickool93]

Warning: The Open Firmware Password can be reset and changed by any one of the following:
By any administrator user, as designated in the Accounts preferences (or in Server Admin).

Via physical access to the inside of the computer.

When the computer is started up in Mac OS 9.

I don't know how deep into the computer the CUDA button is, but I'd bet that would fix it. I don't suppose you can boot OS 9 can you?

 

[urkel]

Well it is a G3. . . my friend has an OS 9 cd. But will OS 9 recognize the wireless card? My friend might want to stay with OS 9. How would I press the button?

 

[The Macster]

Yes, OS 9 will work with an AirPort card, if fitted, but won't let you connect to WPA-protected networks. They seem to say you can change the firmware password from OS 9, so it sounds as though your best bet is to boot from the OS 9 CD, then do the single user mode thing to reset the OS X password.

 

[Patrickool93]

But he /can't/ boot from the OS 9 CD.

 

[~tl]

http://www.securemac.com/openfirmwarepasswordprotection.php

Force Removing Password Protection
1) Add or remove DIMMs to change the total amount of RAM in the computer.

2) Then, the PRAM must be reset 3 times. (Command + Option + P + R).

Might be worth a shot...

 

[Quadraman]

http://www.securemac.com/openfirmwarepasswordprotection.php#fwsucker

Use the app FWSucker to display the open firmware password.

 

[Dan 7.1]

have you tried holding down the option key at boot with the OS9 disc in the machine? that will bring you to the OpenFirmware boot selector. you should be able to force the machine to boot from the disc.

 

[urkel]

Tried FWSucker, but can't open .sit files. Not enough access privelages. I'll try the OS 9 cd. . .

 

[Patrickool93]

Try opening a .sit file on another computer, then burning a CD with the uncompressed file on it, and then put in in the iBook, drag it to the desktop, then try it.