PowerBook 3400c, what type password?

[Berenod]

Somebody is selling an apparently working PowerBook 3400c.
Supposedly from deceased grandfather.
Password unknown.
Cheap!
If it is an OS level password, no problem, but firmware password I am not sure about.

Can anybody see from the screenshot if it is indeed the firmware password being asked?

Never ran os 9.x which I suppose it runs, so no idea myself ..

 

[3lectr1cPPC]

No firmware-level passwords exist on old world macs to my knowledge. Someone will have to confirm but I’m 99% sure.

 

[bibilit]

As far as i know, this kind of password cannot be removed easily.
IIRC not even erasing the DD will solve the issue.
But hard drives are cheap and plentiful.

 

[AndyO]

I have seen that very dialog on something recently, and remember thinking that since it related to SCSI disk mode, that it ought to be easy to bypass since that wasn't what I was trying to do.

I can't remember what I did, but it can't have been much, because the dialog hasn't appeared since.

 

[dan.dem]

I faintly remember seeing such a password box on my PB 5300, kind of a predecessor to the 3400. And I faintly remember it was a disk based protection system or at least has something to do with some disk sectors. So, likely not firmware related (or whatever pre boot technology Apple used at that time). But that's just a guess. (I tried but never really used the password feature, since I am more afraid of locking myself out of my computer than somebody may uncover the world shattering secrets I use to keep on my Macs.)

I am quite sure this is NOT the dialogue box of At Ease.

I just skimmed through this 2009 thread, but @Berenod , it may worth a closer look:
https://68kmla.org/bb/index.php?threads/system-7-5-password-woes.17521/

Also, if my guess about some disk based password protection is right, you may render the Powerbook workable again if you initialize the disk with another driver like HDT tools, Silverlining or so. You may have to take it out into an external enclosure (2.5" ATA) and use another Mac for this. Alternatively just swapping the hard drive may also be an alternative.

 

[jeremywork]

I'm not familiar with this specifically, but it's configurable using the 'Password Security' control panel installed on PowerBooks by default. The separate 'PowerBook SCSI Setup' and 'PowerBook SCSI Disk Mode' both warn that password security must not be enabled when using SCSI Disk Mode, which might suggest this password affects the disk rather than the OS.

My guess is this is similar or identical to the 'Disk Firmware Password' feature available in the BIOS setup of many x86 laptops. In this case some drive manufacturers/models allow the password to be reset with a wipe or a disk controller swap, while others such as Hitachi stored the key on both the controller and the platters.

 

[DJ68K]

I remember dealing with these passwords back when I worked at an Apple Specialist; it's a password that locks the hard drive so someone else can't use the computer. In fact, it's a feature of the hard drive itself, and I'm surprised how little information there is about it on the web. I might be mistaken, but I think the original Xbox used the hard drive's password lock function to help secure the contents of the drive, with the key stored in the BIOS somewhere.

If a customer lost their PowerBook's password, I could call the Apple Service Provider support line, fax them a copy of the original proof of purchase, and then once I verified the customer owned the computer to them, I think I generated a code with some keystroke combination on that screen, read it to them, and then they'd read me back a very long code that would remove the password and allow the computer to boot. It's been at least 20 years since I've seen this, and again: I'm very surprised how little info there is about it.

 

[dan.dem]

Wow, @DJ68K , that sounds about as complicated as getting my Office 2011 copy activated by Microsoft , really!
But this could be a hint that the PowerBook may indeed become usable by sacrificing the content of the hard disk - likely not a big loss. Reinitializing the disk with Silverlining or so may get rid of the PW. Mind, the internal drive of the 3400 is not SCSI but ATA.

BTW: They PowerBooks 3400 came with System 7.6.x, and probably later with 8.0. Since most users don't upgrade their OS it is unlikely they run MacOS 9, @Berenod . My encounter with this password box was either during System 7.5 or 7.6 days.

 

[Berenod]

Thanks all for the answers!

So looks like it's doable to buy it and get it working again.
It's got both the floppy and CD rom module, I have a few old IDE laptop drives lying around which might work (30GB from iBooks or Powermacs which I upgraded to SSD through msata to IDE adapters).
So even if the original harddrive isn't recoverable, I should be able to get the thing alive...