PowerMac G4 – Reset to factory defaults

[ArmorAlley]

First off, I'm not sure whether this question violates any forum rules on the grounds of legality. If so, please kill the thread.

I have just bought a Quicksilver 2001 and the OF is password-protected.
I have contacted the previous seller and she has given what she thinks the passwords may be.
I can boot into OF but I can do nothing while I don't know the PW.
How can I bring the OF back to factory defaults or, at least, remove/reset the OF password? Is it even possible?
Do I need to look for a new motherboard?

 

[ArmorAlley]

Is Open Firmware a part of the processor and would getting a new processor solve the problem?

 

[MacUp72]

Basically, this means that a previous owner of the machine decided to lock it, and this lock will prevent you from booting to other drives, optical media, etc. If you know the password, you can go into open firmware and disable the lock. Otherwise, there is a procedure to override it: You need to change the amount of RAM in the machine (either add memory or remove existing memory in the expansion slot), and IMMEDIATELY, i.e. the first time booting after changing the RAM, reset the PRAM three times in a row. That means it needs to chime three times after the power-on chime. Once you've done this, you should no longer see the lock. It's Apple's "top secret" way to bypass an open firmware password.

BEANTWORTET: How do I reset the open firmware password on my Mac? - Mac

Hi! This machine has an open firmware password enabled, which is similar to a BIOS password on a PC. This is not the same as the admin password, i.e. it's in the firmware of the machine itself, and not something on the hard drive. Basically, this means that a previous owner of the machine...

de.ifixit.com

 

[ArmorAlley]

BEANTWORTET: How do I reset the open firmware password on my Mac? - Mac

Hi! This machine has an open firmware password enabled, which is similar to a BIOS password on a PC. This is not the same as the admin password, i.e. it's in the firmware of the machine itself, and not something on the hard drive. Basically, this means that a previous owner of the machine...

de.ifixit.com

Oh, I do hope that it is this easy. I was afraid that I would have to download some tool that might brick it. I'll give it a go tonight.

 

[ArmorAlley]

It worked! Thanks again.

 

[MacUp72]

great!