Can't log in to PowerBook 520c (password trouble)

Michael wrote:

 > Hello guys
 >
 > PowerBook 520c possibly c.1994, apparently not faulty but unable to
 > log in due to system not recognising the password after someone else
 > borrowed it.
 >
 > Anyone know what operating system this would have used?
 >
 > Am I right in saying there is no other way round this than
 > reinstalling the operating system?
 >
 > Given that there is no CD drive, only a floppy drive, how exactly
 > would it be possible to reinstall the operating system even if I was
 > sure I had downloaded the right one?
 >
 > Did apple REALLY build these things so that there was no way at all of
 > getting back in if someone forgot a password???
 >
 > Michael R

Try holding down the shift key as it boots up,
it may load without extensions and you can remove the password extension
and/or system preferences and then reboot,
worth the try,

I believe system 7.6 came on floppies
and external cd might be another option for you

good luck

Will<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Can't log in to PowerBook 520c (password trouble) 

OK.... tried rebooting with shift key held down. Then got message
Welcome to Mac OS which had not come up without holding shift key
down.... but still got password box (tried twice). (Does this enable
any possible suspects for the source of this box to be ruled in or
out?)

How do I get hold of a 7.1 utilities disk? Can I download it? and what
is a PB520 enabler?

Assuming I manage to download 7.5 onto floppy disks, would installing
it wipe the hard disk, or merely replace the operating system leaving
everything else as it was? If the latter, how sure would I be that this
password box would not just pop up again like Dracula rising from the
grave at midnight??
 >> Stay informed about: Can't log in to PowerBook 520c (password trouble) 

In article <7a5ab551.0503151453.45127b10.TakeThisOut@posting.google.com>, Michael
<solebanana.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com> wrote:

 > Hello guys
 >
 > PowerBook 520c possibly c.1994, apparently not faulty but unable to
 > log in due to system not recognising the password after someone else
 > borrowed it.
 >
 > Anyone know what operating system this would have used?

7.1.1 was the installed system at the time of release.
 >
 > Am I right in saying there is no other way round this than
 > reinstalling the operating system?
 >
 > Given that there is no CD drive, only a floppy drive, how exactly
 > would it be possible to reinstall the operating system even if I was
 > sure I had downloaded the right one?

You can download system 7.5.x onto floppies and install from the
floppies. There is also a system 7.5 boot disk. You might download
that and see if you can bypass the password by trying to boot from the
floppy.

The disk is called the "Network Access disk" and can be downloaded from:

<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://home.earthlink.net/~gamba2/bootdisks.html" target="_blank">http://home.earthlink.net/~gamba2/bootdisks.html</a>

You can also try the OS 7.1 disk tools disk - you will need the PB 520
enabler.

To boot from the floppy, you don't have to press any specific key. The
floppy drive is the default preferred boot drive.

Cathy

--
"there's a dance or two in the old dame yet." - mehitabel

C.Stevenson, M.D.
cats1921.TakeThisOut@invalidsonic.net<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Can't log in to PowerBook 520c (password trouble) 

In article <1110998585.938722.319490 DeleteThis @o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com>,
<solebanana DeleteThis @hotmail.com> wrote:

 > OK.... tried rebooting with shift key held down. Then got message
 > Welcome to Mac OS which had not come up without holding shift key
 > down.... but still got password box (tried twice). (Does this enable
 > any possible suspects for the source of this box to be ruled in or
 > out?)
 >
 > How do I get hold of a 7.1 utilities disk? Can I download it? and what
 > is a PB520 enabler?
 >
You can download an OS-specific utility disk ("Disk Tools") from the
Apple web site. OS 7.1 required an enabler specific to the computer -
these are also available at the Apple site. Enablers are not required
for OS 7.5.x.
 > Assuming I manage to download 7.5 onto floppy disks, would installing
 > it wipe the hard disk, or merely replace the operating system leaving
 > everything else as it was? If the latter, how sure would I be that this
 > password box would not just pop up again like Dracula rising from the
 > grave at midnight??
 >
Installing an OS does not erase anything. But, you can use the Apple
disk utility to reformat the disk. If you didn't reformat, the
password problem might well persist.

Cathy

--
"there's a dance or two in the old dame yet." - mehitabel

C.Stevenson, M.D.
cats1921 DeleteThis @invalidsonic.net<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Can't log in to PowerBook 520c (password trouble) 

Hello

OK I have got as far as using HFSutilities to make disks in Mac format,
and have now made (simply by copying the downloaded files onto floppy
disks using hformat and hcopy) network access disk 7-5, disk 1st aid
7-2-2, disk utilties disk 7-1, PowerBook 500 series enabler disk 1-0-2
(which I don't need to install 7-5-3 if I understand you correctly) and
disk copy (British version) 6-3-3.

Mac OS 7-5-3 (British version) I have the files for (19 of them) but
haven't yet made the disks. These files appear to be binaries, and not
disk images. From what I read none of the disks made by copying the 19
parts onto 19 floppies are going to be bootable.

Let's say I want to reformat the hard disk and install 7-5-3. It should
boot from the disk utilities disk (correct?) and I then use this to
format the hard disk. (If the password box were to somehow come up at
this point or some access failure to result from not having entered a
password, presumably that would be the end of that.)

Er, blank hard disk, 19 binaries on floppy disks, then what?

Michael
 >> Stay informed about: Can't log in to PowerBook 520c (password trouble) 

In article <1111337477.933118.143060.DeleteThis@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>,
Michael <solebanana.DeleteThis@hotmail.com> wrote:

 > Hello
 >
 > OK I have got as far as using HFSutilities to make disks in Mac format,
 > and have now made (simply by copying the downloaded files onto floppy
 > disks using hformat and hcopy) network access disk 7-5, disk 1st aid
 > 7-2-2, disk utilties disk 7-1, PowerBook 500 series enabler disk 1-0-2
 > (which I don't need to install 7-5-3 if I understand you correctly) and
 > disk copy (British version) 6-3-3.
 >
 > Mac OS 7-5-3 (British version) I have the files for (19 of them) but
 > haven't yet made the disks. These files appear to be binaries, and not
 > disk images. From what I read none of the disks made by copying the 19
 > parts onto 19 floppies are going to be bootable.
 >
 > Let's say I want to reformat the hard disk and install 7-5-3. It should
 > boot from the disk utilities disk (correct?) and I then use this to
 > format the hard disk. (If the password box were to somehow come up at
 > this point or some access failure to result from not having entered a
 > password, presumably that would be the end of that.)
 >
 > Er, blank hard disk, 19 binaries on floppy disks, then what?
 >
 > Michael
 >
First thing to find out is whether you can boot from a boot floppy.
Can you boot from the Network Access floppy?

I have no idea whether the PC utilities you used are capable of making
a Mac boot disk.

You cannpt download Mac foiles to a PC and unstuff them on a PC - they
will not longer be files that a Mac can read.

Matti Haveri's site has info on how to make Mac disks on a PC:

<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.sjoki.uta.fi/~shmhav/68000.txt" target="_blank">http://www.sjoki.uta.fi/~shmhav/68000.txt</a>

If you can boot from a floppy, you can try a clean install of a Mac OS
w/o a reformat as the next step.


Cathy

--
"there's a dance or two in the old dame yet." - mehitabel

C.Stevenson, M.D.
cats1921.DeleteThis@invalidsonic.net<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Can't log in to PowerBook 520c (password trouble)