# Changing the startup disk with an unknown open firmware password



## Ryan Marcus (Aug 10, 2005)

My son needed to borrow my computer, his was in the shop. He plugged in his firewire hard drive into my eMac, booted up into my account (automatic login), changed the startup disk to his drive, and restarted.

I bet you can see the problem already.

My son finishs, and shuts down. Then he leaves for a week.

I come home, boot up my computer, and finaly figure out why its not going right to me. I shutdown, disconnect my sons harddrive, and boot up.

Of course, I get the folder icon that blinks bewteen a folder and a mac face, meaning it can't find a system folder.

I reboot holding down ALT to discover I have an open-firmware password, and I have no idea what it is.

I did some googleing and discovered I can add more RAM to my computer and then clear the PRAM 3 times... Shortly after, I discover a lock on the back of my eMac, some sort of theft detection device I put there years ago.


So you can see I am in trouble, because I need to use my computer before my son comes back, and I can't contact him.

Basicly, here is how I stand:

I need to change the startup disk on my eMac, running Panther.
I have an open firmware password, I have no idea what it is.
I can't get into my computer.
I CAN boot up to a login screen (off the external drive) but I have no idea what any of the passwords are.
I do not know my own administrator password to either the drive or the eMac


Thanks in advance!


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## Del (Aug 31, 2001)

Have you tried booting up while holding the Option key down, should bring you to a screen where you can select which hard drive you want to boot to, if you select your eMac hard drive, you may get in.


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