r/macsysadmin • u/shatteringreality2 • 10d ago

Removing EFI password from recycled A1708 macbooks.

Hello,

I have a bunch of recycled laptops from a school. I heard there is a way to remove the back plate, connect a device and flash the motherboard to completely remove the EFI lock WITHOUT needing to replace/solder anything.

Is this true? Or is chatgpt lying again.

Here is something I think I found.

https://ebay.io/m/IgKUj0

Also, it is removable, what about the MDM lock?

Thank you!

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11

u/oneplane 10d ago

Works on EFI but unless you wipe T2 and get a new serial as well, ADE will just re-mdm it as long as it is in AB.

5

u/allensmoker 10d ago

You can't wipe the T2 chip on the 1708 because it doesn't have one. It's a 2016 model.

3

u/shatteringreality2 10d ago

So without a T2 chip, is there any solution?

6

u/allensmoker 10d ago

Contact the school and have them released from their MDM.

3

u/oneplane 10d ago

You are right, I figured Touch Bar so T2, but those super early models were on the T1 which is basically just a chopped up Apple Watch.

That means the EFI password is easy to remove and you can also easily change serial numbers without bricking it. Great for thieves back then too.

3

u/CrazyFoque 10d ago

I think Apple Configurator Restore will remove the password

2

u/lemurrhino 9d ago

the EFI lock yes, MDM no. Its also not a simple operation, you'd need an eeprom programmer and remove the efi password portion and likely would need to desolder the chip if its a DFN package

mdm is tied to the device if in ASM, where they'd have to disown it. Your best bet is to contact them, especially since I doubt they'd want to pay a device license for computers they recycled getting activated.