Attempting to boot into Yosemite from external drive rejects password

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Level 1

54 points

Attempting to boot into Yosemite from external drive rejects password

I need to access old software which no longer runs under my current OS 10.13.6. It last ran under Yosemite. I have Yosemite installed on an external drive. When I attempt to boot from that drive I am asked for a password. The admin password for the computer is not accepted. Neither is my Apple id. When running in its normal operating mode I do not have the computer protected by a password: i.e. it boots up without any password being needed.

Can anyone suggest how I can get Yosemite to get through the password phase?

Many thanks in advance,

John

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.13

Posted on Nov 4, 2024 8:20 AM

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Answer 1

HWTech

Level 9

60,464 points

Nov 4, 2024 1:57 PM in response to John Howarth

Do you have a firmware password lock enabled which will show up with a lock icon on the screen. See this Apple article for details:

Set a firmware password on your Mac - Apple Support

If you have a firmware password lock enabled, then you need to provide the proper password, or take it to Apple or an AASP to have them remove the firmware lock (requires adequate proof of purchase along with matching personal ID).

With a firmware password lock enabled, then you will only be able to boot to the internal drive unless you can provide the firmware lock password (or have it removed).

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Answer 2

John Howarth Author

Level 1

54 points

Nov 5, 2024 9:00 AM in response to HWTech

Thanks for your reply.

I booted in recovery mode, and got straight to the Utility screen. I did not see a lock screen. Reading the instructions in the link you provided, this seems to imply that there is no firmware password. The screen that I am getting stuck on when I try to boot from the external drive is the user screen: it has my correct username for this computer already shown, (together with an 'other' alternative), but will not accept the admin password I would usually use on this computer. I can't think of any other likely passwords I use on this computer, apart from my Apple id.

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Answer 3

HWTech

Level 9

60,464 points

Nov 15, 2024 6:36 PM in response to John Howarth

Sorry for taking so long to get back here.

Do you have Filevault enabled on this boot drive? If so, then perhaps if you changed the login password at some point it is possible the Filevault password & login password got out of sync. Try entering the old login password on the first login screen to unlock Filevault. Once unlocked, then you will be presented with another user login screen where you would enter your current login password. If this works, then you can re-sync the Filevault password (just let me know).

Are you sure you are booting into the Yosemite boot disk and not the newer OS of the internal boot drive?

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Answer 4

John Howarth Author

Level 1

54 points

Nov 17, 2024 2:20 PM in response to HWTech

Thanks for getting back. Filevault is not enabled, and yes I am definitely trying to boot from the external drive.

Since your last reply I used another external hard drive which contains a clone of this same computer when it was running OS10.11, ie earlier than the 10.13 it is running now, but later than the 10.10 that is currently refusing to let me in. I had no trouble booting into 10.11 from that external drive.

The motivation for attempting all this is that Cubase v8 software, which I last ran on 10.10, no longer works on 10.13. I want to revert to 10.10 where it ought to still work. According to Steinberg (Cubase) help, Cubase v8 is tested to work on 10.11 as well as 10.10, but now I get exactly the same refusal to launch in 10.11 as I do in 10.13. Which is why I still want to revert to 10.10 where it definitely worked previously, and therfore 'should' still work. In each case I have re-installed the Cubase software, but to no avail.

Many thanks again for your replies.

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