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So I just bought my friends ibook from him for a pretty good price, he gave me all the CDs which included the restore disks and OSX which he never got a chance to install. Now hes out on a business trip for a month and I found out that I can't install or delete ANYTHING. I just want to start from scratch, but when I put the restore disks in it says it can't restore because the drive is locked. I'm pretty compitent with computers, well with PCs. This is my first MAC and i know a little about them, but not enough to get around this like i can on a PC.
Any imput would be great, thanks

That's usually some sort of problem with the drive.
Can you *format* from the restore disk? Use Disk Utility.
p

Ok so more info, it looks like he logged on each time, because there is a login option at the top near "help" when i click it, it promts Under user name "admin" and asks for a password... I think I am being restricted, because I can only access some of the controls in the control menu, others promt "The application "_________" could not be opened, because it is lockes"...
Please tell me theres a way to get this up and running, i really don't want to have to wait.
btw, I couldn't find Disk Utiliy, Sherlocks short cut wasn't working. EVen if i could comething tells me it would be "locked"Is there anyway to overcome this, thanks for the help so far

Disk Utility ought to be in a fairly obvious place, like the Utilities folder or the Applications folder.
Is the Restore CD booting from OS 9 or OS X?
Are you sure you're even booting from the CD, or might you be booting from the hard disk?
p

I'm booting from the CD, I'm hold "c" down when i turn it on. Plus i see a CD icon and can hear the cd going. Once i got to the restore screen it wouldn't let me restore it because it says the drive is locked. Oh and i believe it's running OS 9

OK, then Drive Setup is in the Applications folder. Open that and see what happens when you try to reformat.
p

nope, drive setup it's not there. I got sherlock to work and did a search on it also. Basically anything that has to do with modifying the settings, it comes up as being locked and not letting me access it.

See if you can boot from that and use Disk Utility. It'll be in the Installer menu once it boots from the CD.
p

ok what it looks like i need to do is reset the admin password, but then again, i have no idea how to do this

You need to have a chat with your friend or take that iBook to the local Apple Store. It sounds like the hard disk may be acting up.
p

not yet :)
I have found a way to bring down foolproof which now allows me the access HALF of the computer with no problems.
I can now adjust all the settings and access all of the files
One of the drives is still locked, it looks like it was partitioned into 2 drives.
Thanks a lot for your help so far

Why, again, did your friend not bother to tell you the password to FoolProof when he gave you the machine...?
p

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config os x internet &...
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Hard disk will not boot u...
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