I have an Imac model A1224 and need to erase the former owner ( dead ) and password by reinstalling Mac OS 10.11 EL CAPITAN. I understand during the installation there will be asked for the former owners password and i do not have it. I need help from the community if this problem has been discussed before.
Thank you.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Earlier Mac models
This problem happens and the question is asked very often.
Without the credential of the previous owner, you will be unable to properly setup and use the computer.
You may get assistance from Apple if you follow the guidance here: How to request access to a deceased family member’s Apple Account - Apple Support
Otherwise, you will be unable to clear and reset the computer.
As long as there is no firmware password lock, then you just need to erase either the Fusion Drive item or the whole physical hard drive if a single drive. If you are being asked for an AppleID to confirm an OS "purchase", then try booting into Recovery Mode using Command + Option + R instead to see if it will bypass the need to authenticate with the App Store.
If you have access to another Mac from 2007 to 2015, then you can use that other Mac to create a bootable macOS 10.11 El Capitan USB installer using the instructions in the following Apple article:
Create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support
If the Mac has a firmware password lock, then there is nothing you can do to remove the firmware lock if you don't know the firmware password.
Set a firmware password on your Mac - Apple Support
The iMac A1224 is a 2007-2009 computer. It is very obsolete and running an OS that is also obsolete and has been unsupported for many years now.
If you are hoping to use the computer in a productive way, connected to the modern internet, that would be an exercise in frustration. I suggest you consider resetting your expectations for that machine. Even email access is going to be problematic.
You'd be doing yourself a favor to simply send this computer to recycling and find something newer, something not more than say five or six years old.
If you are concerned about any data that is still on the internal startup drive, those Macs are not so difficult to open that you couldn't do that and recover the drive and physically destroy it.
IMHO, that vintage iMac is good for little more than hobby use.
How to bypass password and reinstall macOS 10.11 on an iMac model A1224 without disks?
