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Repair guides for the MacBook Air, Apple's current line of consumer laptops.

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Replacing Logic Board to Bypass the Activation Lock

Hello all.

I have a MacBook Air (A2337) that is stuck at the activation lock screen. It belonged to a friend and while we know what apple ID its associated with, they no longer have access to that account or any proof of purchase. They've given up on it and purchased another one, but I wanted to see if I could get this one running again - rather than just e-cycling it.

I can see that there is software that will bypass it (CheckM8), however that comes with its own fun when it comes to rebooting. So I wanted to see what thoughts were out there for replacing the logic board (and touch ID) as a means to permanently bypass that lock.

Any downsides to this? Is it even possible? Is this a fools errand?

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crwdns2933897:0crwdne2933897:0

Replacing the logic board with a clean board and its mated TouchID button will indeed work!

Now the bad news… you often can find a used clean system for the same price as the logic board. But of course what you can find in your neck of the woods also plays into this.

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crwdns2944067:03crwdne2944067:0:

Thanks for the sanity check, and I agree with what your saying in logic board pricing. Just going to watch some eBay auctions and see if maybe I can find one at a price where rolling the dice isn't too expensive.

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@erick52352 - if you’re set don’t forget to accept the answer. I’m sure you’ll luck out! Wish you well.

crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0crwdne2934271:0

Thank you Dan. I had the same question.

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Activation Lock is tied to the Apple ID / Find My system and is deliberately designed to prevent unauthorized reuse of lost/stolen devices. Apple only removes it if the Apple ID owner turns it off or Apple verifies ownership

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Eric K. crwdns2934231:0crwdne2934231:0
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