How to bypass the screen lock

[eaglebtc]

Dear readers,

I have figured out a stupidly easy way to bypass the screen lock on an iPod. Here's how the feature is supposed to work: You set a combination lock to keep someone from viewing your personal contacts and changing the song. This lock survives a reboot, and can only be reset if you dial in the lock code or plug it into the home computer to which the library is synchronized.

How do you bypass this in case you forgot? Quite simple. Just get another PC or Macintosh. If your iPod Nano is mac formatted, you'll need a copy of MacDrive to view the disk. Ensure that your system is set to view hidden files and folders; this is accomplished much more easily on a windows machine (explorer: tools > options > view > show hidden files)

Steps:

• Mount the nano (plug it in)
• Navigate to X:\iPod_Control\Device\ (where X is the drive letter of the iPod)
• Find the file called "_locked" and open it with Notepad or TextEdit
• There's your code.
• OR... rename the file to _unlocked
• Close Textedit/Notepad, and eject iPod from computer

That's all there is to it! Maybe if Apple wanted this new "feature" to be remotely useful they should have invoked some kind of firmware-level protection like FileVault or a Master Password. :P

[bobb-mini]

oh heck, and I had hoped Apple finally comes up with something truly useful, like iPOD can only be unlocked by owner.

[SicMX]

i really don't see the point of the lock thing, but i guess it's there just for fun

[EMPORER13]

lol.... I guess it really is easy...Huh? anyways, i still like the idea of the whole lock thing, loks pretty cool....

[fk51785]

there's always KEYS to LOCKS .... lol

[bobb-mini]

Originally posted by SicMX
i really don't see the point of the lock thing, but i guess it's there just for fun

Well, it's just annoying that everytime I put down my POD, every freaking Joe and Joette want to play with it. NO!

And for people who place private notes, and private contacts info.

[citric]

Originally posted by SicMX
i really don't see the point of the lock thing, but i guess it's there just for fun

Or if you go into the computer stores and set the lock, it'll still be locked like a week or more later :-p

[Jesse Hollington]

Realistically, I don't think the lock feature was intended as a security device to prevent somebody from getting access to the data on your iPod if they really want to... After all, you can still connect it in disk mode and read everything from it through a computer.

The lock is simply to prevent people from futzing with it if you happen to set it down or leave it in a speaker dock or somesuch.

Basically, it's like a lock on a briefcase.... It's prevents casual snooping but certainly wouldn't prevent somebody from getting in if they actually stole the briefcase.

[NS2000X]

Originally posted by jhollington


Basically, it's like a lock on a briefcase.... It's prevents casual snooping but certainly wouldn't prevent somebody from getting in if they actually stole the briefcase.

Good analogy

[AHHHHHHH]

heehee, your very smart

[Fitzpatrick]

It is called a "screen lock", not a "ipod system lock".