OT Password problem -

[Bob Goodwin]

I bought a used Dell Latitude E4310 that I want to replace Windows7 on 
with Fedora-22. Unfortunately the BIOS is locked and I do not have the 
admin password for it. A phone call to Dell was unproductive and none of 
the passwords offered in an on-line application work. Does anyone know 
what I can do to access this computer. I can return it, bought through 
Newegg, but it looks good so far, in new condition and the price is 
right. It even has a working battery.

I considered opening it and removing the bios battery which I assume 
would return it to the default conditions which I believe is no password 
set.

Any suggestions appreciated,

Bob

-- 
Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA
http://www.qrz.com/db/W2BOD
box10  FEDORA-22/64bit LINUX XFCE

[fred roller]

Battery removal and possibly a reset jumper needs to be shorted. Check the
info on the mobo to be sure.
On Jul 8, 2015 5:47 PM, "Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA" <
bobgoodwin(a)wildblue.net&gt; wrote:

>  I bought a used Dell Latitude E4310 that I want to replace Windows7 on
>  with Fedora-22. Unfortunately the BIOS is locked and I do not have the
>  admin password for it. A phone call to Dell was unproductive and none of
>  the passwords offered in an on-line application work. Does anyone know what
>  I can do to access this computer. I can return it, bought through Newegg,
>  but it looks good so far, in new condition and the price is right. It even
>  has a working battery.
>
>  I considered opening it and removing the bios battery which I assume would
>  return it to the default conditions which I believe is no password set.
>
>  Any suggestions appreciated,
>
>  Bob
>
>  --
>  Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA
>  http://www.qrz.com/db/W2BOD
>  box10  FEDORA-22/64bit LINUX XFCE
>
>  --
>  users mailing list
>  users(a)lists.fedoraproject.org
>  To unsubscribe or change subscription options:
>  https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/users
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>  Have a question? Ask away: http://ask.fedoraproject.org
>

[Ranjan Maitra]

Are you allowed to flash the bios? Would that be a possibility?

Ranjan

On Wed, 8 Jul 2015 18:03:58 -0400 fred roller <fredroller66(a)gmail.com&gt; wrote:

>  Battery removal and possibly a reset jumper needs to be shorted.
> Check the
>  info on the mobo to be sure.
>  On Jul 8, 2015 5:47 PM, "Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA" <
>  bobgoodwin(a)wildblue.net&gt; wrote:
>  
>  >
>  >
>  > I bought a used Dell Latitude E4310 that I want to replace Windows7 on
>  > with Fedora-22. Unfortunately the BIOS is locked and I do not have the
>  > admin password for it. A phone call to Dell was unproductive and none of
>  > the passwords offered in an on-line application work. Does anyone know what
>  > I can do to access this computer. I can return it, bought through Newegg,
>  > but it looks good so far, in new condition and the price is right. It even
>  > has a working battery.
>  >
>  > I considered opening it and removing the bios battery which I assume would
>  > return it to the default conditions which I believe is no password set.
>  >
>  > Any suggestions appreciated,
>  >
>  > Bob
>  >
>  > --
>  > Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA
>  > http://www.qrz.com/db/W2BOD
>  > box10  FEDORA-22/64bit LINUX XFCE
>  >
>  > --
>  > users mailing list
>  > users(a)lists.fedoraproject.org
>  > To unsubscribe or change subscription options:
>  > https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/users
>  > Fedora Code of Conduct: http://fedoraproject.org/code-of-conduct
>  > Guidelines: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Mailing_list_guidelines
>  > Have a question? Ask away: http://ask.fedoraproject.org
>  > 

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[Alchemist]

2015-07-08 22:47 GMT+01:00 Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA <
bobgoodwin(a)wildblue.net&gt;:

>  I bought a used Dell Latitude E4310 that I want to replace Windows7 on
>  with Fedora-22. Unfortunately the BIOS is locked and I do not have the
>  admin password for it. A phone call to Dell was unproductive and none of
>  the passwords offered in an on-line application work. Does anyone know what
>  I can do to access this computer. I can return it, bought through Newegg,
>  but it looks good so far, in new condition and the price is right. It even
>  has a working battery.
>
>  I considered opening it and removing the bios battery which I assume would
>  return it to the default conditions which I believe is no password set.
>
>  Any suggestions appreciated,
>
>  Bob
>
>  
Read and try this
http://dogber1.blogspot.de/2009/05/table-of-reverse-engineered-bios.html
http://bios-pw.org/

Removing battery on a modern laptop should not work, as master/user
password are not stored in CMOS anymore.



>  --
>  Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA
>  http://www.qrz.com/db/W2BOD
>  box10  FEDORA-22/64bit LINUX XFCE
>
>  --
>  users mailing list
>  users(a)lists.fedoraproject.org
>  To unsubscribe or change subscription options:
>  https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/users
>  Fedora Code of Conduct: http://fedoraproject.org/code-of-conduct
>  Guidelines: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Mailing_list_guidelines
>  Have a question? Ask away: http://ask.fedoraproject.org
>

[Pete Travis]

On Jul 8, 2015 4:47 PM, "Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA" <
bobgoodwin(a)wildblue.net&gt; wrote:
>  I bought a used Dell Latitude E4310 that I want to replace Windows7 on 
with
Fedora-22. Unfortunately the BIOS is locked and I do not have the
admin password for it. A phone call to Dell was unproductive and none of
the passwords offered in an on-line application work. Does anyone know what
I can do to access this computer. I can return it, bought through Newegg,
but it looks good so far, in new condition and the price is right. It even
has a working battery.
>  I considered opening it and removing the bios battery which I assume 
would return
it to the default conditions which I believe is no password
set.
>  Any suggestions appreciated,
>
>  Bob
>
>  --
>  Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA
>  http://www.qrz.com/db/W2BOD
>  box10  FEDORA-22/64bit LINUX XFCE
>
>  -- 
If you just bought an unusable product, you should return it.  If you
attempt something too adventurous, you might not be able to return it.

That said, Dell service manuals aren't hard to find online.

--Pete

[JD]

On 07/08/2015 03:47 PM, Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA wrote:
>  I bought a used Dell Latitude E4310 that I want to replace Windows7 on 
>  with Fedora-22. Unfortunately the BIOS is locked and I do not have the 
>  admin password for it. A phone call to Dell was unproductive and none 
>  of the passwords offered in an on-line application work. Does anyone 
>  know what I can do to access this computer. I can return it, bought 
>  through Newegg, but it looks good so far, in new condition and the 
>  price is right. It even has a working battery.
>
>  I considered opening it and removing the bios battery which I assume 
>  would return it to the default conditions which I believe is no 
>  password set.
>
>  Any suggestions appreciated,
>
>  Bob
>  
Had an identical problem.
I called Dell and the took me through some BIOS steps
while I was on the phone with them.
The gave me the BIOS passwd and I was able to reset BIOS
to the settings I wanted.
You have to have with you all the numbers they will ask for,
They are usually on the bottom of the laptop and beneath
the battery. So be prepared to remove the battery and
give them those numbers.
Better yet, write them all down on paper before you call them.
800-624-9896

[JD]

On 07/08/2015 03:47 PM, Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA wrote:
>  I bought a used Dell Latitude E4310 that I want to replace Windows7 on 
>  with Fedora-22. Unfortunately the BIOS is locked and I do not have the 
>  admin password for it. A phone call to Dell was unproductive and none 
>  of the passwords offered in an on-line application work. Does anyone 
>  know what I can do to access this computer. I can return it, bought 
>  through Newegg, but it looks good so far, in new condition and the 
>  price is right. It even has a working battery.
>
>  I considered opening it and removing the bios battery which I assume 
>  would return it to the default conditions which I believe is no 
>  password set.
>
>  Any suggestions appreciated,
>
>  Bob
>  
Also, since you already have win7, the installed
win7 is registered to your laptop.
You might want to dd the win7 partition to a usb
drive and save it.
You might even be able to sell it along with the activation
code on the sticker beneath the laptop.

[Bob Goodwin]

On 08/07/15 19:59, jd1008 wrote:
>  On 07/08/2015 03:47 PM, Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA wrote:
> >
> >
> > I bought a used Dell Latitude E4310 that I want to replace Windows7 
> > on with Fedora-22. Unfortunately the BIOS is locked and I do not have 
> > the admin password for it. A phone call to Dell was unproductive and 
> > none of the passwords offered in an on-line application work. Does 
> > anyone know what I can do to access this computer. I can return it, 
> > bought through Newegg, but it looks good so far, in new condition and 
> > the price is right. It even has a working battery.
> >
> > I considered opening it and removing the bios battery which I assume 
> > would return it to the default conditions which I believe is no 
> > password set.
> >
> > Any suggestions appreciated,
> >
> > Bob
> >
>  Also, since you already have win7, the installed
>  win7 is registered to your laptop.
>  You might want to dd the win7 partition to a usb
>  drive and save it.
>  You might even be able to sell it along with the activation
>  code on the sticker beneath the laptop.
>  
.

I guess it might be good to save it, I'll probably give that a try.

However I rarely run Windows and I am lost when I do ...

I called Dell first, the first guy spoke good English and took all the 
information but did not handle the Latitude line and put me on to 
another whom I could barely understand but it was obvious that I need to 
establish ownership. I just filled out the data required at 
Dell.com/transfer, the address he provided. Dunno where that will go. I 
have tried other on-line avenues such as a Dell page that wants the 
service tag number and returns several passwords "that might work" but 
didn't.

Newegg's vendor is ZoomUSA, I only received the computer yesterday 
afternoon but will try contacting them later this morning.

As I probably mentioned, I would prefer not to return/exchange since it 
is used and this one looks to be in like new condition, odds are I would 
not do as well in an exchange.

Thanks,

Bob


-- 
Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA
http://www.qrz.com/db/W2BOD
box10  FEDORA-22/64bit LINUX XFCE

> > I bought a used Dell Latitude E4310 that I want to replace
> Windows7 
> > on with Fedora-22. Unfortunately the BIOS is locked and I do not have 
> > the admin password for it. A phone call to Dell was unproductive...  



Return it back to the seller and buy the same (or another) model w/o 
Windows. 
You will save money and be able to install Linux as you wish. That's what I'
d do.

I'd never buy a computer with locked anything.

jh









---------- Původní zpráva ----------
Od: Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA <bobgoodwin(a)wildblue.net&gt;
Komu: users(a)lists.fedoraproject.org
Datum: 9. 7. 2015 12:39:31
Předmět: Re: OT Password problem -

"On 08/07/15 19:59, jd1008 wrote:
>  On 07/08/2015 03:47 PM, Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA wrote:
> >
> >
> > I bought a used Dell Latitude E4310 that I want to replace Windows7 
> > on with Fedora-22. Unfortunately the BIOS is locked and I do not have 
> > the admin password for it. A phone call to Dell was unproductive and 
> > none of the passwords offered in an on-line application work. Does 
> > anyone know what I can do to access this computer. I can return it, 
> > bought through Newegg, but it looks good so far, in new condition and 
> > the price is right. It even has a working battery.
> >
> > I considered opening it and removing the bios battery which I assume 
> > would return it to the default conditions which I believe is no 
> > password set.
> >
> > Any suggestions appreciated,
> >
> > Bob
> >
>  Also, since you already have win7, the installed
>  win7 is registered to your laptop.
>  You might want to dd the win7 partition to a usb
>  drive and save it.
>  You might even be able to sell it along with the activation
>  code on the sticker beneath the laptop.
>  
.

I guess it might be good to save it, I'll probably give that a try.

However I rarely run Windows and I am lost when I do ...

I called Dell first, the first guy spoke good English and took all the 
information but did not handle the Latitude line and put me on to 
another whom I could barely understand but it was obvious that I need to 
establish ownership. I just filled out the data required at 
Dell.com/transfer, the address he provided. Dunno where that will go. I 
have tried other on-line avenues such as a Dell page that wants the 
service tag number and returns several passwords "that might work" but 
didn't.

Newegg's vendor is ZoomUSA, I only received the computer yesterday 
afternoon but will try contacting them later this morning.

As I probably mentioned, I would prefer not to return/exchange since it 
is used and this one looks to be in like new condition, odds are I would 
not do as well in an exchange.

Thanks,

Bob


-- 
Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA
http://www.qrz.com/db/W2BOD
box10 FEDORA-22/64bit LINUX XFCE

-- 
users mailing list
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To unsubscribe or change subscription options:
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Have a question? Ask away: http://ask.fedoraproject.org"

[Bob Goodwin]

On 08/07/15 19:59, jd1008 wrote:
>  You might want to dd the win7 partition to a usb
>  drive and save it. 

Where would I find an instruction for doing this? I have not been able 
to mount the hard drive [using f-22 live] assuming it would be /dev/sda.

-- 
Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA
http://www.qrz.com/db/W2BOD
box10  FEDORA-22/64bit LINUX XFCE

[g]

On 07/09/15 10:53, Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA wrote:
>  On 08/07/15 19:59, jd1008 wrote:
> > You might want to dd the win7 partition to a usb
> > drive and save it.
>
>
>  Where would I find an instruction for doing this? I have not been able 
>  to mount the hard drive [using f-22 live] assuming it would be /dev/sda.
>
>  
win7 has a recovery process that will build 3 dvd's to restore system.

to access it, press the 'windows' key, the key with the windows logo,
in the bottom left entry bar, [ Search programs and files ] enter the
word:  recovery  press <enter>.

you will then see a window with;

   Programs (2)
     Recovery Media Creator
     Recovery Media Creator Help

click on:   Recovery Media Creator

follow instructions in the:   Recovery Media Creator   window.

this must be run as 'Administrator'.


if it ask for a password, which you may not know, then you will need
to pull "ntpassword" cd from;

   http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd

load that page, press 'page down' and you will see links to downloading.

i burned a cd to remove win7 passwords on the laptop i was given.


a little while ago, while having nothing better to do, ((GBWG)), i ran
some searches for your laptop.

i found several manuals, but none showed how/what to open to disable the
bios passwords, other than to remove cmos battery and let it sit for
30 minutes to 24 hours.


https://www.ehow.com/how_7609529_update-locked-bios.html
https://www.ehow.com/how_6943618_reset-cmos-dell-inspiron.html
https://www.ehow.com/how_5916403_clear-cmos-dell-notebook.html

http://www.tech-faq.com/reset-dell-bios-password.html

among what i found, there seems to be a dell rep who will help people
recover bios passwords;

http://community.spiceworks.com/topic/712748-bios-hard-drive-password-req...

hth.


-- 

peace out.

-+-
If Bill Gates got a dime for every time Windows crashes...
 ...oh, wait. He does. THAT explains it!
-+-
in a world with out fences, who needs gates.
-+-

CentOS GNU/Linux 6.6

tc,hago.

g
.

[Bob Goodwin]

.

The problem is solved. The dealer support guy [ZoomUsa] requested the 
system number, I provided it, and he immediately returned the password 
required with the necessary instructions. Now I can install Fedora on it.


On 09/07/15 13:08, g wrote:
>  On 07/09/15 10:53, Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA wrote:
> > On 08/07/15 19:59, jd1008 wrote:
> >> You might want to dd the win7 partition to a usb
> >> drive and save it.
> >
> > Where would I find an instruction for doing this? I have not been able
> > to mount the hard drive [using f-22 live] assuming it would be /dev/sda.
> >
> >
>  win7 has a recovery process that will build 3 dvd's to restore system.
>
>  to access it, press the 'windows' key, the key with the windows logo,
>  in the bottom left entry bar, [ Search programs and files ] enter the
>  word:  recovery  press <enter>.
>
>  you will then see a window with;
>
>      Programs (2)
>        Recovery Media Creator
>        Recovery Media Creator Help
>
>  click on:   Recovery Media Creator
>
>  follow instructions in the:   Recovery Media Creator   window.
>
>  this must be run as 'Administrator'.
>
>
>  if it ask for a password, which you may not know, then you will need
>  to pull "ntpassword" cd from;
>
>      http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd
>
>  load that page, press 'page down' and you will see links to downloading.
>
>  i burned a cd to remove win7 passwords on the laptop i was given. 
.
That deals with Windows passwords, I'm stuck with an unknown BIOS admin 
password.

As near as I can find out Dell can calculate it from the computer's 
unique service tag number, but first you have to convince them you own 
the computer, I am waiting for that to happen.

.
http://www.tech-faq.com/reset-dell-bios-password.html Tries to calculate 
it, produces passwords, none of which work for me.

>  a little while ago, while having nothing better to do, ((GBWG)), i ran
>  some searches for your laptop.
>
>  i found several manuals, but none showed how/what to open to disable the
>  bios passwords, other than to remove cmos battery and let it sit for
>  30 minutes to 24 hours. 
.
Someone responding yesterday suggested that simply removing the battery 
may not be enough. With my luck it would change something I need and not 
fix the password problem! Else I would have done that already.
>  https://www.ehow.com/how_7609529_update-locked-bios.html
>  https://www.ehow.com/how_6943618_reset-cmos-dell-inspiron.html 
>  https://www.ehow.com/how_5916403_clear-cmos-dell-notebook.html
.
He says:
"Locate the third leg (small metal bar) connecting the chip to the 
board. Use the end of your paper clip to gently tap on the leg two or 
three times. This will reset the chip to its original factory 
settings."  That one is too vague, too many missing details.

Read more : https://www.ehow.com/how_5916403_clear-cmos-dell-notebook.html


Read more : https://www.ehow.com/how_5916403_clear-cmos-dell-notebook.html
>  http://www.tech-faq.com/reset-dell-bios-password.html
>
>  among what i found, there seems to be a dell rep who will help people
>  recover bios passwords;
>
>
> http://community.spiceworks.com/topic/712748-bios-hard-drive-password-req...
.
Looks like that one dried up.

JohnC (Dell) Jan 21, 2015 at 5:55 AM

Hi all,

Please note that we have been advised to no longer provide BIOS/hard 
drive password unlock codes through forums and as such, I've edited the 
original post in this thread to reflect this. From this point on, we 
will no longer provide assistance for these issues on Spiceworks, 
publicly or privately.

.

>  hth.
>
>  
.

-- 
Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA
http://www.qrz.com/db/W2BOD
box10  FEDORA-22/64bit LINUX XFCE

[Bob Goodwin]

On 09/07/15 13:08, g wrote:
>  win7 has a recovery process that will build 3 dvd's to restore
> system.
>
>  to access it, press the 'windows' key, the key with the windows logo,
>  in the bottom left entry bar, [ Search programs and files ] enter the
>  word:  recovery  press <enter>.
>
>  you will then see a window with;
>
>      Programs (2)
>        Recovery Media Creator
>        Recovery Media Creator Help
>
>  click on:   Recovery Media Creator
>
>  follow instructions in the:   Recovery Media Creator   window.
>
>  this must be run as 'Administrator'. 

I will look at this procedure, but three DVD's to restore Windows7?

I'm not sure it's worth that, and what does restore mean, would I have a 
copy I could install in a VM in a different computer or does it only 
restore using a "hidden" file on the original computer? Sounds iffy ...

For me Fedora running from a flash drive is a joy to use compared to the 
installed Windows7. Even the touch pad works better and I didn't think I 
could manage without a track ball.

Bob

-- 
Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA
http://www.qrz.com/db/W2BOD
box10  FEDORA-22/64bit LINUX XFCE

[g]

On 07/09/15 16:19, Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA wrote:
>  On 09/07/15 13:08, g wrote:
> > win7 has a recovery process that will build 3 dvd's to restore system.
> >
> > to access it, press the 'windows' key, the key with the windows logo,
> > in the bottom left entry bar, [ Search programs and files ] enter the
> > word:  recovery  press <enter>.
> >
> > you will then see a window with;
> >
> >     Programs (2)
> >       Recovery Media Creator
> >       Recovery Media Creator Help
> >
> > click on:   Recovery Media Creator
> >
> > follow instructions in the:   Recovery Media Creator   window.
> >
> > this must be run as 'Administrator'.
>  
>  
>  I will look at this procedure, but three DVD's to restore Windows7? 
i agree. ms has stock in dvd makers. ;-)

actually, i believe it is because the files are segregated. so, not
knowing what a user has added, the dvd's are allocated as to the type
of files. like: #1 = base system, #2 = additional, #3 = recovery programs.
which is just a guess, with #3 being the recovery boot dvd.


application dvd 3:
[geo@boxen TOSHIBA]$ ll
total 984
-r--------.  1 geo geo     49 Nov 28  2005 AUTORUN.INF
dr-x------. 38 geo geo   1768 Jun  1 16:03 comps1
-r--------.  1 geo geo      8 Sep  3  2007 DISK.1
-r--------.  1 geo geo  12261 Aug 10  2006 INSTALL2.CHM
-r--------.  1 geo geo  18276 Aug 10  2006 INSTALL.CHM
-r--------.  1 geo geo 955760 Aug 14  2009 INSTALL.EXE
-r--------.  1 geo geo  12893 Aug 31  2009 INSTALL.INI
[geo@boxen TOSHIBA]$ du -h *
2.0K  AUTORUN.INF
9.7M    comps1/TC0009130   4.5M     comps1/TC0009150
22M     comps1/TC0012630    37M     comps1/TC0014330
15M     comps1/TC0014820    26M     comps1/TC0014830
42M     comps1/TC0016370    22M     comps1/TC0019060
13M     comps1/TC0020970    86M     comps1/TC0021240
43M     comps1/TC0021470    55M     comps1/TC0021490
20M     comps1/TC0022160    2.3M    comps1/TC0022170
4.0M    comps1/TC1003250    110M    comps1/TC1003260
2.7M    comps1/TC1003270    14M     comps1/TC1003280
3.6M    comps1/TC1003290    635M    comps1/TC1003300
4.2M    comps1/TC1003310    7.3M    comps1/TC1003320
137M    comps1/TC1003330    3.4M    comps1/TC1003620
5.8M    comps1/TC1003710    5.9M    comps1/TC1003730
16M     comps1/TC3000800    9.4M    comps1/TC4002380
7.3M    comps1/TC4004990    14M     comps1/TC4006020
14M     comps1/TC4006030    29M     comps1/TC4006540
70M     comps1/TC4006570    13M     comps1/TC4006900
114M    comps1/TC4007240    21M     comps1/TC4007590
1.6G    comps1
2.0K    DISK.1
12K     INSTALL2.CHM
18K     INSTALL.CHM
934K    INSTALL.EXE
14K     INSTALL.INI
[geo@boxen TOSHIBA]$

recovery dvd 1:
[geo@boxen TI103196W0D]$ ll
total 390
dr-x------. 1 geo geo   4096 Jun  1 15:13 BIN
dr-x------. 1 geo geo   2048 Jun  1 15:13 BOOT
-r--------. 1 geo geo 383562 Jul 13  2009 BOOTMGR
-r--------. 1 geo geo    187 Jun  1 15:08 DATA.INI
-r--------. 1 geo geo   1807 Sep  1  2009 PLANDATA.INI
dr-x------. 1 geo geo   2048 Jun  1 15:13 PLANFOLDER
dr-x------. 1 geo geo   2048 Jun  1 15:13 SOURCES
-r--------. 1 geo geo      0 Jun 29  2009 !V6_00_03.VRP
dr-x------. 1 geo geo   2048 Jun  1 15:13 ZZImages
[geo@boxen TI103196W0D]$ du -h *
8.6M    BIN/X64
15M     BIN
12M     BOOT/FONTS
15M     BOOT
375K    BOOTMGR
512     DATA.INI
2.0K    PLANDATA.INI
4.0K    PLANFOLDER/TI103196W00
6.0K    PLANFOLDER
131M    SOURCES
0       !V6_00_03.VRP
4.0G    ZZImages/ZZImages
4.0G    ZZImages
[geo@boxen TI103196W0D]$

recovery dvd 2:
[geo@boxen TI103196W0D]$ ll
total 4
-r--------. 1 geo geo 187 Jun  1 15:08 DATA.INI
dr-x------. 3 geo geo  88 Jun  1 15:34 ZZImages
[geo@boxen TI103196W0D]$ du -h *
2.0K    DATA.INI
3.4G    ZZImages/ZZImages
3.4G    ZZImages
[geo@boxen TI103196W0D]$

>  I'm not sure it's worth that, and what does restore mean,
restore what was operational. ie, base system, service packs, user added
programs and files. all of which would be needed if one needed to restore
system that was lost, corrupted, etc, etc...

>  would I have a copy I could install in a VM in a different computer
> or
>  does it only restore using a "hidden" file on the original computer? 
if your install uses 3 partitions, you would have to allocate 3 partitions
in vm.

on this toshiba, 1st part = system boot and data, 2nd part = actual system,
3rd part = hddrecovery.

how the names came about and apply, that is something for someone more
familiar with today's oos. i dropped oos at w95b.

>  Sounds iffy ... 
i understand, but you have to consider that you are not installing from
ms oem disk. recovery/restore is just that. also, because it is a laptop,
you need special drivers for unique hardware of dell.

something that may best be answered by someone who has built a vm image.

if 'dd' can be used to create a vm image then 'dd' would be way to go.
but you do need to mount drive with something like partition magic live,
then look at drive to see if it is sliced up.

>  For me Fedora running from a flash drive is a joy to use compared to
> the 
>  installed Windows7. 
hell, anything is a joy to run instead of oos. only reason i saved win7
on my laptop is to play the win games i have. ;-)

>  Even the touch pad works better and I didn't think I could manage
> without
>  a track ball. 
if your track ball is usb, win7 will find it during boot up and make it
usable.


this post could be considered as "TMI", but it is only that i am trying
to pass along to you what you may have in store.

in closing, did you get a dell oem cd for your laptop? i do believe that
for someone to sell a computer with ms system installed, they are required
to also supply the install cd. in your case, that cd must be a dell oem cd.


-- 

peace out.

-+-
If Bill Gates got a dime for every time Windows crashes...
 ...oh, wait. He does. THAT explains it!
-+-
in a world with out fences, who needs gates.
-+-

CentOS GNU/Linux 6.6

tc,hago.

g
.

[Matthew Woehlke]

On 2015-07-08 17:47, Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA wrote:
>  I bought a used Dell Latitude E4310 that I want to replace Windows7
> on
>  with Fedora-22. Unfortunately the BIOS is locked and I do not have the
>  admin password for it. A phone call to Dell was unproductive and none of
>  the passwords offered in an on-line application work. Does anyone know
>  what I can do to access this computer. I can return it, bought through
>  Newegg, but it looks good so far, in new condition and the price is
>  right. It even has a working battery. 
In my experience, *new* Dell machines do not have locked BIOS. However,
I have a friend who recently bought a "refurbished" Dell machine that
had been BIOS locked. It's most likely the entity that "refurbished" the
machine that locked the BIOS. You'll need to contact them to obtain the
password / do research on them (not Dell) to find typically used passwords.

Personally I consider this practice abhorrent and would never buy such a
machine or deal with sellers that engage in such practices. Also, FWIW,
this friend has had terrible problems with his machine. (A locked BIOS
is a red flag; the seller doesn't want you to have full control of the
system. You'd better ask yourself *why?*. It may be to try to extort
money out of you later for service, or it may be to hide a problem with
the machine. Either one isn't good news for you.)

My advice: don't buy used computers. Build your own from new parts, or
buy new from a reputable dealer. With used, you never know what you're
getting (e.g. did someone sell it because some hardware component is
going bad?) and you can easily end up having to spend more money to fix
it than if you'd bought new.

-- 
Matthew

[Bob Goodwin]

On 09/07/15 10:04, Matthew Woehlke wrote:
>  In my experience,*new*  Dell machines do not have locked BIOS.
> However,
>  I have a friend who recently bought a "refurbished" Dell machine that
>  had been BIOS locked. It's most likely the entity that "refurbished" the
>  machine that locked the BIOS. You'll need to contact them to obtain the
>  password / do research on them (not Dell) to find typically used passwords.
>
>  Personally I consider this practice abhorrent and would never buy such a
>  machine or deal with sellers that engage in such practices. Also, FWIW,
>  this friend has had terrible problems with his machine. (A locked BIOS
>  is a red flag; the seller doesn't want you to have full control of the
>  system. You'd better ask yourself *why?*. It may be to try to extort
>  money out of you later for service, or it may be to hide a problem with
>  the machine. Either one isn't good news for you.)
>
>  My advice: don't buy used computers. Build your own from new parts, or
>  buy new from a reputable dealer. With used, you never know what you're
>  getting (e.g. did someone sell it because some hardware component is
>  going bad?) and you can easily end up having to spend more money to fix
>  it than if you'd bought new.
>
>  -- Matthew 

First, I did not anticipate this problem when I ordered the device. 
Would you have expected that?

I have initiated the necessary process to get Dell to provide a 
password, I have also contacted the dealer about an hour ago and I am 
waiting for a response.

If all else fails I can return it, however I believe it is worth the 
effort to get the problem corrected, at least give the seller a chance 
to respond, he is probably reputable, certainly I must assume so until 
proven otherwise.

I added RAM and F22/XFCE Live on a flash drive runs very nicely on it, a 
big relief from trying to figure out how Windows7 works.

As for buying new, I really can't justify buying a portable computer, 
just saw an ad and bought it to play with, with one exception, I have 
assembled all my computers from new parts in server type cases, very 
convenient. As I said before it appears to be like new, has a Dell 
battery in good condition and I think will make a good Fedora computer. 
It even connected to my NFS server as soon as I created a mount point 
for it.

Thank you for your advice,

Bob



-- 
Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA
http://www.qrz.com/db/W2BOD
box10  FEDORA-22/64bit LINUX XFCE

[Matthew Woehlke]

On 2015-07-09 10:55, Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA wrote:
>  On 09/07/15 10:04, Matthew Woehlke wrote:
> > In my experience,*new*  Dell machines do not have locked BIOS. However,
> > I have a friend who recently bought a "refurbished" Dell machine that
> > had been BIOS locked. It's most likely the entity that "refurbished"
> the
> > machine that locked the BIOS. You'll need to contact them to obtain the
> > password / do research on them (not Dell) to find typically used
> > passwords.
> >
> > Personally I consider this practice abhorrent and would never buy such a
> > machine or deal with sellers that engage in such practices. Also, FWIW,
> > this friend has had terrible problems with his machine. (A locked BIOS
> > is a red flag; the seller doesn't want you to have full control of the
> > system. You'd better ask yourself *why?*. It may be to try to extort
> > money out of you later for service, or it may be to hide a problem with
> > the machine. Either one isn't good news for you.)
> >
> > My advice: don't buy used computers. Build your own from new parts, or
> > buy new from a reputable dealer. With used, you never know what you're
> > getting (e.g. did someone sell it because some hardware component is
> > going bad?) and you can easily end up having to spend more money to fix
> > it than if you'd bought new.
>  
>  First, I did not anticipate this problem when I ordered the device.
>  Would you have expected that? 
With no previous experience? Probably not. Now? I'd... be "very
cautious" about buying a refurbished computer. Especially from someone
that deals in "used" computers.

You're probably better off buying from an honest individual making a
one-time sale, actually. (The problem there of course is knowing whether
or not the individual *is* honest.)

I bought a "used" ASUS netbook off eBay that has been a truly wonderful
little machine. IIRC the seller stated it had been booted once but was
otherwise brand new; presumably he just didn't want it for whatever
reason. I put in a larger memory module and replaced the spinning drive
with an SSD and have never had any issues with it.

But anyway, that's general advise (i.e. for future reference / others
thinking about buying used). I do hope you can get your issue resolved
and don't have further trouble.

>  If all else fails I can return it, however I believe it is worth the
>  effort to get the problem corrected, at least give the seller a chance
>  to respond, he is probably reputable, certainly I must assume so until
>  proven otherwise. 
I would strongly recommend you try to install Fedora before your return
period expires if at all possible. My friend was unable to install it,
and had issues reinstalling Windows later.

-- 
Matthew

[Bob Goodwin]

On 09/07/15 13:16, Matthew Woehlke wrote:
>  With no previous experience? Probably not. Now? I'd... be
> "very
>  cautious" about buying a refurbished computer. Especially from someone
>  that deals in "used" computers.
>
>  You're probably better off buying from an honest individual making a
>  one-time sale, actually. (The problem there of course is knowing whether
>  or not the individual*is*  honest.) 

My experience has been different. I bought a motherboard from Craig's 
list from a local, It worked for a couple of weeks and died, refused to 
complete the POST. He didn't want to hear about it, it was as is I 
guess. Computers I've bought on-line from dealers specializing in used 
equipment have always worked and held up long enough for me to want to 
replace them with something newer. They have even settled problems with 
a phone call.

Today's problem is solved. I e-mailed them this morning and they 
responded this afternoon. The dealer support guy [ZoomUsa] requested the 
system number, I provided it, and he immediately returned the password 
required with the necessary instructions. Problem solved within 24 hours 
of receiving the equipment! Now I can install Fedora on it.

Bob

-- 
Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA
http://www.qrz.com/db/W2BOD
box10  FEDORA-22/64bit LINUX XFCE

[Matthew Woehlke]

On 2015-07-09 16:52, Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA wrote:
>  On 09/07/15 13:16, Matthew Woehlke wrote:
> > With no previous experience? Probably not. Now? I'd... be "very
> > cautious" about buying a refurbished computer. Especially from someone
> > that deals in "used" computers.
> >
> > You're probably better off buying from an honest individual making a
> > one-time sale, actually. (The problem there of course is knowing whether
> > or not the individual*is*  honest.)
>  
>  My experience has been different. I bought a motherboard from Craig's
>  list from a local, It worked for a couple of weeks and died, refused to
>  complete the POST. He didn't want to hear about it, it was as is I
>  guess. Computers I've bought on-line from dealers specializing in used
>  equipment have always worked and held up long enough for me to want to
>  replace them with something newer. They have even settled problems with
>  a phone call. 
I do admit I have very limited experience, and that not first-hand :-).
Personally I always buy new when I can, at least for things like
computer equipment. (And cars. If I *could*, I'd prefer new houses, too,
though at least there you do inspections when you buy "used". Things
like books, furniture, etc. where visible condition is usually a good
indicator as to the actual condition, are another matter though.)

>  Today's problem is solved. I e-mailed them this morning and they
>  responded this afternoon. The dealer support guy [ZoomUsa] requested the
>  system number, I provided it, and he immediately returned the password
>  required with the necessary instructions. 
That's good to hear; it means this dealer isn't locking the BIOS because
they are trying to hide something or wring more money out of you, and
probably have a more benign reason (maybe to stop people that don't know
what they're doing from accidentally bricking their machines). Anyway,
glad they were able to help you.

Good luck with your new Fedora system! :-)

-- 
Matthew

[Ranjan Maitra]

>  
>  > Today's problem is solved. I e-mailed them this morning and they
>  > responded this afternoon. The dealer support guy [ZoomUsa] requested the
>  > system number, I provided it, and he immediately returned the password
>  > required with the necessary instructions.
>  
>  That's good to hear; it means this dealer isn't locking the BIOS because
>  they are trying to hide something or wring more money out of you, and
>  probably have a more benign reason (maybe to stop people that don't know
>  what they're doing from accidentally bricking their machines). Anyway,
>  glad they were able to help you. 
I would suggest putting in a good review of the dealer if possible. This lets others know
and is also encouraging to the dealer that his good actions are noticed.

Ranjan

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[Joe Zeff]

On 07/10/2015 07:33 AM, Matthew Woehlke wrote:
>  probably have a more benign reason (maybe to stop people that
> don't know
>  what they're doing from accidentally bricking their machines). 
That's no excuse.  Once you've paid for the machine and received it, 
what you do with it is none of their business.

[Bob Goodwin]

On 10/07/15 12:42, Joe Zeff wrote:
>  On 07/10/2015 07:33 AM, Matthew Woehlke wrote:
> > probably have a more benign reason (maybe to stop people that don't know
> > what they're doing from accidentally bricking their machines).
>
>  That's no excuse.  Once you've paid for the machine and received it, 
>  what you do with it is none of their business. 
.

Yes and these are used computers, I'm not surprised that something like 
a BIOS password might get through any quality testing that might be 
done. It worked as the typical user might expect and probably would 
never be a problem for him.

I dumped Windows7 and installed Fedora 22 this morning and it works 
well, I am satisfied ...

Bob

-- 
Bob Goodwin - Zuni, Virginia, USA
http://www.qrz.com/db/W2BOD
box10  FEDORA-22/64bit LINUX XFCE

[Matthew Woehlke]

On 2015-07-10 12:42, Joe Zeff wrote:
>  On 07/10/2015 07:33 AM, Matthew Woehlke wrote:
> > probably have a more benign reason (maybe to stop people that don't know
> > what they're doing from accidentally bricking their machines).
>  
>  That's no excuse.  Once you've paid for the machine and received it,
>  what you do with it is none of their business. 
...so if I sell you a gun, I should be sure to ship it to you with the
safety *off*? Sure, that might be more convenient, but OTOH it's not
like I welded the safety in the "on" position.

I agree with the sentiment, and that's why I take a very low view of
dealers that password lock the BIOS *and won't tell you the password*.
If they're happy to tell you... I still don't necessarily agree with
having one in the first place, but I'm much less inclined to ascribe
sinister motives.

(Or, as Bob indicated, maybe it was an accident. Maybe they test the
BIOS password lock of every computer they sell and sometimes forget to
remove the password again.)

-- 
Matthew