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rbudjFlag for United States of America

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How To Reset BIOS Password

I need to clear the bios password for a dell inspiron 1545 laptop.  Can anyone confirm the jumper location?
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Matthias Abt
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Which begs the question: Why wouldn't Dell be an option?
Answer: The laptop is stolen.


Requesting or providing assistance to hack/crack or otherwise bypass security is prohibited on Experts Exchange.
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ASKER

Thanks for the info. I did call dell and they gave me a password. It's just a pain to do it this way over shorting some jumpers.  It's nice to know the alternate option as well.

aleghart... Dell is always an option but I use them as a last resort. I may have another option you can add to your list of possibilities though.  A rental company leases computers to a residential market. Some renters like to do things like set a BIOS password, load a virus, etc before they give the computer back. So we have to undo their hacking.  Calling Dell is just a pain... but, they were the heros today... along with you guys.  Thanks again!
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DangItMarilyn

@aleghart

Not at all. Ebay purchases, second hand purchases, etc. all won't show up on Dell's registration database and yet are valid purchases.

A wise man once said, "Assume good intent in conversation, for all else clouds the mind."
>Ebay purchases, second hand purchases, etc. all won't show up on Dell's registration database and yet are valid purchases.

Which means that contacting Dell _is_ a valid option.  All you have to do is fill out the form online or call their customer serivce.  After providing name/address, etc. they will transfer serial number and remaining warranty to a user profile belonging to you.

But, if you know (or suspect) that the goods are stolen, you wouldn't attempt to register yourself as the new owner.

As for wise men....well when they deal with security their mantra becomes "Least privilege, according to documented requirements."  And "Trust no-one, especially people who ask to change passwords."

When you apply common sense or Occam's Razor, the simplest answer is to contact the company that makes the equipment.  Claim legal ownership.  Get support.

When you need to stray from the simplest, most reliable method, the situation becomes cloudy all by itself.
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ASKER

For those in question... I have a lot of experience with Dell and they will not talk to you or issue a transfer of ownership unless you can verify 1. Who the computer is currently registered under and 2. Where you purchased the computer.
Dell's online form does not require information about current owner.

It does, however, state that ownership transfer requests are fulfilled at their own discretion.

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/change_order/tag_transfer

There are no requirements for a previous owner to update product registration information before disposal, donation, sale, etc.  Nothing like a pink slip for car registration.

I'd not heard of requiring information on past owners.  Place/party of purchase is not unreasonable.  Unless the seller is selling illegally, there should be no problem providing that information.

Although, I'd tend to agree with a decision to _not_ provide unlock support to someone who won't provide basic information like that.  After all, if it was a legitimate transfer, the owner would have unlocked the equipment and wiped all data.  At the very least, the system would have to be unlocked in order to prove that it functioned properly.

If buying "as-is" without proof that it's working...well...that goes back to dealing with "lost" or stolen property.

Just common sense.

Would you pay cash on the street corner for a car with no keys?  Screwdriver sticking out of the ignition?  Broken window?

How far do you go before thinking...this might not be legit.

But, that's for honest folks.  Some people don't care.  Buy what's cheapest.  Then hack their way through.

But, I have to laugh when they say it's a legitimate sale and they need tech support.  What's the statistic?  Something like 1,000 laptops a month are stolen just from airports, not including from cars, homes, businesses, schools.

It's not a far stretch of logic to think that a locked laptop sold for cash _might_ be stolen, and you _might_ be buying a brick.

Not saying that's the case all the time.  But, if it's legit, you can get your money back or get a replacement.
Avatar of rbudj

ASKER

Although, aleghart, you have made some good points, this post is not coming from one who is a thief or from that of a stolen laptop. It is not an arguement of stolen or legit.  It is a matter of a needed solution... opinion aside. As this continues I feel like I am being accused of theft. I just needed a solution... legit in your opinion or not... I am thankful for the solutions.  Thank you though for your insight.
rbudj,

As for asking to ignore whether something is stolen...well, evaluation of the problem is routine troubleshooting.  That's why my mechanic records the VIN numbers from my vehicles, even though our families have known each other for a couple of decades.  Just part of the routine.  He's not accusing me of anything.  I apologize if you think I'm calling you a criminal.  I'm not.

Just pointing out the obvious: if you haven't/won't/can't get legitimate support, and have to resort to hacking, then something is wrong with the plan.

Sucks if you got a dud.  I've received defective stuff, but a legit seller gave me a replacement from his Dell inventory.

>It is a matter of a needed solution... opinion aside.

And, (in my opinion) the solution is to contact Dell for a legitimate transfer and support.  Sometimes a legitimate answer is not what you're looking for.  That's why these simple one-post questions get long and complicated.  The simplest answer is rejected.

A moderator can remove any objectionable or irrelevant comment, or delete the thread entirely.  
Someone has already sent a request to a moderator, so you can't send one again (I think).

All users here know that it against the rules to ask for or provide assistance with bypassing security.  DangItMarilyn's user profile is only a week old, so maybe he hasn't read the rules yet.

https://www.experts-exchange.com/termsOfService.jsp

....
"You shall not engage in any of the following activities, which are strictly prohibited under this Agreement: ....
"xvi.  Violating system and network security."
....

That's my laymen interpretation.  The moderator can determine what is/isn't acceptable.