So annoyed that BIOS is totally locked down on a used laptop.. impossible to install linux
So annoyed that BIOS is totally locked down on a used laptop.. impossible to install linux
My friend gave me their old laptop before they left town. I was going to install linux on it and use it for a server.
I have basically given up doing anything because the BIOS is locked with a Secure Boot supervisor password which I guess they forgot about being there.
I've sent a message asking if they happen to remember it and would feel comfortable sharing it if it is not one they use for anything else. But the odds of both those things being the case are slim and I don't feel good about trying to get someone to share any password. Especially since it was so kind to just give me the machine in the first place. It's not practical to physically get the device and the person together in the near future.
It's impossible (or past my skill level) to install linux on this thing without the freaking password. I did manage to install windows. Last time I did that it was win2k. It will boot OK but I can't use that to circumvent the lock. But Ubuntu and a couple other distros are no gos.
It is so fucked that computers can be rendered bricks like this. Obviously yet another way to design in obsolescence disguised as a security feature. Encryption is one thing; this is independent of any data.
Gaaaaaah I spent most of the weekend trying to install linux on this otherwise perfectly functional machine. I think it's toast though.
You're viewing a single thread.
Permanently Deleted
hmm interesting
website has a new kind of "are you human" which I can't seem to solve so searched via
site:and I find a close model number (the devices share a user manual) but not the exact one. This would be a major learning project so might take me a while to get to it.when you say "usb tools" what do you mean?
which I can't seem to solve
Ah yes fellow human, I too struggle with this inefficient validation method.
it all depends on your model because some need a program from the mfr and some are just the right filename on a thumb stick. I am working on a lenovo right now with the same issue as you if you look at the 'start here' thread i tried to link it walks you through how to get help there
where/what is the start here thread sorry?
Just that you know, the last letters or digits frequently refer to the color of your model, so you might have no difference internally between two models.