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Started By
Message
Computer Found
Posted on 3/11/15 at 4:06 pm
Posted on 3/11/15 at 4:06 pm
So I work in property management & I occasionally come across some crazy stuff. Sorta recently I found a laptop that had been left on a property & remarkably it is in good shape. However I cannot login to the computer to use it. It's windows 7 and requires a password. Is there anyway that I can personally clear the hardrive and set it back to default settings without logging in? My boss is somewhat tech savvy and recommends me to just take it to Geeksquad & let them do it. Any help will be gladly appreciated.
7
Posted on 3/11/15 at 4:12 pm to plazadweller
quote:
I occasionally come across some crazy stuff. Sorta recently I found a laptop that had been left on a property
this thread started out with so much promise....
Posted on 3/11/15 at 4:28 pm to plazadweller
quote:
somewhat tech savvy
quote:
recommends me to just take it to Geeksquad
If it's just a Windows password protection (and not at the bios level), just put Windows on a flash drive and reinstall over the existing OS. It'll take you through the steps of wiping the partitions and whatnot. Download and reinstall drivers. Good to go.
Posted on 3/11/15 at 4:29 pm to plazadweller
It just fell off the truck....
Posted on 3/11/15 at 4:35 pm to plazadweller
Did you find it in someone's locked apartment when they were not home?
Posted on 3/11/15 at 4:55 pm to Odinson
No I evicted theses people for non payment of rent & they left a lot of shite in the unit that was 95% junk. That was 8 months ago. I found the laptop laying in the corner of a closet a few weeks ago. They owe me $2K. Do you think I give a shite about tracking them down to give them their laptop. I am going to hold on to the laptop in storage for 30 days in case someone calls claiming it as their own. By crazy I meant I have found a LOT of drugs and weird shite that I guess comes with the territory of my job.
ETA: I worry about the computer having a lot of viruses on it.
ETA: I worry about the computer having a lot of viruses on it.
This post was edited on 3/11/15 at 4:58 pm
Posted on 3/11/15 at 5:02 pm to plazadweller
quote:
My boss is somewhat tech savvy and recommends me to just take it to Geeksquad & let them do it.
Your boss is not tech savvy.
Did you try booting into Safe Mode and logging in with the 'Administrator' account? It is potentially not password protected, and you can add an account using it. You could also try hitting Ctrl-Alt-Del twice at the login. If it's enabled, you can attempt to login with the Administrator account that way.
Posted on 3/11/15 at 5:17 pm to plazadweller
(1) OPH crack...
(2) Congrats on being the one logged into a laptop that someone used for illegal things...
(3) You should take it to LSP tech group and have them check it out...
(4) Even if you wipe it, it is still possible to view old data..
Seriously...Think of the people that were there, and imagine what they would have looked for on the internet..
Then, wonder what would make them just leave a laptop
ETA: You said you evicted them 8 months ago, but you're going to wait 30 days before you do anything...Your story is, entertaining, at the least
(2) Congrats on being the one logged into a laptop that someone used for illegal things...
(3) You should take it to LSP tech group and have them check it out...
(4) Even if you wipe it, it is still possible to view old data..
Seriously...Think of the people that were there, and imagine what they would have looked for on the internet..
Then, wonder what would make them just leave a laptop
ETA: You said you evicted them 8 months ago, but you're going to wait 30 days before you do anything...Your story is, entertaining, at the least
This post was edited on 3/11/15 at 5:19 pm
Posted on 3/12/15 at 11:53 am to plazadweller
easiest thing to do is to replace the hdd with a new one, load windoz on it and you're done. keep the old hdd in case the geeks want to claim it some day. and you can always wipe the drive then reformat it at some future date. this way, you'll have use of it, and no fear of virus etc
in the meantime you can look for a way to crack the password
now hooking up the OLD hdd to an external adapter, you can have malwarebytes check that specific drive for crud and it will quarrantine any for you.
so you got plenty of options
in the meantime you can look for a way to crack the password
now hooking up the OLD hdd to an external adapter, you can have malwarebytes check that specific drive for crud and it will quarrantine any for you.
so you got plenty of options
Posted on 3/12/15 at 12:29 pm to GrammarKnotsi
quote:
(4) Even if you wipe it, it is still possible to view old data..
show me
Posted on 3/12/15 at 12:34 pm to gmrkr5
quote:
show me
This is one of MANY..
If you counter with a DOD wipe, you know more than OP and 90% of users
Posted on 3/12/15 at 2:33 pm to GrammarKnotsi
quote:
This is one of MANY..
If you counter with a DOD wipe, you know more than OP and 90% of users
that talks about recovering deleted data, not data from a hard drive that has been wiped with multiple passes of 1s and 0s. if a hard drive has been wiped with multiple passes of 1s and 0s you are not recovering any data from it unless you have one of these and are VERY skilled in using it
Posted on 3/12/15 at 2:38 pm to gmrkr5
quote:
that talks about recovering deleted data
That is what 95% of the population does to redo Windows...
quote:
not data from a hard drive that has been wiped with multiple passes of 1s and 0s
I covered that..I knew you would say DOD wipe
These programs restore files from re-formatted disks...You don't magically lose all your history when you install new 7 over old 7...
We just send ours to the FBI when someone thinks they are smarter than machines..
Posted on 3/12/15 at 2:42 pm to GrammarKnotsi
quote:
That is what 95% of the population does to redo Windows...
huh?
quote:
You don't magically lose all your history when you install new 7 over old 7...
history? i think we're comparing apples to oranges here
quote:
We just send ours to the FBI when someone thinks they are smarter than machines..
cause the FBI is clearly the most competent forensic investigators in all the land lemme tell you. i'll give you a hard drive to send to the FBI. let me know the results...
Posted on 3/12/15 at 2:45 pm to gmrkr5
quote:
gmrkr5
I'm not sure what you're getting at...If someone formats a drive, installs an OS and rolls with it, the simple program I linked will find old files..
If someone DOD wipes, nucs, whatever, you're going to need a forensics lab...
Posted on 3/12/15 at 2:55 pm to GrammarKnotsi
quote:
This is one of MANY..
I've used that one before and it's pretty good. But I used it for a drive that failed and was able to recover 90% of my stuff....thankfully.
Posted on 3/12/15 at 3:11 pm to GrammarKnotsi
the OP said this....
Why would wiping the drive not be the appropriate action here?
forensic lab isnt going to help you if i've overwritten the data multiple times with random characters
quote:
Is there anyway that I can personally clear the hardrive and set it back to default settings without logging in?
Why would wiping the drive not be the appropriate action here?
quote:
If someone DOD wipes, nucs, whatever, you're going to need a forensics lab...
forensic lab isnt going to help you if i've overwritten the data multiple times with random characters
Posted on 3/12/15 at 3:15 pm to gmrkr5
quote:
Why would wiping the drive not be the appropriate action here?
Because if OP is asking the question on TD, his version of wipe it, is to reinstall Windows...
Whatever weird shite was there and bad enough that the laptop was left behind, will still be there...
Yes, its a worst case and hypothetical scenario, but OP would be responsible for whatever was on the hard drive...
Posted on 3/12/15 at 3:17 pm to GrammarKnotsi
quote:
Because if OP is asking the question on TD, his version of wipe it, is to reinstall Windows...
Whatever weird shite was there and bad enough that the laptop was left behind, will still be there...
Yes, its a worst case and hypothetical scenario, but OP would be responsible for whatever was on the hard drive...
3 passes with DBAN. question answered
This post was edited on 3/12/15 at 3:18 pm
Posted on 3/12/15 at 3:28 pm to gmrkr5
quote:
3 passes with DBAN. question answered
I will agree...
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