Won a del Inspiron 1525 laptop, but it is password protected and they do not know what it is been told I have to pay Del if I want to get it removed or reset, anyone know a way around that, even would work if I could get a recovery disk or memory stick I was told.

I'd just wipe it clean, and re-install the OS. You won a used laptop?

Does your used Porsche also need an ignition system?

Is it password protected at the bios or the operating system?

Do a *secure* wipe of the drive.

Reinstall. It is HIGHLY preferable to use Linux. All free and fully functional.

Google will explain everything in great detail.

My first thought as well. If you do not know the history of the device, a complete wipe and re-load of the O/S would reduce the possibility of bringing something along from a past life that you do not want to deal with...

+1 on a clean wipe
+1 on Ubuntu LINUX-- THis is what I use on nearly all my home machines.

I'm also hesitant to start giving out instructions for defeating passwords in an online forum. Yes, there are ways. I've done it. The problem is that I really don't know the reality of the situation-- whose laptop it is, and why you have it.

A reformatting of the drive and a clean install of the OS pretty much gets rid of all those questions.

I have an article on how to test-drive and then install Linux. I recommend Linux Mint over Ubuntu, but the steps are the same for any Linux OS you choose. Send me a PM with your email address so I can attach the article.

My first thought is that you "won" an obsolete and worn out laptop. The Inspiron 1525 was released in 2008, so it's a pretty old machine. I'd bet that at minimum, you'll need a new battery and a charge cord. You may even need to upgrade the memory and hard disk to gain enough resources to run even a lightweight Linux OS like Zorin or Feren (either of which will be MUCH safer, secure, and faster than whatever Windows is on it now. It came with that godawful Vista Home Basic!) It's a good thing all Linux OS are free because whatever you got that laptop for, you're likely going to need to spend some more.

Edit to add: I had a laptop from 2012 that I gave to Wabigoon when his machine died a few months ago. I shipped it to him with Linux Feren installed on it, and he's doing just fine using Linux. If he can jump right in and use Linux with no transition woes, so can you. It's nothing to fear. Maybe he'll even reply here to assure you.

I've never seen anything about Linux so I'm pretty ignorant about it. I have been thinking lately about getting away from Microsoft though. Are there any downsides to Linux?

The only real downside is if you are a heavy gamer or need to run some "Windows-only" software like Adobe stuff that can't be "translated" to run on Linux. If you're an average home user, you'll never miss Windows. Quite the opposite - you'll be so damn glad you're rid of it that you'll bless the day you went to Linux.

PM me with your email.

If you want to see what's on the machine before you wipe the disk clean, boot it up using Windows 98, There is no security on Windows 98,

Think also that the laptop may have been compromised/infected, causing the previous owner great grief, leading to donation to get rid of the mess.
A big upvote on the wipe and reinstall.
On the other hand , if it wears the initials "H.B.", it may have great value as is.

Here's a 24-minute video about setting up Linux Mint for the first time. Watch it and get a feel for how familiar it is and how easy the transition can be. Then read my article and get started. Trying any version of Linux on a bootable USB stick is risk-free without wiping out your existing system.

I used a USB stick loaded with Linux to break into a dead relative's PC and recover all the files. That machine was running Windows 8.

I don't remember the details and don't know if it still works (on Windows 10), but you might want to look into it if you value the files.

It’s Pelosi’s!

There are several ways to game on linux. Good games too. With good performance.

Wine is a possibility for some Windows only software. Distributions have it in their repository. That all said, Windows software on Linux is a bad idea overall.
https://www.winehq.org/

I agree most people will never notice Windows being gone. Microsoft sucks.

The only downside I have found is it's a pain in the ass to get loaded and working, I still haven't got it to load and I'm somewhat familiar with installing OS but it still doesn't want to cooperate on any of the machines I've tried to load it on. I'd love to get it working but have given up on it after many tries. YMMV

The other thing I might add here is LINUX usually gives better performance than Windows on basic tasks. I have mostly older computers, and I'm running mostly Ubuntu Linux 21.04 (the latest). These machines are mostly from 2012-2017 in vintage. They run faster with Ubuntu than WIN 7 or WIN 10.

If you know what you are dong this linux build is invaluable for may many things. It's dirt cheap but well worth the few bucks.
https://partedmagic.com/

Two obstacles may arise when trying to recover a deceased loved ones files.
1) bios password, don't know anything about this so google is your friend here.
2) full disk encryption, you are SOL in this case. Stuff is gone unless you know the password.

If you use a mature distribution like ubuntu things usually go pretty well.

There are times when linux causes grief. This is true. Google is very helpful here because there is an enormous amount of info on line to help people.

The laptop that I gave to Wabigoon is one I bought on eBay (for $75) to test drive numerous Linux distributions (or versions). It's a 2012 machine, and there were some distros of Linux that would not load or even test-run from a USB stick. I tried nearly 20 different versions of Linux on that machine, of which only two or three would not load. So it is possible that a given machine and a given OS will not be compatible, especially older machines and cutting-edge Linux distros. Not a big deal, as there are literally hundreds of Linux variations. The three I'd strongly recommend looking at are definitely Mint Cinnamon and then Feren or Zorin Core, the latter two for less-capable machines.

It may have a recovery partition.

On some Dell's you access it with control + F11 at first boot. Or maybe just f8 then select recovery.

Like others have said Linux works well on older hardware. And in my limited experience its best on intel chipsets.

if you don't know what is on it buy a new hard drive and a usb drive enclosure, and build a fresh system.
you can then examine the old drive to see what is on it and scan it for malware and viruses...

There's nothing better than winning or being gifted something that turns into a project you never wanted in the first place. I'd rather they give it to Goodwill instead of running it through me first.

Borrow Hilliary’s rag to wipe it..😡

Much depends on what' level the password is at, could be anything from bios, disk encryption or just windows.

But yes, you have someone else's laptop DO NOT PUT THIS ON A NETWORK. Wipe it clean and start from scratch. If you don't know how to do this, any geek shop can help you for a few bucks.

Unless a guy is looking for learning experience with computers, and/or wishing to experiment with a new OS, It might well be cheaper and much less frustrating to just drop the free laptop into the garbage can. Then go down to Walmart or Staples and see what you can get for three hundred bucks.

A hammer…. Works everytime.

A new OS shouldn't be daunting. You've probably learned a smart phone's Android or iPhone system. That's a new OS. You managed that, right? Trust me, a Linux system will look and feel familiar. And the only thing you need to find out is a USB stick/thumb drive.

I forgot to mention it was in a bunch of stuff in an auction, So that is why they had no knowledge of password, when fired up it shows TJ as the owner and it is asking for the password.

Don't know if dip switches still exist, but years back I could switch pins on the mother board and eliminate the need for hardware password. One might still be forced into a password by Windows though.

Just did a upgrade to 10 from 7 on this workstation and it was smooth sailing.

I keep threatening to set up a multiboot system. But just have not had the nuts to do it yet.
I want it to boot to:
Win 98
XP pro
And a Linux distro.

I want to introduce the grandkids to all of these thirty year old games and and combat aircraft sims still sitting on the shelves.

I am not sure what hyperspeed, multicore processors will do to the game play or video rendering.

I have original install discs for the operating systems, if I can get past Windows Validation because they have been previously certified on another MB.

tag

You bid on an unknown box of crap?

Wow, what a score!!!

I was thinking that or storage unit buyout kind of thing.
if you have a working computer you could just pull the hard drive from the auction machine (usually removal of one to five screws required) put it in an enclosure and run virus malware scans on it as a slaved drive.
the directory lists will tell you what software is on it.
geek squad could probably rebuild the HD for you, but I would put a solid state drive in if it doesn't have one.

Well, I've said my piece. Partsman can have a fully functional laptop for no additional cost and about an hour's time if he just does what I suggested.