<p>I work at this computer repair place, and I happend to find this laptop laying around. And decided that I would like to use as a service computer. So I was working with it, and then all of a sudden the boss says "Get it ready so that we can sell it." How to I put a lockdown in a sense on the computer, so that you can't get in it at all, without the password at the start up? Perhaps putting a password on bios along with the windows password would work?</p>
<p>And your reason for "locking down" this particular laptop?</p>
<p>The purpose of a password is to keep anyone but the principal user/admin out of the system. Even then, a dialog box usually pops up asking for the password which would clue anyone (including your boss) that a password protect was being used...</p>
<p>If you REALLY want to do this, password-protect BIOS, and then change the boot configuration every time you're done using it to boot up from nothing. Then, when you go use it, go into BIOS, set it to boot from the hard drive, do your stuff, restart, change the boot configuration back, and turn it off.</p>
<p>However, I would imagine that it'd be a LOT easier (and less risky) just to explain the situation to your boss.</p>
<p>You're also presuming that your boss doesn't know how to access the BIOS and reset the boot order...and see that somebody password protected the system...</p>
<p>Yes, but it is a computer, we have had over a year, thus we never bought it off someone. We just tested it, and they never came to pick it up. I could some how play it off, by password protecting everything, and if he some how figures how to get past the password. Perhaps I should take a screen shot, and remove all the icons, so he will think that it just keeps locking up :p</p>
<p>Removing all the icons from the Windows startup screen is not considered "locking up"... There are keyboard shortcuts like the "Windows" key to get into the hard drive.</p>
<p>Most states have laws about what constitutes abandonment of personal property. If the laptop has been sitting around for a year and your boss has made attempts to contact the owner, he could place a lien on it for diagnostic services. </p>
<p>Why not ask him to sell it to you? Take it out of your pay over time...</p>
<p>^
^
I know it's not looking up but it would be a last resort granted he could get through all the passwords some how. I'd buy it, but what's the point of buying a laptop when I'll be getting one next year for college. Besides I just plan on using it there at work. Not for home use.</p>
<p>lets say he cant get through the passwords...he can just flash the bios. then he can't get past the windows passwords, so he reformats the hard drive...</p>
<p>;)</p>
<p>ehh getting through a windows password (and having physical access to the machine) is just a piece of cake, and I'm sure the boss knows this.</p>
<p>today i reset my bios by pulling out the button shaped battery on the mobo, and my damn computer still wont load!! it gets to the loading windows thing with the windows screen, and the bars get all teh way to the right and fill up, then the computer restarts. any ideas anybody?</p>
<p>Taffy: I take it that you didn't copy down your BIOS settings before you removed the battery? </p>
<p>Since your computer is trying to boot, it could be the BIOS settings are off. You need to access your BIOS settings and go through them to verify that everything is set correctly. Hopefully you have a manual for the mobo that describe the BIOS settings...</p>
<p>about 2 weeks ago my dads friend tried to OC my computer by changing one of the advanced bios settings to ULTRA or something like that. i couldnt find the setting to change it back, and i think thats the only thing that has ever been changed, so i just reset the whole thing.</p>
<p>Taffy: The following article refers to Ultra DMA and DMA settings in the BIOS. While the article referes to Windows 2000, the latter part of the article seems to apply to your situation. </p>
<p>Hope this helps...</p>
<p>thanks, i'll give it a try</p>