[Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] Laptop problem

[Michael Harris]

RESOLVED for the moment.
(The laptop is a Dell XPS15-9570)
Cold-booting was not possible from its brain-damaged state. So I let it
deplete its battery, which took until this morning. At which point it
booted normally -- the PIN worked -- and various malware scans show no
problems. Magic?
Now to prevent this from happening in the future.
Thanks for the advice,
-- mh

On Mon, Jun 6, 2022 at 1:12 AM Drew King <dking65 at kingconsulting.us> wrote:

> Sorry for the previous HUGE email. The inline pics were 19.9MB!!!
>
> Attached .jpg files are only 6.5 MB.
>
>
> Michael,
>
> It's late, and I rushed to get this written, so it may not be super clear.
>
> If you have no working pin or password, I can't help you break in, sorry.
>
> I've attached some pictures with comments.
>
> Please read them carefully, as they may be your final resolution if you
> can't log back in to the system.
>
> If you know the password, one of the pictures describes how/where to enter
> the password.
>
> If you do end up re-installing Windows, I suggest either creating a new
> Microsoft account, or use one you own. Log in with that account and all of
> you documents, pictures, etc will automatically get backup up to the cloud.
>
> You should be able to do a non-destructive re-install of Windows,
> preserving your data only not applications.
> ------------------------------
>
> If the computer has NO recovery partition, you can create your own USB
> install disk. (Using another computer of course.)
> You will NEED the computers SERVICE TAG. Instructions for locating it are
> in one of the pictures. The recovery partition and the USB drive will
> contain whatever version of Windows is linked to the service tag. No
> exceptions.
>
> *How to create and use the Dell Recovery and Restore USB drive*
>
> https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000125230/how-to-create-and-use-the-dell-recovery-restore-usb-drive
>
> Summary: These instructions show you how to create the Dell Recovery and
> Restore USB drive and then how to use the drive to restore the operating
> system on a nonworking computer or tablet.
> ------------------------------
>
> Start HERE:
>
> *See attachment "Michael One.jpg"*
>
> After choosing "I forgot my PIN" you should see a screen like this one.
>
> I* STRONGLY* suggest you, and *EVERYONE *else configure your Microsoft
> account to use the *"Microsoft Authenticator"* application that gets
> installed on your cell phone. If you had been using that app, with a
> Microsoft account, you would *NOT* be locked out right now! You can turn
> that option "On" in your Microsoft account.
>
> *See attachment "Michael Two.jpg"*
>
>
> *See attachment "Michael Three.jpg"*
>
>
> On 6/5/2022 10:03 PM, Michael Harris wrote:
>
> When the startup I was in imploded in 2020, I was given a Dell laptop.
> The data plate is shown below. It has Windows 11 Pro, Microsoft 365, an
> Adobe development suite, and other stuff.
>
> In the confusion, the machine was never formally registered to me at Dell.
> The startup's domain and email accounts are dead, but the login PIN,
> hardware and software have been working fine, so I gradually forgot about
> that -- until today.
>
> When I tried to login today, the machine gave me a BitLocker error. I
> resolved that, but the machine no longer recognizes the login PIN, and the
> backup email address (and domain) are long gone.
>
> How can I best recover from this?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> -- Michael Harris
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ===============================================
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> --
> Drew King
>
>
>
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