i acquired a laptop out of an abandoned vehicle we towed...(i processed the vehicle like were supposed to so it belongs to me before all you start bitching about someone stealing something)...my question is this.is there a way to bypass the old screen name and password and clear out the cpu and start over?

 

What operating system? There are ways to reset the password, but if you are just going to format and reinstall everything anyways, just boot up with your disc and format it that way.

 

well the home page when you turn it on has a flower in a box and says windows vista home basic on the bottom....excuse me im about cpu illiterate...but im guessing thats what you wanted to know

 

if I was to try getting into a locked laptop i had forgotten or misplaced the password for, here is what I would do: hit ctrl-alt-delete, that is the administrator backdoor login. then hit enter. the default administrator for vista does not have a password usually. this SHOULD allow you to log in to the machine. then you can systematically go through and wipe everything clean.

***NOTE*** Technically, having had a car reposessed before, I know that the car is the only thing that belongs to you, even after the paperwork is completed (this applies to abandoned vehicles as well). the contents (all personal belongings) are legally still the property of the previous owner, and you are bound by law to return them to said owner. as far as the laptop goes, should you choose not to attempt to return that, the previous owner can pursue legal action against you for grand larceny (depending on the value of the laptop), not to mention the "value" of the possible intellectual property contained in said laptop.

 

Yeah, I'm thinking that you're about to be arrested for grand larceny, a felony, if the owner of that laptop presses charges since you know who it belongs to and somehow feel that it was yours to take simply because it was in a car.

 

ok well control alt delete doesnt do crap...any other ideas...

 

ok well thats good and for all yall that dont know shit legally i can sue the owners for all fees incurred in storage and processing of this vehicle....so if your willing to pay me my money then you can have this laptop...now back to the actual question...

 

take computer classes

 

get a life

 

Vehicle is not the same as a laptop. You are attempting to bypass security measures while it is supposed to be in your care. Same with opening a locked briefcase in a car.

Oh, and I'm on several legislative advisory committees -- I help write the laws.