I have a Dell Latitude laptop running Windows 10 that my university gave me years ago as part of a learning disability accommodation. It's been in storage for almost ten years, and now that my mum found it, I want to use it for my job. However, when I boot it up, it asks for my university login, which I believe I can't access anymore because my accounts were deleted long ago. I tried to use the Shift + Restart method, but it requests a BitLocker recovery key, and I'm unsure if the university has that. Some screens mention needing recovery tools and show a confusing UEFI page. Is there any way I can hard reset this laptop myself, or should I take it to a local tech shop for help?
2 Answers
Check if the BIOS is locked. If you can get into BIOS settings (usually by pressing F2 or Delete while starting up), you should see options that allow you to boot from a USB. If it's locked down, you might be stuck without the university's help.
If you're able to access the BIOS without any password, it’s not locked! Just look for a ‘Boot’ tab and adjust the order.
You could try reinstalling Windows. It's usually a straightforward process if you have a bootable USB with the Windows installation files. Just change the boot order in the BIOS so that it boots from the USB instead of the hard drive.
How do I actually do that? I found some threads online, but I’m not clear on the steps.
If you need help making a bootable USB, just Google 'Media Creation Tool' and follow the instructions from Microsoft. It's pretty simple!
How do I figure out if it's locked? I have no idea what I'm doing with BIOS.