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posted by martyb on Saturday June 13 2015, @08:14PM   Printer-friendly
from the It's-Milliner-Time! dept.

We put a lot of trust in big companies, so when they let us down it can have serious consequences.

I recently went shopping for a new computer. I wanted a low-end laptop for light work, and the HP Stream seemed like a good deal. That deal was made even sweeter when Best Buy offered to sell me a returned one for almost 20 percent off. The salesman assured me that it was in like-new condition and that they would honor all warranties. Sold.

I always get a little thrill opening a new gadget. The computer looked like it had never been touched and all the paperwork was still in sealed bags. There was even a slip of paper in the box with the ID of the tech who cleaned and certified the unit.

So it surprised me when I booted up and saw someone else's name and Hotmail address at the login prompt. So much for like-new!

As I stared at the full name and e-mail address of the previous owner—let's call him David—I wondered. Could I get into this computer another way? It was mine after all. And how much more could I learn about him? How bad of a mistake had the store made?

Any similar stories out there Soylentils care to share?


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  • (Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Sunday June 14 2015, @08:53AM

    by maxwell demon (1608) on Sunday June 14 2015, @08:53AM (#196052) Journal

    Even if that user had used TrueCrypt, and had used a super-strong password instead of an easily cracked one, it still would not have helped, given that that his password got delivered with the computer. The best encryption doesn't help against someone who has your password.

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    The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
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  • (Score: 2) by Tork on Sunday June 14 2015, @02:16PM

    by Tork (3914) Subscriber Badge on Sunday June 14 2015, @02:16PM (#196124)
    Why would they have the password?
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    • (Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Sunday June 14 2015, @03:34PM

      by maxwell demon (1608) on Sunday June 14 2015, @03:34PM (#196137) Journal

      RTFA, then you know.

      --
      The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
      • (Score: 2) by Tork on Sunday June 14 2015, @06:41PM

        by Tork (3914) Subscriber Badge on Sunday June 14 2015, @06:41PM (#196210)
        I did actually, and I still don't understand what it has to do with my post. I'd never give a TrueCrypt password to Best Buy.
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