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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?
Original Submission
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday June 14 2015, @02:24AM
I had used computers, and had plenty of exposure to them. But, I never could afford to own one. Or more accurately, I COULD HAVE owned my own computer, but there were to many other things that seemed more important to me.
I stopped at an estate sale one day, and there was a computer sitting there. Sweet old lady told me that she would take fifty bucks for it. I asked about passwords, manuals, etc. She handed me a box of stuff that went with the computer. I gave her the money, carried all the components and the box of stuff to the car.
At home, the computer booted up - but no way, no how, could I find a password to get past the boot screen. No Post-It note on the monitor, no scribbled passwords in the manuals, nothing. Boot to floppy instead, and start exploring. All these years later, I can't even remember what I used to get the password, but I finally got it, along with all the data the old guy had on there. It was all personal stuff, with some useful technical. I backed up the technical stuff, and when I was sure there was nothing else useful, I wiped all the dead man's personal stuff.
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