Ownership transfer of auction PC

You will need to know the original owner in order to transfer the ownership of the computer.

If the seller can't unlock the system, return it for a refund.  Otherwise, you'll be adding the cost of a replacement mainboard to the purchase price.

@DELL-Jesse L​  I feared as much. Sad.

@user_253a8f​ appreciate the response.

I will try your suggestion next; it can't hurt. 

I am resigned to buy an EPROM from Ebay and solder the thing myself.

I can totally understand Dell's perspective of a security risk, but with the amount of businesses going under and selling their assests to pay debtors, you would think that Dell would understand the need for such transfers.

Few are those who buy used PC's. Fewer still that would buy a BIOS locked PC.

Granted, the fair majority probably are unconcerned with a locked BIOS, so maybe I am out of touch! Haha!

@user_253a8f​ I appreciate the empathy and kind remarks. 

I'll soldier on. The Right to Repair movement needs to persevere lest we shackle ourselves to corporate nonsense.

@HopefulCanadian​ This has nothing to do with right to repair - it has everything to do with selling stolen computers.

The eBay seller had to know who he bought it from. They can give you that info and you can ask for ownership transfer.

I ran into a similar situation with a trusted eBay seller - the computer was fine until the first update, when the computer turned out to be locked to a school. The seller had no issues refunding it.

@ECharles​ I, respectfully, disagree with your opinion. I do think this is a right to repair issue.

If a large company that filed for bankruptcy has dissolved and they had a plethora of computers, a reseller would pick them up in bulk for pennies on the dollar. To have a genuine purchaser then try to resell to another, there should be a valid method of transferring ownership. I can concede that it may be a method to prevent theft, but if that was the genuine use case, then any manufacturer could enforce Apple like restrictions: device locked, device tracking, etc.

A BIOS lock with full function OS does not prevent theft or even the usage of the device. I had full control over the OS, I was only restricted from attempting to boot a new OS from USB.

I did contact the Ebay seller; they did not have the pertinent information for this device as it was a bulk lot from another seller.

Regardless, $30 of tools, 3 hours of crossing fingers, EPROM dump and edit: BIOS unlocked, Linux loaded, and a perfect device for my homelab....If only ram pricing hadn't 5x'd!

Happy Holidays to all that replied.

@HopefulCanadian​ The seller you bought it from should have known who they bought it from who it turn should have known where they got it.

Just because I say it is mine doesn't make it mine. Once you can prove ownership, then Dell will be happy to put it in your name and help you unlock whatever you need unlocked.

this has nothing to do with right to repair - Dell is pretty open about putting repair manuals on the internet and certainly doesn't say 'you need to send it back to us to replace....'

Funny you reference Apple...

I guess we'll just have to disagree on that, my northern neighbor, but we won't disagree on wishing each other a happy, healthy, pleasant and safe holiday. 😊

Yes, we can agree to disagree. My point was that an insolvent company in dissolution would not be overly willing to ensure ownership transfer of their assets.

Yes, I am not oblivious to naming Apple as a pioneer for Right to Repair! Lmao! That IS funny, though!

Thank you, and I wish you the very best to you and yours. 

@HopefulCanadian​ The company doesn't really have to do much. All you need is their basic information - As far as I can tell (from past transfers) only the company name and postal codes is required. The transfer should go smoothly UNLESS the computer has been identified as stolen. 

The original owner needs to do nothing to transfer ownership - as long as they haven't reported it stolen.

@ECharles​ yes, I am aware of the information required for title transfer. When it is a lot buy that has changed hands numerous times, most likely mixed with other lot buys from wholesalers, the task is not as simple as you are stating.

I have attempted a title transfer 3 times. This is a Washington device, bought and sold I do not know how many times, to end in Vancouver on ebay. Obviously, without the required information, one is left with the alternative of editing the EPROM. I bought this device, knowingly, with a Admin BIOS lock.

I made the post merely to seek a Dell agent to verify that there is no alternative to knowing a Company name and Zip code for title transfer: i.e invoice from Ebay, Ebay seller information, etc.

Thank you for your response.

@HopefulCanadian​ One of the things you can try is to reach out to Dell. There is a link to actually email a rep (explaining the situation) on the US warranty transfer page. I'm not sure if the Canadian site is the same Ownership Transfer | Dell US As you proceed through that process, I found a link to the customer service folks.

Good luck