Pc's

[roizee2009]

Hi All
I have just been given a 4 yr old desktop pc with the harddrive removed by a friend of a company which has ceased trading, I am trying to get it working again i have installed a new harddrive but when i try to install a fresh legal copy of windows on it it keeps showing that it needs to be unlocked we dont know the last person that used it so we dont know the password can any give help please

[Baldric]

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Technology/Computers/Question1385917.html

[Old_Geezer]

What needs to be unlocked ?

The Windows ? If so either you have a code to enter or you don;t have a legal copy because you are paying for the licence (code) rather than the disk with software on.

If it is the disk or the PC that's locked, I think we need more info,

[Buenchico]

PCs can have two passwords on them. One is a Windows password (which you problem clearly doesn't relate to, since you've not yet installed Windows). The other is a BIOS password, which is where I assume your problem lies.

The easiest way to reset the BIOS is to remove, and then replace, the BIOS battery (otherwise known as a CMOS battery). This video seems to be ridiculously lengthy (so I've not actually viewed it all) but it looks like it shows you what to look for:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48jS06tW5jQ

[roizee2009]

Hi old_geezer
the windows 7 is a genuine disc and product key which i purchased from microsoft ,its not the disc thats locked its the pc

[roizee2009]

hi buenchico
i tried the bios battery but still the same asking for a password

[roizee2009]

hi methyl
the pc is a dell optiplex 780
the windows is win 7 pro
The screen just shows black showing the copyrights etc
then says performing IDE configeration and asking for a password

[roizee2009]

Hi old_geezer
the windows 7 is a genuine disc and product key which i purchased from microsoft ,its not the disc thats locked its the pc

[linbig]

http://www.tech-faq.com/reset-dell-bios-password.html
Have you tried this ?

[roizee2009]

methyl, Thanks i do understand the jumpers and have tried with no sucess

[roizee2009]

hi methyl
i do understand the jumpers, please ignore my earlir post as i was getting a bit irate and i did not want to appear to offend you , this pc only has a 2 pin jumper which i removed and it cleared part of the problem, i now have come across a page in black which is asking to hit F1 to continue or F2 to run setup have tried F1 but keep coming back to here again, F2 you get the DELL settings page which asks for Load Defaults, tried clicking on that you get a warning about settings will be lost clicked OK then load defaults but keeps going back to the warning, so to sum it up we have solved 1 part and now weve got another,

[roizee2009]

Hello everyone who contributed to my post, I now have sorted out the problem and the pc is working fine.
Thank you all very much