dumpster dinning for a laptop

[RedFanta]

I jumped in a dumpster for a laptop that was thrown away. Its a HP 3000 and not a scratch on it. I bought a ac cord for it, plugged the laptop in and got one beep on the start up. On the LED across the top of the "F" keys has a blinking picture of a paddle lock. I am sure the previous owner has locked people out like me. There is nothing on the screen and I guess my questions are as follows: should anything be on the screen if the laptop is in lock out? Also is there away to crack through this lock out besides replacing the hard drive? Owning a laptop has always been a dream and the wife wont let me buy one, so this is the closest I can get right now. Any help would be appreciated since this is new territory for me.
thanks,
red

[Jimstep]

Don't laptops have a hidden reset switch under one of the covers on the bottom of the unit that will reset conditions like this? Look around and see if you can find it.

[mcpotay]

Try here, it's a free call
http://www.swstars.com/services/password/

[Psycho Logical]

I thought the term was "dumpster diving" not "dinning" (which should be spelled d-i-n-i-n-g in any case).

[$1500-P4 gamer]

O.K.- there are two types of passwords. One thats for windows and one that is for bios! The one locking you out is in bios! Changeing the HDD will have no effect. All you have to do is remove the bios battery or reset bios. Now you may not get into windows as I'm sure thats password protected too, but atleast you could reinstall windows through a boot disk! Peace!:D

[RedFanta]

OK so I misspelled dining! I call it dumpster dining only after I find something. So its diving before, and dining after.
I unscrewed every screw I could get my hands on and cant get into the laptop to get to the internal battery to reset the bio. I can remove the hard drive, the cd-rom, the rechargable battery but thats as far as I get.
I take it that its a normal round flat battery? Keep the info coming, I want to beat this lock out!

thanks,
red

PS excuse any misspelled words...:-)

[bpan]

You might want to check the tech support section of HP's website for information on how to reset the bios and/or password.

I know that for my Dell Inspiron 3000, it's more than just disconnecting the battery, and there IS no internal jumper to do the trick.

Some notebooks actually have the password in flash, and the only way to reset it is to send it back to the factory for service.

I think that's why I've never set the password on my Dell.

[RedFanta]

there aint **** on hp website for help on replacing the CMOS battery on the hp 3000. I took every screw imaginable off the laptop and started to pry the thing apart but couldnt get to anything. I want to stay as close to "free" as possible to get this laptop to work for me. Whats a guy to do?

[MMock]

ok did you even try to boot to a floppy at all yet?

[bpan]

Ahem, I'll clarify...

Many new computers do not specifically have a CMOS "coin" battery. In an effort to make the units more secure (from theft of data) the concept is to put the "password" data in flash, which cannot be cleared by removing a battery, or jumper.

It is my understanding that many notebooks which use this scheme CANNOT be cleared/unlocked without having the flash "chip" removed and either re-programmed or replaced.

Since this unit has "not a scratch on it", one can only assume it was stolen, and the perpetrator of THAT crime ran into the same problem you are.

I suggest you do the responsible thing and leave it alone, and report it stolen to your local police... who knows, you might get a decent reward for turning it in.

Just because you "found it" in a dumpster doesn't mean it's morally correct to assume it's yours.

What right-minded owner of such a notebook would just throw it in a dumpster, eh?

[MMock]

nice point i didnt think that it could be stolen! how old does it look?

[RedFanta]

I dont think its stolen and here is why. The dumsters I found this laptop in was one of 5 lined up for the community spring clean. Along with this laptop where 4 other computers in the same cardboard box. They were a few apples, compaqs along with printers, apple printer cartridges, etc... so that is why I dont think its stolen. This community is a wealthy community that throws things out if it doesnt work or gets old. I have a line of computers in the basement that I pulled off the curbs in this city. These right-minded residents throw out their computers with all information and personal info still on the computer hard drive. Everything from bank account info to AOL accounts. I do the RIGHT thing by reformating the hard drive erasing all that info. My job allows me to travel through these streets and observe garbage days. Sure its possible that is laptop could be stolen, but I doubt it.
The laptop is a hp 3000 and according to the info I pulled off the internet its a 200 MMX pentium, 4.0 gig hard drive. There is a cd-rom tray but no floppy.
There is a littlle trap door that exposed two funky squares about the size of a quarter. Could these be the flash memory?

again thanks for the help...

[wizofid]

CMOS KILL - - burn it to a cd and make it bootable -

the problem you are having is a bios password - I had a network admin do that to a box -

wiz

[Duke523]

Jumping in dumpsters for computer compunets sounds familer. JUMP IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rangeral]

Sorry but this post will be closed whether its stolen or not or old or new, since there's no ownership mentioned here anybody who steals something will start coming here asking for serials, password cracking, warez links and the like.

We do not want to promote this sort of thing, besides the fact I'm getting complaints about this. Since we don't really know whether its stolen or not and I'm not saying you did so before your feathers get ruffled we do have to protect the integrity of this site, so please don't ask these sort of questions again. Were here to help but to a point, thank you.