I am currently in possession of a Dell Precision 5550 my school gave me and didn't ask for back; this happened 1.5-2 years ago so I forgot I even had it. I would like to use this as a personal laptop to replace my old desktop; however, the BIOS is locked, and it is running heavily restricted Windows, making it practically just a web browser.I have already read a fair bit about how this is difficult but all info regarding actually unlocking it doesn't work--any advice? Is there a reliable way to do this without having to do anything to the BIOS chips? I am fairly technical but currently do not have access to the required tools for soldering/chip flashing. I do not have a USB-C flashdrive, but since I can't even open BIOS boot order due to admin lock, I doubt it would work.Laptop model: Dell Precision 5550Bios Version: 1.22.0BIOS Mode: UEFICPU: i7-10750HGPU: Quadro T2000 (Max-Q Design)RAM: 32GiBShould this be unfeasible/too painful, I am thinking of buying a ThinkPad P53 as an alternative.I can provide more specifics if need be.
>>107684206take the hard drive out and install another os on it, then put it back in the computer
>>107684261>take the hard drive out and install another os on it, then put it back in the computerThe BIOS is locked through so I can't disable secure boot; I need Linux to run of this for personal usage.
>>107684206Give it back, Jamal. You will be the reason they won't hand out free laptops in the future.
>>107684291Linux works just fine with Secure Boot.
Return that which thou hath unlawfully taken, DaKwantus
>>107684379>Linux works just fine with Secure Boot.I thought that was only true for Microsoft signed distros (i.e., RHEL, Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, etc.), but that some distros like Arch, Void, and Gentoo won't boot?
>>107684206give it back, tyrone, you fucking nigger
>>107684663>distros like Arch, Void, and Gentoo won't bootSounds like a problem with those distros, which Anon can simply avoid.
>>107684663There is always a solution, tech cannot monopolize tech.
>>107684206If you can buy another computer, you can buy some basic soldering equipment or a BIOS programmer.
>>107684944>If you can buy another computer, you can buy some basic soldering equipment or a BIOS programmer.(De)soldering SMDs on a laptop where making a single mistake would likely destroy it completely isn't a great risk to take when the laptop still has resale value. Buying a programmer and soldering gear is extra money that could just be put towards a P53 instead, which is a better laptop and is vastly more upgradable.
