Inheriting Tech: Seeking Advice on Unlocking Computers and Reinstalling Software
Losing a loved one is never easy, and dealing with their possessions can add another layer of complexity to the grieving process. Recently, I found myself in this situation after my brother passed away, leaving me with several computers. While I have some experience in building PCs—albeit from about 15 years ago—I’m feeling a bit out of touch with tech advancements and troubleshooting methods.
I took the machines to a local repair technician, who was able to navigate past the boot sequence and grant me access to the desktop and files. However, he pointed out a significant hurdle: it appears that my brother may have password protected network access via the BIOS settings. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to modify these protections to regain full control.
This brings me to my main question: Is it possible to flash the BIOS? Furthermore, if I were to purchase a copy of Windows 10, could that potentially resolve my connectivity issues? My goal is straightforward—I need a functional PC so my partner can experiment with a newly inherited Silhouette Printer that requires either Mac OS 11 or a compatible version of Windows.
While the hardware itself is performing well, the Software constraints are proving to be a frustrating roadblock. If you have any suggestions or insights on how to navigate this situation, your advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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