Hello everyone,
I am new to Linux
My computer issue is that
I have deleted the partitions on my laptop in error
In addition, i have forgotten my Bios Password and
Linux admin password.
I had only been using the laptop for about 7 days before the issue
occurred.
I have two offers of help by a cp repair guy
My question is:
1) Should I wipe out the hard drive and start over without the Bios password?
2) Is it better to get the password.

This doesn't make a lot of sense.
If you have forgotten your BIOS password, you can't even boot the machine. Wiping the disk won't help in any way.
Maybe you installed an encrypted system - if you forgot that passphrase, then you have no option, you will have to wipe everything and start again. Same applies if you had a grub (bootloader) password.

Most of this should be simply achieved by booting the Linux install disk and re-installing. Presuming of course you really didn't have a BIOS password that you have forgotten.

All-in-all, if you've only been using it for a week there probably ins't many files you need to retrieve, so re-starting shouldn't be too big an issue.

1 members found this post helpful.

Hello and welcome to LQ.

Kind of hard to delete partitions usually. Not sure how you did that.
I guess it may be possible to recover.

You may not need bios password but some laptops are very difficult to get past. The company that made it may offer ways to undo that. A few linux cd's booted might remove password if you can get them to boot.

Since you have only had it a few days you might be able to just put some new linux on it again. How did you get a laptop with linux on it in the first place?

1 members found this post helpful.

Thank you for responding.
Yes, I have forgotten the Bios and the Linux Root password. I only had the laptop for about a week.
It came with Windows 7 until I installed Debian 9.
It worked well until some interference that prompted me to delete
the Debian partition.
Unable to recognize the partition - the Windows partition was deleted in error
and a USB boot was created by me in Debian.
It was simply woeful
Thank you both for your feedback
I had the Boot restored to the hard drive and currently
the system is running Ubuntu
Now, I have decided to move on and start over
I will attempt to
Install Windows 7 and partition it for Linux Red Hat
is this something you can guide me through?

If you are going to keep jumping distros like that, it will probably a recipe for frustration. Like your apparent penchant for deleting partitions.
Better perhaps to install using VirtualBox or the like till you decide.

1 members found this post helpful.

So you forgot the BIOS password and the next day you are reporting you were able to do a new install? Strange thing.

Contrary to others on this board, I'd recommend that you continue experimenting for a while. With dual boot, virtual machines, different distros. If you have a hardware where you can afford to scrap your setup and start over again that is quite useful. Try also different boor scenarios, with and without secure boot EFI boot, etc. So you are not surprised later.

If you are done and ready for a final install, consider an "easy" distro like Mint.

jlinkels

Also ... I'm a big fan of VirtualBox virtual machines. I don't dual-boot anything. I don't change the host OS: I simply run a VM. And there's Linux (or Windows, or what-have-you ...) in a window.

VirtualBox is free, but it's produced by one of the largest software companies in the world and it runs on everything. Modern microprocessors have in-hardware support for virtualization.

I often use an external (FireWire, Thunderbolt, or USB-attached) hard drive for VM storage. You can get a couple terabytes these days for about $50 at an office-supply store, and daisy-chain as many as you need. Two operating systems running on the same hardware, at the same time, yet "never the twain shall meet." (I did substantially increase the amount of RAM in the machine.)

Hi,

Welcome to LQ!
I suggest that you start the habit of creating a system log for each of your machines using a spiral notebook. Make all entries to reflect what you have done. Start the entry with a timestamp (date & time) note the changes made at that time. My entries to any of my machines system logs are detailed to assist me when and if I have to revert to a previous state.

If I make an error for an entry I just mark through then initial and timestamp that entry line (no erasure). This technique has saved me many times. Memory will fail over time but entries will not change in the system log unless physically changed. You need the habit of regular use of the log. My entries are hand printed so I can read them later. I get my spiral notebooks when on sale at the start of school. I use college ruled with different colors to denote the machine that has the assigned color. At Walmart, I can get these for 5/$1.00 when they start the clearance of school materials.

If you had documented information into a log early in the machine generation/regeneration work you could have the passwords and other general information so a recovery would be simpler.

Any tasks that I perform on a machine, be it OS Admin or physical repairs are noted in the Log. By doing this I can have a good record of the state of the machines. This type of documented history can help you to learn through your daily operations. Especially when a recovery is necessary when you may have made a error while using said machine.

Hope this helps.
Have fun & enjoy!

Thank you for responding.

Hi Sy/ I am not jumping distros. The cause was pretty much a hacking disagreement - i'll leave it at that if thats ok.

Jlinkels. Yes, It was not a full install but a USB Ubuntu install - My previous comment was due to USB being removed when wrote on the this thread. So I plan to wipe the hard drive and reinstall Linux - RedHat for a Linux course. This course includes a module on Virtual Box Machines.
By the way, this laptop is my practice laptop.
From today, I managed to recall the Bios Password.
Basically, Ubuntu install was added by a friend -
Next I need to transfer the boot from the USB to HD

Yes One Buck! I agree with you, "I suggest that you start the habit of creating a system log for each of your machines using a spiral notebook. Make all entries to reflect what you have done. Start the entry with a timestamp (date & time) note the changes made at that time. My entries to any of my machines system logs are detailed to assist me when and if I have to revert to a previous state."
Yes that was very helpful, your feedback made me feel comfortable as well. Thank you.

I am on weekend until Monday morning for computer skills.