I was preparing my ThinkPad X280 for sale, but I guess the goobers over at “Multiplex Global” didn’t unenroll the computer from Autopilot properly when they sent it off to recycling.

I totally forgot about this. I had actually sent some emails to some contacts of theirs I had found online, getting zero response.

Assholes.

@maddy wait, why does that prevent you from selling it?

@solonovamax I can’t expect the average user to know how to get around that.
The moment they connect it to the Internet, which is required with Win11 OOBE, it will force them to log in with valid Metroplex Global credentials to continue.

@maddy similar problem, my thinkpad t570 is still enrolled in some device guard thing and i dont have the “supervisor password”, so i cant sell it

@maddy ah

@maddy sell it as a librebooted device, that way you only get offers from people who would know how to solve smth like that

@solonovamax I’m not looking for more hassle.

@maddy I was going to suggest installing libreboot (which would probably increase the resale value and mean that Autopilot status wouldn't matter), but it appears that that exact model isn't supported in coreboot yet (if you want to try porting it though, I can help)

@maddy What is Autopilot?

@jenny753 It’s basically device management for any Windows computer that allows configuration and applications to be installed remotely, requiring a valid login associated with the organization that enrolled the computer with Autopilot. Survives a clean wipe and re-install.

@noisytoot Not looking to put more effort into something I’m trying to offload, but thank you.

@maddy Interesting

@maddy fair

@maddy can you force it to downgrade into Windows Home by applying an evaluation key from CMD during OOBE?
I’m not sure if you can enroll Windows home in Autopilot so not sure what the result will be.
You can open cmd by pressing F10 I think

@kemona_halftau @maddy they should make it as easy to reset as dell do on their desktops (where there's just a jumper to reset it)

at least bootguard is broken on that generation so in a few years someone will probably port coreboot to it and you'll be able to bypass it that way (or if you ever want to port coreboot, I can help)

@Baa Not sure if I can downgrade it when it’s already installed as Pro, but I could modify a Windows install image to ignore the baked-in product key on the machine and manually choose Home.

(sorry, I missed this earlier)

I offered to sell to a friendo who is familiar with the issue and is comfortable bypassing it, but they passed.

I’m either gonna need to find a buyer that’s comfortable bypassing it on their own or running a different OS altogether, or find another use for it at home.

@maddy how much are you selling for /j

@maddy also this is a stupid question, but couldn't you install linux on it, then wipe the install and install windows that way...?

@genshibe No, autopilot enrollment survives swapping out certain hardware like storage, and survives a disk wipe.

@maddy darn :(

@maddy i misread this as copilot for some reason ​​

Reached out to Multiplex Global through their “contact us” page rather than figuring out how they format their corporate email addresses, find key people through LinkedIn or other channels, and emailing them directly.

Maybe this time I’ll get a response? We’ll see.

@maddy they might have had a mimecast esc filter that blocks all external emails that aren’t approved by the it admin, i hope you get a response this time!

Holy crap, they responded!

I’m gonna have to try the OOBE while connected to the Internet tonight and see what happens.

They did it! No more Autopilot enrollment, and the OOBE completes normally when connected to the Internet!

Oh yeah, so in case you didn’t know, OOBE in this context means “Out of box experience”. I use this term to refer to the initial setup of Windows that happens when you unbox a new computer or do a clean install.

@maddy Aaaaaaaa!!!!