Device and method for determining the status of a used electronic device

A method, comprising:

• under control of one or more processors including program instructions to:
• in response to coupling to an electronic device, communicate, from a diagnostic device, diagnostic code to the electronic device related to a boot sequence of the electronic device;
• prevent any boot sequence including the boot sequence;
• force the electronic device into a secure output mode wherein only a diagnostic state of hardware and software of the electronic device are accessed and communicated;
• receive the diagnostic state of the hardware and the software while operating in the secure output mode;
• and
• communicate the diagnostic state to a user.

A system for determining the status of an electronic device comprising:

• a diagnostic device having a memory to store executable instructions and one or more processors, when implementing the executable instructions, to:
• in response to coupling to an electronic device, communicate diagnostic code to the electronic device related to a boot sequence of the electronic device;
• prevent any boot sequence including the boot sequence;
• force the electronic device into a secure output mode wherein only a diagnostic state of hardware and software of the electronic device are accessed and communicated;
• receive a diagnostic state of the hardware and the software while operating in the secure output mode, the diagnostic state including at least a last known diagnostic state of software of the electronic device, last known diagnostic state of hardware of the electronic device, or a last known state of the electronic device that is recorded and updated upon a shutdown process;
• and
• communicate the diagnostic state to a user.