A lot of us buy laptops off eBay or Craigslist, and we don't get the sellers name, or the seller isn't the original buyer. If it has any warranty left, you definitely want it in your name, so you can use if your Dell unfortunately breaks down. When trying to transfer the warranty with out the previous owners name, Dell will give you grief. After trying to transfer the warranty of my M1330 with out the previous owners name, I found out how to do it.
When I called Dell they gave me the run around, so I tried online chat. Once they found out my problem they gave me the same number I had already tried calling. After research, I found this link to online transfer.
In the previous owner name slot just put "No Information" in the first and last name boxes and in the zip code box(no quotes).
You have to enter "No Information" in the zip code box.
Add your info, the service tag, and express service code, click submit. I tried it twice today and now I have a brand new motherboard being sent for my M1330. It worked for me, and hopefully works for you.
International Warranty Transfer
Here's the International Warranty Transfer Form. I haven't used it, but my guess would be enter "No Information" in the owners name and all that, then enter the country it was purchased in. If you don't know what country it was purchased in, your probably out of luck.
International Form: http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dellcare/en/international_ownership_transfer_form1?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&redirect=1
