Spontaneous BIOS password?

enlightenedgamer

enlightenedgamer

CAGiversary!
I've been handed a notebook PC to work my (apparently inadequate) computer magic on. It has suddenly decided to give itself a BIOS password. As the owner doesn't know what a BIOS is, I am reasonably certain that he didn't set one ("I've never seen this screen before..."). The system was apparently working fine until he turned it on this morning. Now it prompts for a password on startup.

Let me know if you've got any ideas. I've been trying likely default (8 char max passwords ("00000000", "default", no characters at all, etc.)

I've tried several other more technical forums, but CAGs respond so quickly that I thought I'd give it a shot.



What I wouldn't give to be transported to next week playing RE4...
 
There should be a CMOS reset jumper on the motherboard. Try to find the detailed manual for the particular motherboard if its not stamped. Then jump said jumpers, boot up computer, wait till it boots into cmos, power down, remove jumper, reboot. Should clear it all.
 
Thanks for the replies. I'll send it over to IS before I do anything that in-depth. I just don't want to be liable for anything. I'm the lowly intern here, so I occasionally get computer puzzles to monkey with for a bit. I guess this is one I'm not going to be able to solve myself.
 
If I understand correctly, this is a notebook/laptop. Pulling the BIOS battery or finding the password jumper (if it exists...can't recall seeing one on a notebook, though that certainly doesn't mean it can't have one) would likely require some disassembly. It might just be taking off one plastic cover on the bottom, or it might involve taking out the keyboard/handrest. If this sounds daunting, then yes, handing it to the pros is the way to go.

What model of machine was it btw?
 
Yeah I have tried this before and its a pain in the ass to get to the batteries. Most desktop pcs have the jumper you can pull, but I have never seen a laptop with one and normally you have o lierally cut a wire just to disconnect the battery or batteries. Drop it off to a pro.
 
I agree with Cornfed, and if you have trouble locating the jumper, consult the manual. This will reset the password.
 
To remove a BIOS password on a desktop, yes, all you need to do is remove the jumper and put it back in. Lession learned: Don't set a BIOS password that you'll forget.
 
If you can find the CMOS battery, which may or may not be easy to unplug, it might work.

The newer laptops, with the IBM T-Series in particular, can store the password in static or flash RAM, which means the password will survive the battery getting yanked.

One of the last things I had to do at a prior job is deal with a T-Series laptop having its password get randomly set, find out there's no way to blank it, and have to pay to get the system board replaced. I wasn't happy about it.

I'd call the vendor of the laptop and see what advice they'd give. Or search their support pages for the same info.

Random odd issues with BIOS passwords can be the sign of a system board on the way out to die.
 
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