| Sometimes when you buy a second-hand computer from an auction or
government
department, it has a password that stops you from changing settings in the
bios. I can't tell you how annoying this is. I have tried numerous ways to get
rid of this password. Here are some things I have tried. Please read an article on
How to open a computer case
safely...
Remove the CMOS Battery
If you remove this battery, all CMOS information
(including the BIOS password) will be lost.
- Shutdown your computer and remove all power and plugs.
- Open your computer case.
Here are some safety tips.
- Carefully remove the CMOS battery for
20 minutes, then replace it. (Sometimes longer)
- Plug in your computer and start it. Go into the bios by pressing
F2, F10 or maybe the delete key. This must be pressed quickly and at the right
time or you will have to reboot an try again.
- Find the restore factory settings option and choose this.
- Then save and exit.
Sometimes this will not work as some
manufacturers backup the power to the CMOS chipset by using a capacitor. How
annoying.. You can try taking the battery out and leaving it over night. That
has worked for me before. (Sometimes days)
Reset the bios by moving the jumper pin settings
If you have your motherboard manual it will tell
you how to reset your bios by moving the jumper pins. They could be called BIOS,
CLEAR, CLEAR CMOS, CLR, CLRPWD, PASSWD, PASSWORD, PWD.
It is usually done by moving the jumper
located near the battery, from the first and second pin to the second and third.
Here's how:
- Shut down your computer.
- Touch the inside metal casing of your
computer and move the jumpers from pin 1 and 2 to 2 and 3.
- Press the power button or on
off button on your computer.
- Replace the jumper where you
found it and restart your computer.
- Go into your BIOS and restore default
settings or factory settings.
Sometimes you can remove a jumper completely and
restart your computer, and the password will be gone.
Here is an example:
I bought a HP D530 Small form desktop and
its boot sequence had been changed to only boot from a network. When I went to
change the Bios settings it had a Password to enter the bios.. After 3 wrong
passwords it would let me into the BIOS, but would not let me change anything..
On the motherboard next to the Cmos battery there was two pins with a jumper on
them named PASS. I removed this jumper completely and restarted the computer.
The password was gone. I went straight in and found the option to restore
default settings. I shut down again and replaced the jumper. All done...
I have come across some other motherboards that
did not even have any jumper pins for the bios. However after leaving the
battery out for a few days, everything was fine..
Backdoor Passwords
Depending on what bios version your computer
has, there is probably a password out there to get you in. I avoid dealing with
these passwords as there are so many now. There are about 40 Award bios backdoor
passwords alone. Some examples are: AWARD SW, BIOSTAR, _award, aLLY, CONDO, and
so on.. Some examples for AMI Bios are: AMI, PASSWORD, CONDO, AMI_SW, etc. If
you want more information google your Bios.
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