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Bios password

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cpyne

Technical User
Feb 24, 2002
30
US
I have this laptop I am working on it is a t30 IBM ThinkPad. The issue here is it is stuck on the bios password. I don't even get to where I can see the windows stuff. Is there some way that I can reset the password?


cpyne
 
No, IBM/Lenovo BIOS passwords cannot be reset by pulling the CMOS battery.

Basically, if you are not an electronics engineer (competent amateur will do) with access to a good electronics parts supplier and a spare PC/laptop, the BIOS password can only be retrieved by sending the laptop back to Lenovo.
 
strongm, sounds interesting. Care to elucidate for the benefit of the forum...

ROGER - G0AOZ.
 

Page 29 and up. Supervisor Password (SVP) and Master Hard Disk Password (HDP) cannot be recovered, as is the case if there is a user HDP and no master HDP.

My guess for the recovery from a lost SVP is replacement of the BIOS chip, and in the case of a lost HSP, a new drive.
 
That's annoying. If somebody steals your laptop, they'll just smash it if they can't get in and make it useful to them. Everybody loses. Reminds me of the James Bond movie where the guy is trying to steal James' car and in defense, it blows itself and the would-be thief up.

I guess it depends on which password the OP is stuck at.
 
Absolutely - if it is simply the Power On Password, then the CMOS battery trick should work.

As for electronic engineering hint (and I take no responsibility for any damage that you may do to your Thinkpad when you start soldering wires to internal components ...): and
 
Thats what I kept reading was that I would have to solder some wires in the laptop to reset the password I was hoping there might be some other way.


cpyne
 
Hmmm... two things come to mind.

1) IBM usually has "back doors" around those sort of things; whether it's a couple of pins to short, whatever.

2) Since the password is stored in an EEPROM, the proper voltage to the proper pin should erase it.



Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly replaced his Dilithium Crystals with new Folger's Crystals."

--Greg
 
> IBM usually has "back doors" around those sort of things

No, not on the Thinkpads they don't

> the proper voltage to the proper pin should erase it.

Again, I'm afraid not.

 
Surely there's some amount of voltage that'll zap anything. [wink] Then again, you could end up zapping it unzippable as well!
 
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