Question

CMOS

Asked by: Lea_Ruiz

I set a password for CMOS, and I dont remember it, what do I do

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Asked On
2004-01-02 at 00:59:15ID20838858
Tags

cmos

Topic

Miscellaneous Security

Participating Experts
6
Points
100
Comments
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Answers

 

by: CrazyOnePosted on 2004-01-02 at 00:59:50ID: 10028029

How to Bypass BIOS Passwords
http://www.labmice.net/articles/BIOS_hack.htm

There is lot of info on at the above link these are just the basic things to try

Using the Motherboard "Clear CMOS" Jumper or Dipswitch settings

Many motherboards feature a set of jumpers or dipswitches that will clear the CMOS and wipe all of the custom settings including BIOS passwords. The locations of these jumpers / dipswitches will vary depending on the motherboard manufacturer and ideally you should always refer to the motherboard or computer manufacturers documentation. If the documentation is unavailable, the jumpers/dipswitches can sometimes be found along the edge of the motherboard, next to the CMOS battery, or near the processor. Some manufacturers may label the jumper / dipswitch  CLEAR - CLEAR CMOS - CLR - CLRPWD - PASSWD - PASSWORD - PWD. On laptop computers, the dipswitches are usually found under the keyboard or within a compartment at the bottom of the laptop.  
Please remember to unplug your PC and use a grounding strip before reaching into your PC and touching the motherboard. Once you locate and rest the jumper switches,  turn the computer on and check if the password has been cleared. If it has, turn the computer off and return the jumpers or dipswitches to its original position.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Removing the CMOS Battery

The CMOS settings on most systems are buffered by a small battery that is attached to the motherboard. (It looks like a small watch battery). If you unplug the PC and remove the battery for 10-15 minutes, the CMOS may reset itself and the password should be blank. (Along with any other machine specific settings, so be sure you are familiar with manually reconfiguring the BIOS settings before you do this.) Some manufacturers backup the power to the CMOS chipset by using a capacitor, so if your first attempt fails, leave the battery out (with the system unplugged) for at least 24 hours. Some batteries are actually soldered onto the motherboard making this task more difficult. Unsoldering the battery incorrectly may damage your motherboard and other components, so please don't attempt this if you are inexperienced. Another option may be to remove the CMOS chip from the motherboard for a period of time.  
Note: Removing the battery to reset the CMOS will not work for all PC's, and almost all of the newer laptops store their BIOS passwords in a manner which does not require continuous power, so removing the CMOS battery may not work at all.  IBM Thinkpad laptops lock the hard drive as well as the BIOS when the supervisor password is set. If you reset the BIOS password, but cannot reset the hard drive password, you may not be able to access the drive and it will remain locked, even if you place it in a new laptop. IBM Thinkpads have special jumper switches on the motherboard, and these should be used to reset the system.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Overloading the KeyBoard Buffer

On some older computer systems, you can force the CMOS to enter its setup screen on boot by overloading the keyboard buffer. This can be done by booting with the keyboard or mouse unattached to the systems, or on some systems by hitting the ESC key over 100 times in rapid succession.
===============

Other items at that link

Backdoor passwords

Jumping the Solder Beads on the CMOS

Using a professional service

Links to Motherboard Manufacturers
==============

A couple of other links to look at

http://www.elfqrin.com/docs/biospw.html
http://users.powernet.co.uk/sysserv/page125.html

 

by: sunnycoderPosted on 2004-01-02 at 01:02:26ID: 10028035

Hi Lea_Ruiz,

Most motherboards manufactured over the last decade or more use a battery to sustain the dynamic Bios/CMOS settings for the motherboards PROM chip. These dynamic settings are those manually set by either the computers manufacturer or you, the user. There are two ways to erase these dynamic settings, by either resetting a jumper on the motherboard itself (referred to as a "clear CMOS" jumper), or by physically remove the power from the computer (disconnecting the power plug) and then removing a battery (used to maintain power to the PROM chip that contains the Bios/CMOS information) from the motherboard.

http://www.dewassoc.com/support/bios/bios_password.htm

Cheers!
Sunny:o)

 

by: PeteLongPosted on 2004-01-02 at 01:03:28ID: 10028038

Just to Expand on a few of CO's comments :0)

BIOS Password Troubles?

Basically there are usually TWO types of BIOS password

1. Startup Password; This stops the PC booting till a password is entered.
2. BIOS password; This stops you entering the BIOS setup until a password is entered.

This information is held in a CMOS (Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) chip, this is used because it only requires a TINY amount of voltage to keep its settings. This voltage is usually supplied by a Lithium battery on the motherboard (Some Laptops don’t have this they store the info in Flash memory - Consult the handbook)

The easiest way CLEAR the settings is

1. Look in the motherboard Manufacturers handbook most have a set of "Jumper pins" which can be shorted using a "jumper" - This is a small plastic peg that shorts he pins. More modern motherboard actually have a reset switch.

2. Remove the battery, on VERY old PC's the battery is soldered on, if this is the case you need to either wield a soldering iron (which I don't recommend) or take it into the shop. ENSURE the PC is unplugged (at both ends) and remove the battery - leave the PC for at least 20 minutes, and replace the battery.

If you don’t fancy getting the screwdrivers out you DO have other options.

1. Flash the BIOS this resets everything, to do this you MUST have access to the floppy drive, visit the motherboard manufacturers website and find an "Updated" BIOS for your PC, Follow the installation directions TO THE LETTER.

2. Overload the Keyboard buffer; Overloading the keyboard buffer can crash the password routine and let the computer boot. Try this by pressing the ESC key repeatedly, possibly more than 100 times. (I’ve not tried this - I’m to impatient :0)

3. Try a dedicated BIOS cracker

!BIOS http://www.11a.nu/FILES/!BIOS/SRC/DOS/unpacked/IBIOS.EXE
RemPass http://natan.zejn.si/rempass.html
KillCMOS http://www.utilitygeek.com/details.php?fileid=82

4. Try various known "Back Door" Passwords these differ depending on the BIOS manufacturer (usually written on the chip)

For Award BIOS
AWARD_SW
AWARD_PW
j262
HLT
SER
SKY_FOX
BIOSTAR
ALFAROME
Lkwpeter
j256
AWARD?SW
LKWPETER
syxz
ALLy
589589
589721
awkward
CONCAT
d8on
CONDO
j64
szyx

For AMI BIOS
AMI
BIOS
PASSWORD
HEWITT RAND
AMI?SW
AMI_SW
LKWPETER
A.M.I.
CONDO
589589

For Phoenix BIOS
Phoenix

5. If all the above fail (And its Mission Critical) go to http://www.pwcrack.com/index.shtml

*****References and Further reading*****
http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/answerstips/story/0,24330,3339616,00.html
http://www.labmice.net/articles/BIOS_hack.htm (MORE Back Door Passwords Here :0)

 

by: sunnycoderPosted on 2004-01-02 at 01:03:31ID: 10028039

0 mins !!! ... you never fail to amaze me CO

 

by: CrazyOnePosted on 2004-01-02 at 01:07:57ID: 10028051

:)

 

by: bbaoPosted on 2004-01-03 at 21:32:18ID: 10036304

CO, i bet you have a much BIGGER KB than EE's...

 

by: CrazyOnePosted on 2004-01-03 at 21:35:46ID: 10036313

Almost  LOL

 

by: kishorelvPosted on 2004-03-19 at 02:57:20ID: 10632008

hi
u need to reseat the jumper settings
for that first u open the tower and identify the cmos battery which u can easily identify( its like a dollar coin)
besides that u can see 3 jumpers u need to reseat those jumpers thats it
ur problem will solved

 

by: gurutcPosted on 2006-01-09 at 08:41:19ID: 15651302

No comment has been added to this question in more than 21 days, so it is now classified as abandoned..
I will leave the following recommendation for this question in the Cleanup topic area:

Split between CrazyOne and PeteLong

Any objections should be posted here in the next 4 days. After that time, the question will be closed.

gurutc
EE Cleanup Volunteer

 

by: bbaoPosted on 2006-01-09 at 17:09:15ID: 15656156

oh, a two years old Q!

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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