Shoutbox

Hi everyone,
Just wondering if anyone could help with this.
I have recently got an old computer from my dads work to muck around with and perhaps give linux a go i dont know.
But i have encountered a problem. As i went to view/change the bios settings it asks me for a password. I do not have the password nor does dads work as it is an old redundant computer that doesnt get used. We have no real way of getting this password off anyone as no one knows what it is.
My question is, is there a way around this? Anything that will reset the bios or allow me to enter the once password protected area. Could i take the little battery out or something?

Awaiting any ideas you guys might have.
Thanks

You will have to find the BIOS reset jumper somewhere on the MoBo and complete the circuit for a few secs. You'll have to go to Google to find which jumper to move. You could also try taking out the BIOS battery for a while, but you'll end up having to reconfigure all of the settings.

Some manufacturers, from the older computers, left some back-door passwords on the BIOS to get into it. Without the manufacturer of the BOIS, I can't tell you some that may work. So would you please state who makes the BIOS (if you don’t know just say or look up the computers model number and what BIOS it uses should be on the internet)

The only reason I'm providing this information is to help one person out, this information that I may provide is not to be used for reasons that are illegal or abuse someone else's computer.

http://corky.net/2600/computers/reset-bios-password.shtml

that site has lots of diferent solutions to reseting the password....hope they work

quote:

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Originally posted by Anubis
The only reason I'm providing this information is to help one person out, this information that I may provide is not to be used for reasons that are illegal or abuse someone else's computer.

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Yea i thought about that when posting this and was unsure what answers i would get as a result of the legal issues. The computer is one of many supplied to my dads work from an external company. It has been sitting in a storage cupboard for a long time and all the others have gone. They said that I could have it however because the computers were supplied to them by another company and not configured by them then they have no idea about passwords etc.

To tell you the truth I am not entirely sure about the manufacturer of the bios. any ideas how i could find out?
Thanks for your time.

Oh and thanks  may73alliance that site looks very useful

Open up the cover, and read what it says. Look for a small black chip that says BIOS on it.

Cant really find it. Would the manufacturer be SiS or VIA?
because these are the only things i can find in terms of brand names written on chips. the others mostly just have serial numbers

Maybe. SiS and VIA usually handle sound, video and NIC, but one could be BIOS. Older BIOS chips are occasionally removable. Any of them look like they could be pulled?

Do you have a camera? post a link to a pic of the MoBo if you can

EDIT: Google says there are SiS BIOS chips

I took 3 pics.
If they are not any good let me know

http://img82.echo.cx/img82/6139/dsc035062rl.jpg

http://img82.echo.cx/img82/1320/dsc035073py.jpg

http://img82.echo.cx/img82/5924/dsc035086pq.jpg


EDIT: Ahh didnt notice your edit oh well what now?

I'm guessing that the BIOS is the chip right above the cables in the bottom right corner, the one with the shiny sticker that says "Award" There's a crystal right beside it for the clock, so I'm guessing thats the one. I can't see any jumpers in the area around it. Try some of the passwords listed i the site posted above, and do a search for whatever the text on the chip says. Otherwise, you might have to pull the plug on the battery.