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If someone adds a password to the bios of a computer and make it so that when booting the computer it prompts for the password, is there any way to bypass or overide that protection?

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3 Answers 3

Reset to default
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Take out the CMOS battery, which is on the inside of the computer on the mother board. Wait for 20-30 seconds (less time may be needed, but the exact time varies). This is normally a button battery. Put the battery back, boot, and there should be no more BIOS password.

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    Wouldn't work on all laptops though - some Thinkpads (and probably business-grade machines from other manufacturers) keep the password in persistent memory that doesn't need a battery to function.
    – André Borie
    Commented Mar 18, 2016 at 19:48
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    @AndréBorie true, but this should get alot of them... either that or you need to re flash it some how. but by that point you might as well just take out the harddrive
    – TheHidden
    Commented Mar 18, 2016 at 19:56
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    You are right though, usually you couldn't care less about the firmware password unless you need this exact machine to boot, such as when you need the TPM to release the drive's encryption key.
    – André Borie
    Commented Mar 18, 2016 at 19:58
  • Well thay waa easy thanks dont knoe why i didn't think about that. :)
    – DnrDevil
    Commented Mar 18, 2016 at 20:12
  • @AndréBorie They use non-volatile storage, not persistent memory.
    – forest
    Commented Jan 30, 2018 at 3:07
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Try entering random strings in the password field for some couple of times until a password key is displayed. Take this key code and:

  • Go to https://bios-pw.org/
  • Key in the key code that you have in the input field and click on Get password button
  • A list of generated passwords will be displayed depending on the model of your computer.
  • So select your matching password and set it to unlock BIOS.

PS: Save it somewhere for further usage, otherwise, retry the above steps in case you got to unlock BIOS again.

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  • this is also covered by another answer
    – schroeder ♦
    Commented Jan 29, 2018 at 17:50
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    For the coverage, there is no clear coverage of my answer, neither with clear steps, nor with a the link for a password generation. That's why i saw it useful that i add a clearer answer
    – hd84335
    Commented Jan 29, 2018 at 18:01
  • The other answer refers to an app. You could post your link as a comment to the other answer.
    – schroeder ♦
    Commented Jan 29, 2018 at 18:11
  • I'm sorry, i'm still not convinced that adding it as a comment would be more useful than creating a full clearer answer. Anyways i wait, and if i see it having a bad impact, then i will delete it right away. thanks
    – hd84335
    Commented Jan 29, 2018 at 18:24
  • I'm sorry but you can't have the same content as another answer. You can offer an edit to the other answer to add your link
    – schroeder ♦
    Commented Jan 29, 2018 at 19:43
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If you know the brand of the motherboard, you can find the right software to reset it. I had used it long time ago. However, you may need to boot it from A: drive if there is any :-) , otherwise you may use a CD drive. Another way is to short the clear CMOS jumper on the motherboard itself if one is present.

Besides, If you enter the wrong password a few times on a laptop, it will be locked with a message something like a “System Disabled” or “Password check failed. System Halted” message with some numbers under the message. Power off and on the computer try again and do not forget to write the numbers down. Then, get BIOS Master Password Generator and use the number you noted before and try the passwords created for you. Depending your laptop model press Enter or Ctrl+Enter after entering the code. good luck

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