Help ... bios password query ...

[Will B]

Help … somehow my roommate found out what my bios password was and changed it. He was kind enough to type it in once, but I haven't dared to turn my computer off since then (then being yesterday morning). I have a suspicion that the bios is displayed in some form in the registry, but I haven't been able to find it. Searches for other means haven't had much success, either. Other than keeping my password secret in the first place, can anyone offer advice? Torture isn't a good option either, though I have seriously considered it. Thank you very much.

[POBrien]

well... You have quite a task to overcome.
The bios password is not referenced within the registry. It is referenced solely within the bios itself. You only have a couple of options available to you:

1. You can use a bios "crack" program. This program will reset the password to default (Nothing). The problem with this option is that the bios crack only works for specific makes and models of bios. Here's a link for the Award bios.

http://www.softseek.com/Utilities/Encryption_Security_and_Passwords/Password_Recovery/Review_29640_index.html

2. Contact the maker of the PC to see if they offer a "back door" password to the bios.

3. Take the PC to a well known pc shop. The tech can drain the cmos battery. This action will effectively reset the bios to default. (Sometimes it may take a few days for the electrical charges to drain entirely within the bios).

Here's some additional info:

http://pcguide.com/ref/mbsys/bios/set/passwd.htm

4. Castrate your roommate. If it's a woman, don't do anything. Some gals have created the art of the payback! I'm still limping to this day. :)

whatever you do, don't try forcing a reset. Make sure you take the methodical approach.

good luck!

[GrahamC]

On some of the newer motherboards there is a jumper that will allow you to bypass password checking. If you enable this, you can then reset the password without knowing what the old password was.

(Don't forget to replace the jumper in its original position when you've finished though.)

Good luck.

[asher]

If you go into the dos promp and run debug
then type the following
-o 70 2e
-o 71 0
-q
this should whipe your cmos settings.

[billbrummett]

pull the battery and leave the pc off for a day, then reboot to a defaulted bios....

[markwilliams]

Try downloading this small utility called killcmos, make sure you disable your anti-virus software as it is detected as a virus

http://www.utilitygeek.com/software/bios/killcmos.html

[mpasaa]

PIECE OF CAKE TO FIX? IF YOU DON'T MIND OPENING THE COMPUTER TO MOVE A JUMPER OR BATTERY. IF YOU SEE A BATTERY LIKE ONES FOUND IN WATCHES YOU CAN SIMPLY REMOVE IT AND THE SYSTEM WILL BE RETURNED TO DEFAULTS MEANING--NO PASSWORD SET. SOME PCS HAVE A BLACK JUMPER ON 2 OF 3 PINS. IF IT IS ON PINS 2-3 THEN MOVE IT TO PINS 1-2 FOR EXAMPLE. THEN YOU WOULD BOOT UP, WAIT FOR THE MESSAGE THE BIOS HAS BEEN RESET OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT AND THEN RETURN THE JUMPER TO THE 2-3 PINS.
AS LONG AS YOUR COMPUTER IS RELATIVELY NEW THE SETTINGS WILL BE AUTO-DETECTED. IF IT ISN'T NEW DON'T TRY THIS STUFF UNLESS YOU KNOW THE HARD DISK PARAMETERS AND ARE COMFORTABLE MAKING THESE CHANGES.
GOOD LUCK!