Dell D610 Admin Password Reset?

[danza]

Hi all,

Following on from this thread:

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17989818

I have a working motherboard now, and all seems fine apart from one thing.

I can't activate wireless. The BIOS is locked with an admin password, and I need a way of removing this or to find a master password.

I've read that Dell aren't particularly helpful in assisting with this issue, but I'm not sure.

I found a generator, but AFAIK it only works with 5 digit service codes, and my motherboard has a 7 digit code. I also read that you can clear the PW by shorting a couple of pins on the BIOS EEPROM, but haven't found out which pins these are.

Is there any hard and fast method for sorting this, or am I screwed?

 

[danza]

I've looked into that, but apparently this won't work on the D610.

I've also found out that you can short two of the BIOS chip pins and turn it on to clear password data.

If that fails I also have a spare chip that I could solder in on the old motherboard.

 

[danza]

Sorted now!

I had to dismantle the laptop, lop a small piece of the chassis away and short pins 3 and 6 of the bios chip. It then starts up in some strange service mode and from then on the password is reset. \o/

The motherboard service tag is gone, but I'm not bothered about that at all. As long as it's all working I'm happy!

 

[danza]

I found out how to do it here:

http://aaaronmiller.wordpress.com/2007/03/17/how-to-short-the-eeprom-on-a-dell-latitude-d610/

The way that the guy describes the pin layout there is a little cofusing, but I did work it out from what he's written.