Overcoming a BIOS password?

Marmot · 17 Jun 2016 at 07:18

Hello guys

My mother has applied a BIOS password to her computer and can't remember what it is. The windows installation is corrupt and won't boot in normal or safe mode. I need to access the BIOS to format the hard drive and reinstall Windows, however I am prevented from doing so by this password. I have removed the CMOS battery for 30 minutes but the password remains. I cannot boot into Windows so I can't run any programs that might help with the task.

Do you have any suggestions please?

I_M_Weasel · 17 Jun 2016 at 07:25

Is there not a jumper you can set to clear cmos?

pgi947 · 17 Jun 2016 at 07:26

Look in the manual, I suspect the board will have a jumper of some sort to completely reset the bios and remove the password.

E: beaten to it^^^

Borealis · 17 Jun 2016 at 07:44

Yup, had to do this a couple of times. Usually a BIOS reset will clear the password, but sometimes it doesn't.

Marmot · 17 Jun 2016 at 07:50

So I located the manual and it says I can clear the CMOS RAM by shorting the jumper. I watched a YouTube video and the chap just pops a plastic housing over the top of the two pins, before removing and booting the system. The two pins on my motherboard are bare, so where would I find the plastic housing? Could I buy one separately?

She's almost certainly binned any additional bits that came with the board.

joeyjojo · 17 Jun 2016 at 07:55

That plastic thing is a jumper, not the pins themselves. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumper_(computing)

You don't need one though, just short the pins with something conductive. Aluminium foil, screwdriver, etc.

Marmot · 17 Jun 2016 at 07:58

Wonderful, I'll just short with a screwdriver. Thanks for the advice guys.