Samsung BIOS password problem

kirkster · 24 May 2017 at 16:29

Hi all,

Samsung ATIV 9 series-lite was working perfectly.
Updated the BIOS from their utility. All applied OK and machine asks to be rebooted.
Machine reboots and now machine immediately asks for a password in the BIOS (I think that is what is promoting for the password). No idea what it is. Was my GF laptop and she says she never set such a password (doesn't even know what BIOS is...).

Upon third password failure gives a 44-digit hash code -and the hash seems to change as well. Cannot see any online tools for Samsung 44 digit failure hashes, only 12 and 16 digits ones.

Opened up laptop removed all MB connectors to try and get the system to clear CMOS. No joy. No jumper I can see for this either to try and clear the password.

So I have a brick of a laptop. Internet research getting me nowhere...

Any ideas please guys?

EDIT: Moved from Motherboard section.

mattyfez · 24 May 2017 at 18:48

Pull the battery, and the bios battery?

kirkster · 24 May 2017 at 20:54

I tried that. Unplugged everything that can be unplugged. No joy. Cannot find any motherboard drawings for this laptop either...

mattyfez · 24 May 2017 at 21:02

A bios battery removal will normally solve this, unless the bios has a hard coded password which is rare unless it's an ex business machine, and rare even then.

You've definitely pulled the main battery and the bios battery and given it a good 5 mins to loose it's memory?

kirkster · 24 May 2017 at 21:09

Thanks for your ideas. It is a consumer laptop. Yes mattyfez, the BIOS battery has a short two way lead on it - if I knew how to post a pic I would put it on here but I have disconnected that for a few minutes, yes. And the main battery. Maybe would not hurt leaving it overnight..... After the third failure it says locked and spits out a 44-digit hex code. I then have to do a hard power reset to attempt a password entry again.

I've been reading about hashes on the password and online tools that can unlock them But Samsungs have a 12 or 16 digit hash, not a 44 digit one that I am seeing.

TWiNKLeT0Es · 24 May 2017 at 23:12

I assume you have spammed F2 (Or whatever it is to choose your boot device maybe F12) on boot up and not just let it boot to this password?

kirkster · 25 May 2017 at 11:52

TWiNKLeT0Es said:
I assume you have spammed F2 (Or whatever it is to choose your boot device maybe F12) on boot up and not just let it boot to this password?

Hi yes tried that. However this password thing comes up before even the main BIOS screen so it is at a very low and early stage of the boot up cycle. I have not tried USB boot disks as yet because I thought it would be pointless and would never be looked at even, the password thing comes up literally immediately after power on.

I am leaving the connectors/batteries unplugged for a couple of days on the slim chance this resets something and then will try again.

Hagar · 25 May 2017 at 16:37

Remove all power and hit the on button a few times, in case of stored power somewhere.

Mrp1980 · 25 May 2017 at 18:52

Have you tried: http://bios-pw.org i have used a similar (maybe this one) successfully in the past.

varkanoid · 25 May 2017 at 20:21

kirkster said:
Thanks for your ideas. It is a consumer laptop. Yes mattyfez, the BIOS battery has a short two way lead on it - if I knew how to post a pic I would put it on here but I have disconnected that for a few minutes, yes. And the main battery. Maybe would not hurt leaving it overnight..... After the third failure it says locked and spits out a 44-digit hex code. I then have to do a hard power reset to attempt a password entry again.

I've been reading about hashes on the password and online tools that can unlock them But Samsungs have a 12 or 16 digit hash, not a 44 digit one that I am seeing.

What I would suggest is you disconnect the CMOS battery and remove it altogether. Remove the main battery too and run it off PSU. Reassemble as much as you can to get it to the stage where you can power it up and see what happens.

Phemo · 26 May 2017 at 08:02

If the code generator linked a couple of posts up is no use then I think your only hope is going to be obtaining another bios chip and desoldering the old one then replacing it with the new one if you've got the ability to do so.

I had to do this on a friend's HP laptop last year which was an interesting experience. Did get it up and running again though. That one needed two chips for some reason and he bought the replacements as a set from an eBay seller.

kirkster · 26 May 2017 at 09:44

Thanks guys.
Varkanoid, That is indeed the laptop I have. I disconnected the BIOS and everything with a removable connector. I have pressed the on/off button to potentially drain any charge in the motherboard and am leaving it a couple of days to discharge everything. THen going to try again.

As to the BIOS code generator. My Samsung is giving out a 44 digit failure code on the third failure, not a 12 or 16 digit code. Is there a way to see a 12 or 16 digit code? Any F buttons to press?

kirkster · 26 May 2017 at 12:44

You guys are the genius!
Fixed it!
Disconnected EVERY connector and removed batteries. I then pressed the ON button numerous times to remove any residual charge from the motherboard. I left it 48 hours like that with everything disconnected. Reconnected everything and it now works!!!!

Thanks so much guys for your help. I thought this was going to the laptop graveyard which would have been a shame since it is a nice laptop!