Passworded boot, can i get round this... at all? on a laptop!

[Digital-Vortex]

Hey all

some guy just phoned me up, hes got an IBM Thinkpad, and the silly bugger has a password on the boot up... but hes forgotten it!!!

basicly, can i get around thi, remove it... or in any way get the password so he can get back into it?

thanks

 

[omega-x]

tell him to contact IBM, usually you can send it in with proof of purchase and they'll reset it.

 

[Digital-Vortex]

might have to, but id rather not have it come to that if possible... i wouldnt trust them, they have their money, why should they care too much... last person i know who gave them anything waited quite some time before word was heard!

 

[Digital-Vortex]

would opening the thing and clearing the CMOS work?
since it must be stored in there should this work?

 

[omega-x]

if you can do that safely, and put it back together, take it apart and look for a cmos battery or something. i remember like 5 years ago the way to reset a laptop's bios was shorting the AC input to itself with a paper clip. (tho, that never caught on)

 

[Morpheus256]

laptop supervisor passwords are written to an eeprom. there is NO clear cmos.

 

[Ben-mod]

Looks like the only option is to contact the company.

 

[Morpheus256]

ibm DOES have wonderfull support, i had to send mine back for a mobo defect, and a few dead pix's on the screen, they paid the 3 way shipping, AND had it back to me within a week. id like to see dell or compaq do that