[SOLVED] How to recover CMOS password!

chicken dance · 02-21-2015, 09:36 PM

Hi all,

I need to recover the CMOS password off a cheap laptop I bought of a friend. The laptop is a Lenovo thinkpad edge. I have tried to use cmospwd but I have no idea how to use it as the administrator password comes up blank. Is there any other way I can do this? or can someone guide me through with cmospwd? i am using debian on this laptop.

thanks,

ceyx · 02-22-2015, 12:16 AM

Power the laptop down, open it up, remove the watch battery inside, wait ( or short the terminals where the battery goes ) for an hour or so, and power it back up. The date will be reset, and so will the passwords AND the configuration.

Search the net for teardown how-to's (ie replace cmos battery ) for that particular laptop. With any luck, it will be under the keyboard.

The watch battery keeps the cmos 'alive', without that, it will reset itself.

chicken dance · 02-22-2015, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ceyx

Power the laptop down, open it up, remove the watch battery inside, wait ( or short the terminals where the battery goes ) for an hour or so, and power it back up. The date will be reset, and so will the passwords AND the configuration.

Search the net for teardown how-to's for that particular laptop. With any luck, it will be under the keyboard.

The watch battery keeps the cmos 'alive', without that, it will reset itself.

thanks,

I have not done that yet because i thought that the passwords were in the eeprom, late model eeproms don't need power for the information to be stored. I need this confirmed though

.

thanks.

ceyx · 02-22-2015, 12:21 AM

google is your friend

chicken dance · 02-22-2015, 12:44 AM

This is gonna be a fun little project!! i can't afford expensive things so hand-me downs are it

makes for a good challenge.

http://sodoityourself.com/hacking-ib...bios-password/

ceyx · 02-22-2015, 12:49 AM

What a pain in the arse ! Is that the model of the Laptop ?

ardvark71 · 02-22-2015, 12:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chicken dance

I have not done that yet because i thought that the passwords were in the eeprom, late model eeproms don't need power for the information to be stored. I need this confirmed though

.

Hi...

Looks like this is the case but it is possible to clear it...

http://sodoityourself.com/hacking-ib...bios-password/

http://www.elfqrin.com/docs/biospw.php

EDIT: Looks like you beat me to one of them.

Hope this helps...

chicken dance · 02-22-2015, 05:07 AM

Hi all

thanks for your replies! i am in my BIOS now as admin but when i try and change the password it asks for the current password!!!!!! there was literally no info on this laptop and i figured out the pins on the eeprom by just trial and error i now know how to get in as admin WOOT! WOOT! but i really don't want to strip the laptop down every time i want to adjust settings is there anything else i can do?

thanks.

ardvark71 · 02-22-2015, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chicken dance

thanks for your replies! i am in my BIOS now as admin but when i try and change the password it asks for the current password!!!!!! there was literally no info on this laptop and i figured out the pins on the eeprom by just trial and error i now know how to get in as admin WOOT! WOOT! but i really don't want to strip the laptop down every time i want to adjust settings is there anything else i can do?

Hi...

Were you able to completely restore the BIOS to it's default settings? If so, then perhaps it's using a generic one that you can change. See here under "Standard BIOS backdoor passwords."

Regards...

chicken dance · 02-22-2015, 04:36 PM

Well I'm at a loss..

I can get it to this screen but after I change the password it doesn't store it.

Thanks.

EDIT: got it to work! lol..I just had to release my bridged pins on the eeprom at just the right time...thanks all for your input! I appreciate it.

Thanks.

ardvark71 · 02-22-2015, 06:52 PM

Hi...

Your welcome, glad you got it working.

Regards...