There are two sections (that come to mind) when a password is requested in starting a computer.
BIOS or Windows Passwords.
WINDOWS PASSWORD
This will be after the windows logo as come up.
Depending on which version of windows you have, you will need to find a windows password reset tool.
A lot of these will require you to boot from a CD that you have created from an ISO image. If this is is confusing, head into a computer shop and ask them to do it.
Alternatively, reformatting the machine by reinstalling windows over the top should eliminate the problem (and all of the data that is still on the machine.)
BIOS PASSWORD
This will usually be during the 'black screen' phase of booting.
An IBM ThinkPad laptop can have three BIOS hardware passwords set
- Power-On Password
- Hard Disk Password
- Supervisor Password
Power-On Password
RT/CMOS RAM has 8 bytes reserved for the power-on password and the check character. The 8 bytes are initialized to hex 00. The microprocessor can access these bytes only during POST. After POST is completed, if a power-on password is installed, the password bytes are locked and cannot be accessed by any program.
During power-on password installation, the password (1 to 7 characters) is stored in the security space.
Installing the password is a function of the built-in system program Easy-Setup. The power-on password does not appear on the screen when it is installed, changed, or removed. After the power-on password has been installed, it can be changed or removed only during POST.
Hard Disk Password
The hard-disk password (HDP) protects the data on your removable hard disk drive from being accessed by unauthorized persons.
Supervisor Password
The supervisor password protects the system information in Easy-Setup from being changed by unauthorized persons.
How to Reset an IBM ThinkPad Power On Password using Software
If you can boot the IBM ThinkPad, KeyMaker will recover the BIOS password.
How to Reset an IBM ThinkPad Power On Password Using Hardware
If you cannot boot the ThinkPad, you will have to reset the IBM ThinkPad password via hardware.
If only the power-on password is set, do the following to remove the power-on password.
Power off the computer
Remove the DIMM (Memory) cover on the bottom side of the computer.
Short-circuit the two password pads or put a jumper on the contacts to short the circuit.
Under the short-circuit condition, power on the computer and wait until the POST ends. After the POST ends, the password prompt does not appear. The power-on password is removed.
Reinstall the DIMM cover.
If both the power-on password and the supervisor password are set, do the following to remove the passwords:
Power on the computer by pressing and holding F1.
Enter the supervisor password. The Easy-Setup menu appears.
Click on the Password icon.
Click on the Power on icon.
Enter the supervisor password and press the Space bar.
Press Enter twice.
Click on Exit; then click on Restart.
How to Reset an IBM ThinkPad Power On Password using Software
If the user can boot the IBM ThinkPad, KeyMaker will recover the BIOS password.
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