Bios Password
By John H. Dow

Bios password issues are extremely common and often misunderstood. Part of the problem is that there is a lot of old information about exactly what a Bios, CMOS, or security chip is and how they work.

BIOS is an acronym for Basic Input Output System. The Bios is software that is programmed into a ROM, (read only memory) that runs every time your boot up a computer. Each computer has a specific set of instructions that runs upon boot up to initialize and test circuits, and low-level I/O controllers on peripherals such as hard drives, keyboards, and displays. In simple terms this firmware checks that all hardware listed is functioning and has the proper settings.

In the 80’s and 90’s, many computer manufacturers referred to the Bios as CMOS. But CMOS actually stands for the type of memory chip (complementary metal oxide semiconductor). Even today you might see the term CMOS used to describe Bios settings or configuration. So just remember that the CMOS term is describing the type of chip, and Bios refers to the firmware instruction set that resides on the memory chip. 

To make matters even more confusing, in 2001 a group called the Trusted Computing Platform Alliance came up with an idea to make any computer more secure by developing a standard way to password protect access. This group is made up of several of the major manufacturers and software publisher in the industry.

IBM actually started installing a chip that adheres to the Trusted Computing Platform Specification 1.0 (which IBM developed and was accepted by the group). This new security chip can actually put a “footprint” or some type of information on each main component on a computer. The most popular choices being the Bios, hard drive, and motherboard. This is to improve overall computer security for any computer.

Since laptops are more prone to being stolen or lost, many if not all laptops produced since 2001 have this type of security chip. When the computer boots, this security chip has software that checks each device that has this “footprint” to see if it matches the security chip. If someone has set a password (and some security routines allow for a password on each device) then this password must be entered every time the computer boots. If the password is not correctly entered, no boot.

And if an enterprising individual takes the hard drive out and replaces it with a new one, or takes the original and places it into another machine, still no boot without a password.
If any of the three components don’t match, no boot.

OK, so we now know that the Bios is the firmware that runs on a CMOS chip. And that there can also be a security chip that imprints the motherboard, hard drive, and bios to make sure all three match (most common on laptops produced after 2001).

There can be a password set on the Bios or security chip (that can have passwords on all three items that are checked). So most of the password issues are not really bios passwords but security chip passwords if the computer is a laptop model.

So what do you do if you forget or lose your initial boot password? How do you reset the bios or security chip password or just remove it? What can you do if you buy a used laptop or computer and it has a bios password that you don't know, how do you reset bios password?

Well, unless you have an old desktop or a laptop that was manufactured before 2001, you can skip removing the CMOS chip battery. That won’t work since most are protected with the new security chip that doesn’t depend on a battery to hold the information.

And you don't want to clear all the Bios settings, just the password. The Bios settings can be different for every machine and unless you have a record or copy of the original settings it will be difficult to know the proper information. So clearing all the Bios information is a little risky.

The first step is to contact the manufacturer to see if there is a master password or if they have a method to bypass or replace the security chip password. Most do and some provide as a free service but many will pop you pretty hard (over $100) for removal or master password.

There are people on eBay that sell new or clear security chips that you can use to replace your current locked one. This is quite a challenge for most people but it can work. These chips sell for $65 and up depending on the brand and model. But this may involve soldering at the motherboard level, something most people would be hesitant to do.

You can also find, buy, borrow software that is designed to clear the security chip or clear the CMOS instructions from third party suppliers. It depends on the brand and model (most times for laptops more than desktops). This software does require a little effort but can be used on most of the popular brands and models. Some require some hardware work, some are strictly software solutions. Go here to learn more Bios Password Reset.  

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