Comments | skorpionuk: Tech question

skorpionuk

Tech question

Jan 04, 2009 17:03

I have an incredibly old Sony Vaio with power cable problems, which I haven't used in some years.

It turns out that I've set a BIOS password. Can anyone think how I might get around that if I've forgotten what it was?

tech

Comments 7

pir January 4 2009, 17:09:10 UTC

I'd usually start with "reset bios password " in Google.

The general way, as I recall, is to reset the memory that stores all the bios information, on a desktop box that usually just means removing a battery for a while. On a laptop the bios batteries are usually rather harder to get to, sometimes there's an accessible jumper to do it.

dj_alexander January 4 2009, 20:41:23 UTC

Clearing CMOS should be able to do it.

This looks helpful:

http://www.dewassoc.com/support/bios/bios_password.htm

power_walker January 4 2009, 21:23:36 UTC

What they said before me sounds about right.

grifft January 4 2009, 21:58:51 UTC

you take it apart and apparently there's a jumper you can reset.. but yeah I'd try google.

ukcougar January 5 2009, 12:01:23 UTC

Desktop or Laptop? Model number?

skorpionuk January 5 2009, 12:03:53 UTC

Laptop. Sony Vaio PCG-N505SN.

ukcougar January 5 2009, 12:18:56 UTC

In which case, the answer is going to be "ring Sony." They will be able to provide you with a 'back door' password which is unique to that machine. Be prepared to be asked for the model and serial number, some proof of purchase / ownership, and the mortal soul of your first-born.

I don't know of any simple bypasses for the Vaio. It might be possible to reverse-engineer something if I had the thing in front of me I guess, but other than that I'd just be speculating.