Help!!!
Just bought a Sony Vaio TR1MP off Ebay.
The previous owner can’t remember the BIOS password.
To make matters worse it’s German model.
How can I get into the Bios?
Tried my TR1 English cd but it keeps rejecting it.
Any ideas guys?
Thanks.

http://corky.net/2600/computers/reset-bios-password.shtml

if it helps.

EDIT: got sniped by writetovarun..  :twisted:

[quote author=“linc”] 

EDIT: got sniped by writetovarun..  :twisted:

linc , mate your still the geeky god of lincs .. im the unbaked follower !

Thanks Guys, i tried to look for the cmos battery, anyone opened thier TR up and know where it’s located?
Also how big is it, size of a watch battery?
Thank You.

I had asked a question before on this forum but no one answered it…

There is a reset switch located to the right of the windows xp serial # label (you’ll need a paper clip). I had asked if pressing it would reset the BIOS password as well…

may be you should try it…it might just do the trick.

[quote author=“Rahul”]There is a reset switch located to the right of the windows xp serial # label (you’ll need a paper clip). I had asked if pressing it would reset the BIOS password as well…

That would be pretty stupid. It would make a BIOS password worthless, sort of like hanging a key on a hook right next to the door.

Hi,
    Thanks but it only resets the laptop, it still asks for the bios password when you enter bios.

[quote author=“Drachen”][quote author=“Rahul”]There is a reset switch located to the right of the windows xp serial # label (you’ll need a paper clip). I had asked if pressing it would reset the BIOS password as well…

That would be pretty stupid. It would make a BIOS password worthless, sort of like hanging a key on a hook right next to the door.

I know it would be pretty stupid, but I was just curious if it did.

Hi,
    Would removing the little cell battery inside the laptop disable the bios password?
Also how would i do it?
Remove the battery, reconnect it, then restart?
Remove the battery, leave it out, then restart?
OR JUST CHUCK THE BLOODY THING IN THE BIN!!!!!!!!

but if you decide to, give me a call first.

Yes, removing the battery will reset the cmos and in turn, reset bios password.  Just leave it out for a few minutes so that the CMOS totally drains.  AFter which, you will be fine.

[quote author=“gotolam”]but if you decide to, give me a call first.

Yes, removing the battery will reset the cmos and in turn, reset bios password.  Just leave it out for a few minutes so that the CMOS totally drains.  AFter which, you will be fine.

if that would be possible, again there would be no use of the BIOS password

if that would be possible, again there would be no use of the BIOS password

The password is stored in CMOS RAM. Removing the battery causes the RAM to loose all its contents. The BIOS detects this (because the checksum is incorrect) and sets the RAM to default values.

You are correct, a CMOS password does not in itself secure a computer.

There’s always a way to get around the password. Utilities crack admin passwords. If you are part of an active directory domain, the IT guy can log in as domain admin and change the client PC admin password. CMOS passwords are defeated by removing the battery. I knew a security guy who insisted on a password for an Access data base. I pointed him to a program that guaranteed to crack any Office application password in 15 seconds or less, available for 30-day free trial.

How can one secure a computer from a concerted attack? If it is on a network or if other people have physical access, it is exceedingly difficult, perhaps impossible.

Yeah, BIOS passwords are about as useful as the old win98 password….just click cancel.

Come to think of it, the XP, 2000, and NT scheme aren’t all that impressive either.  You can blow away the SAM file and set a new administrator password, or just yank the hard drive out and view its contents from another computer. 

If you want something more robust, you’ll have to use something like PointSec which will encrypt your entire hard drive.  There’s a difference between encryption and password protection.  Most people confuse the two.

If you work with sensitive data, or just don’t want anyone to know what you’re up to, i recommend geting PGP Disk and encrypting your files to a volume.  PGP disk is actually just one encrypted file on your hard drive but can then be mounted as a drive letter.  It then works just like any other logical drive.  When you’re done working with it, you just dismount the volume.  Think of it like a giant zip file you can mount as logical volume.  The encryption is quite excellent and has been peer-reviewed. 

I would also recommend a program like Acronis Privacy Suite which will wipe your internet and system traces and can do multi-pass wiping.  It’s not perfect and i’ve found some holes in it, but for the most part; its pretty decent.

Be careful of PGP disk. A lot of people have had problems with it. The obvious problem is forgetting your password. A less obvious problem is placing the encryption key on the C: drive and encrypting the D: drive. If you decide to re-install Windows, it’s easy to lose the key and hence, all the data on the D: drive.

Here’s another thought. The key to decrypt your data is generally on your computer. The key can very strong - essentially unbreakable. But you gain use of the key with a password. How secure is the password? Can a cracker program get it? If you are sure it can’t be cracked, where do you store that password? Do you use the same password for anything else? Mabye somebody can get the password from a weaker application.

OK. so you don’t put your key on your lappy. And you never have your key and your lappy in the same place (except when you are actually using the data). You lock everything down and take the key with you every time you get a twinkee or go to the bathroom. Are you secure now? Maybe. It depends on how you backup your data, and on how you backup your key.

And ... don’t forget to secure your network against trojans that can capture you data while you use it and send it on the net. Also, remember to secure your WiFi. (WEP encryption is not secure.) And don’t forget about that Bluetooth keyboard. Somebody with standard commercial equipment can read your keystrokes from a mile away. (It’s not hard, it just takes a little money.)

If you’ve covered all that ground, then maybe you have something worth protecting on your lappy. Did you know it is possible to read what your computer is doing by listening to the electrical noise it radiates? I didn’t say that doing this is easy, just that it is possible. NSA has computers they consider secure. They are not connected to the WWW. They are in a building. The building is completely covered in copper mesh, to keep that nasty radiated noise inside. The buildings are well inside the NSA compound. I doubt you could get within a mile of them.

Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you.

Hi,
    The laptop will start up into windows XP no problem.
Just can’t get into Bios when i press F2.
On my UK machine there is nothing in the bios to change the language.

So on the European machine will there be something in there for me to change so i can make it accept my English sony dvd.

I reloaded my own xp then tried to install the drivers, no luck, so i put the German dvd back in and reloaded the German XP.
It also comes with a French XP which it also rejects.
I disconnected the cmos battery (i hope it was that, looks like something small wrapped in brown plastic), left it for 20 minutes, re-attached it, still asks for the bios password.
So i’ve left it out for about 10 hours now, someone said leave it out for 24 hours.
Thanks