So, here’s the deal: the password on my Sony T150 just spontaniously changed itself. Apparently the current BIOS has no default/“backdoor” passwords, so I figured I’d just crack ‘er open, remove the CMOS battery for a bit, and I’d be golden.

Now, I’ve serviced more than a few systems in my day. Although I haven’t been very active within the past three or so years, I’m no wet-behind-the-ears newbie.

But for the life of me, I can’t find the f’ing CMOS battery! Nor can I find a service manual. Nor will a tech from Sony’s repair center talk to me. Sony’s (in)famous customer service did offer to reset the BIOS password for me for a nominal fee of $100 though…

Help? *whimper*

-Surfrider

You may find something here

In fact, it does change itself if the flash memory that holds the settings gets corrupted, either due to a power shock or faulty hardware.

too bad there is no jumper on the motherboard that allows an easy reset.

I will look into my T service manual to see if there is any way you can shorten the flash and ‘zero’ it.

The Service Manual is useless, they have only the Part # for the whole Motherboard.

Here is what you do:
Open your VAIO, take out the battery and leave it overnight.
Put it back in and the laptop will be in its factory settings

or

You can read this page and follow the instructions
http://www.elfqrin.com/docs/biospw.html

or

Crack Open your T150 and reset the flash, although you need to know the model and the manufacturer and reference to their pinout.

or

Reflash your T150 with a newer bios, most of the times it resets the bios settings as well.

The CMOS battery is a green affair with red and black wires coming from it and a plug that connects to the motherboard.

This knowledge won’t do you any good, though.

The password is not maintained in the volatile CMOS memory (where the BIOS settings are maintained).  It is maintained on a non-volatile chip on the motherboard and the only way to reset it is to change out the chip or the motherboard.  There are no current notebooks where the password may be cleared by removal of the motherboard battery or by shorting out the CMOS chip .. this may be true still for most desktop computers, but it hasn’t been true for quite a while with notebooks.

Sorry.

Jef