Get around password request?

Topic

New Reply

As a volunteer, I help “redo” donated computers to a local thrift store. An older laptop, DELL LATITUDE CP, has been donated – a tag says it was designed for Windows 95. When I start it up, it asks for a password. Obviously, I do not know the password. When I try to go to SETUP, it still asks for the password. Is there anyway to get around the password request? I am not sure the system is worth “redoing” but I would like to give it a try anyway. Thanks for your help.

Reply | Quote

Replies

Is this password before Windows starts, as it is in the BIOS area?

You may need to boot to a install floppy of 95 or 98 and do a clean install of that OS.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

Reply | Quote

Yes the password request comes up before Windows starts up. As I said, I have tried to go to SETUP but it still asks for the password.

Reply | Quote

?? A pre bios password??
May need to circumvent from a Linux boot disk…if possible, it may work if the Laptop is as early as mentioned (Windows 95).
Might need to bump the thread over to the Linux forums. Someone there might know the procedure.

Purely a wild guess on my part though.

Reply | Quote

Try this: with the system off, open the cover and remove the watch battery from the motherboard, wait about 5-10 seconds, and reinsert the watch battery, close it up and turn it on. This might be enough to reset the BIOS to the original settings, thus removing the password. There might also be a way to reset the password but you would need the manual to figure that out. Go to Dell’s support web site and enter the service id for the computer (there should be a sticker attached on the back or inside the case that has this number) and see what information is svailable on it – there might a a PDF for the manual that you can download.

Reply | Quote

I;m not sure why you would want to even get around the password. Considering it’s a Win 95 machine, I would at least want to upgrade it to Win ME if anyone were going to use it. And I’m not even sure it’s worth the time for a machine that is so far behind the times.

However, if you want to reset the password, try using the Bart PE boot disk, or the Ultimate Bootdisk for XP, which you would have to build. A google search will help you find the instructions for doing so. If you use the latter, the CD would boot to Win XP and would allow you to make changes to the settings in your computer.

But, again, I really believe it’s just not worth it…

Reply | Quote

If this is the message you are getting , “”” This computer system,
# (whatever), is protected by a password authentication system. You
cannot access the data on this computer without the correct password.
Please type in the primary or administrator password and press .”

Then removing the Cmos battery will not clear the password, as it is stored on a single eeprom on the
motherboard. These earlier laptops encoded not only this eeprom but could also set a password on the Hardrive.
This was supposedly to reduce theft, data theft, etc.; by making the laptop virtually unoperable if
it was taken by somebody who didnt own the laptop or know the password. Supposedly a hype to sell
Dell laptops ????? because of the supposed extra security? The only way to remove same easily is, if they
were disabled prior to retirement of the equipment, nutherwords would need to know original PW
to set it to nul or change it to a new one. Or, you would have to send it into Dell to be reset, after you
verified it was legally yours….. However, since those days there have been people who have hacked
this eeprom chip to manually reset the password to nul…. It will mean you have to gain access to
certain parts of the motherboard, so that you can physically short out 2pins on the correct eeprom while you
turn the laptop on/off. This would allow you access to the bios, and boot the computer; but, it does not
nul the password on the hardrive , if there was one set. By the way, since the startup password is stored
off of the bios chip, a bios upgrade will not reset it either. Affected machines were various Dell Latitudes and
Inspirions.

Reply | Quote

If it is an EEPROM password, that will prove to be the hardest to do on your own. You might consider whether it’s worth it or not.

Reply | Quote

Someone on one of the other forums was just trying to revive a Win 95. It’s just not worth your time. The hard drive will be too small, the CPU and RAM will be too slow, It would have to be on dialup internet, and will probably lock up constantly.

Reply | Quote