[Thinkpad] Does anyone know how to reset the BIOS password on aT21?

[Haudy Kazemi]

On Aug 3 2007, Bruce Markowitz wrote:

> It's old news. Just return that board and buy a good one. They should be 
> available for under $50. The LCD is the problem on the T2X series, they 
> look like crap after a while.

What? the pink screen effect? That can be fixed by replacing the 
fluorescent backlighting tube (CCFL), available for less than $30 from 
Digikey.

Related articles on replacing CCFLs:
http://www.inventgeek.com/Projects/shorts/lcdfix.aspx
http://laptops.home.att.net/lcd-repair.htm
http://laptops.home.att.net/images/red-tint-lcd.jpg
http://www.lcd-backlight-ccfl.com/
http://laptops.home.att.net/lcd-lable.htm
http://laptops.home.att.net/lcdcross.htm
http://www.lcdrepair.net/backlightpurchase.html

>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "John Toliver" <john.toliver at gmail.com>
>To: <thinkpad at stderr.org>
>Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 2:36 PM
>Subject: Re: [Thinkpad] Does anyone know how to reset the BIOS password on
>aT21?
>
>
>> You won't believe this.  He finds this link......
>>
>> http://sodoityourself.com/hacking-ibm-thinkpad-bios-password

http://www.allservice.ro/
http://home.ripway.com/2005-7/365678/index.htm
Download programming tools. CRC error recovery assistance.
http://www.allservice.ro/forum/viewtopic.php?t=61

I think the Allservice.ro site has info on fixing a locked BIOS and/or hard 
drive. IIRC, some of the techniques required either building some special 
I/O adapter or soldering wire leads to the BIOS chip or I think interfacing 
through the serial port.

There is also http://www.ja.axxs.net/unlock/ 
http://www.ja.axxs.net/unlock/key_for_t20.htm I believe it used to have all 
the recovery info freely available and later they put it behind a pay first 
wall.

You might be able to find more info on the thinkpads.com forums, as I think 
I recall discussions there or on Allservice.ro that IBM's stance was a 
certain forgotten password would require a motherboard replacement, but in 
truth, one of these password reset techniques could be used to salvage 
otherwise fine hardware.

>There is a shorting technique for passwords programmed into an eeprom, that
>might work, but it also wipes out the ability to use the Thinkpad recovery
>discs.

Probably because it corrupts the EEPROM enough to bypass the password, but 
also makes the recovery CD not recognize the machine correctly.


>RayBay
>
>On 8/3/07, John Toliver <john.toliver at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Friend of mine just handed me a T21 he replaced the M-board on. He 
>> bought board off eBay and no mention BIOS password. He reassembles it 
>> and now he is locked out. Does a method exist to reset the password or 
>> disable it? _______________________________________________ Thinkpad 
>> mailing list Thinkpad at stderr.org 
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