Thinkpads Forum

I set a BIOS admin password but I can't find where to enter it to unlock the settings...

bri wrote:I set a BIOS admin password but I can't find where to enter it to unlock the settings...

In the BIOS.

Security> Password> Supervisor Password

Regards,

James

Ok, maybe I should be more specific... when I go into that password menu, it says "All items on this menu cannot be modified in usermode. If any items require changes, please consult your system Supervisor."

How do I get into the Supervisor mode or whatever to change settings once it's locked down? Thanks.

bri wrote:Ok, maybe I should be more specific... when I go into that password menu, it says "All items on this menu cannot be modified in usermode. If any items require changes, please consult your system Supervisor."

How do I get into the Supervisor mode or whatever to change settings once it's locked down? Thanks.

You have to enter the Supervisor Password that you set to do that.

bri wrote:How do I get into the Supervisor mode or whatever to change settings once it's locked down? Thanks.

Enter the Supervisor Password at the Power On Prompt.

Regards,

James

JHEM wrote: Enter the Supervisor Password at the Power On Prompt.

Regards,

James

oh... that's the 8 digit one right? I'll try that next bootup. I suppose it would a problem if the Supervisor & Power On passwords were the same...

bri wrote:oh... that's the 8 digit one right?

Whatever you set.

bri wrote:I suppose it would a problem if the Supervisor & Power On passwords were the same...

Why? Mine are the same, doesn't make any "problem".

Regards,

James

bri wrote:oh... that's the 8 digit one right?

Access IBM Help (T42) wrote:If you enable the Passphrase function, you can set a password containing 64 characters. To set a password, you can use alphanumeric character keys and the spacebar.

* Note: If the function is disabled, a power-on password and a hard disk password can contain only 12 characters and a supervisor password can contain only 7 characters, all alphanumeric; you cannot use the spacebar.

Read Access IBM Help (Access IBM or ThinkVantage button) to see how to change or remove the supervisor password. Use keyword search.

If the 8 digit password doesn't work, try using F1 to toggle between user and admin logon.

I don't think the supervisor password can be 8 digits...it stops me at 7.

Thanks, entering the 7 digit supervisor password at the power-on prompt did it. I was using fingerprint authentication so didn't think that that prompt was dual-purposed and it's not exactly obvious... I hadn't seen that in any help sections...

JHEM wrote:

bri wrote:oh... that's the 8 digit one right?

Whatever you set.

bri wrote:I suppose it would a problem if the Supervisor & Power On passwords were the same...

Why? Mine are the same, doesn't make any "problem".

Regards,

James

I guess it would just defeat some functionality, if it's the same then there is no need to even set a Supervisor password since you need to get past the power-on password to get into bios...

bri wrote:I guess it would just defeat some functionality, if it's the same then there is no need to even set a Supervisor password since you need to get past the power-on password to get into bios...

But it's there for security, not for ease of use.

While a POP is easily defeated, it can serve as a deterrent to "drive-by" snoops who might want to browse your laptop in your absence. I can readily think of two (non-blood) relatives i would not trust around my laptop.

The Supervisor PW is there to turn your laptop into a doorstop should worse come to worst and your laptop go AWOL.

Regards,

James

Oh ok, I wasn't aware the POP could be bypassed.
The supervisor password I hadn't thought of as that crippling, seeing that I never really need to make any changes to bios settings.

bri wrote:Oh ok, I wasn't aware the POP could be bypassed.

It's readily removed from most Thinkpads and the instructions for doing so are spelled out in the HMMs.

bri wrote:The supervisor password I hadn't thought of as that crippling, seeing that I never really need to make any changes to bios settings.

Removing the POP using the instructions in the HMM results in the BIOS being reset and the unit will not thereafter BOOT to the OS without entering the Supervisor PW.

Absent spending a lot of technical time and/or money on overcoming the Supervisor PW, something most casual thieves wouldn't have the skills or money to do, the unit is a doorstop!

Regards,

James

Ahh icic. Glad to have the fingerprint software make using passwords less painful, thus making me more willing to lock it down.