T43 Bios, is it possible to get it locked by mistake

[ibmfreak]

Hello

I sold a T43. I am quite certain that I tried that one can pass BIOS just clicking enter before I shipped the laptop.

Now the customer claim that the Bios is password protected. Customer admitted that he tried
several possible passwords. Could this have tricked permanent password protection? As
customer might not have realized that just clicking enter one is allowed to bios.

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/2097/img1316e.jpg In this screen one just needed to push enter.

Now there have come this kind of error too

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/8815/img1317xo.jpg

Could this damage have been made by customer? I have not seen it before.

Regards

[Raceboy]

Maybe the BIOS battery has drained and that triggered supervisor password to appear when trying to enter BIOS?

[RealBlackStuff]

What most likely happened:
There was a supervisor password on the laptop all along, and you could enter BIOS without having to type in a password, but you could not make any modifications (you probably never tried).
The laptop booted normally without having to enter a password.
Now you have sold it.
The buyer wants to change something in the BIOS and finds he can not.
Not knowing anything useful about IBM BIOS, the dumb cluck removes the CMOS battery, which normally keeps Date and Time, hence the Error 0271.
By removing the CMOS, buyer triggered the Supervisor password to become permanent AND visible AND shows at boot time.
According to forum rules, we can't help you with this, other than suggesting to replace the motherboard.

[ibmfreak]

Thank you for answers.

Supervisor password to become permanent AND visible AND shows at boot time.

Does this mean that I am not able to boot the laptop at all now? I am quite certain before I shipped the laptop I tried to boot to Ubuntu with usb stick. Next times I will take pictures as evidence...

I am not sure if I should pay the customer back or not? What would be fair? Of course if my mistake then I take all responsibility but if the customer have bricked the laptop permanently?

Regards

[RealBlackStuff]

Once you have given him a (working) laptop and buyer has paid, buyer is responsible for it and can do what he wants.
By removing the CMOS he did not brick it, he was just confronted with a hitherto unknown password.
Without this PW you can no longer boot the laptop, incl. not from a floppy, CD or USB stick.
How knowledgeable are you about laptops and electronics, can you read schematics?

[ibmfreak]

Once you have given him a (working) laptop and buyer has paid, buyer is responsible for it and can do what he wants.
By removing the CMOS he did not brick it, he was just confronted with a hitherto unknown password.
Without this PW you can no longer boot the laptop, incl. not from a floppy, CD or USB stick.
How knowledgeable are you about laptops and electronics, can you read schematics?

Thanks for helping out.

I can work with laptops. I have several T43 so I can take parts from this one.

[RealBlackStuff]

If your old T43 had 14.1" or 15" XGA, or 15" SXGA+, I can help with an R52 motherboard with integrated Intel graphics.
It's a drop-in replacement for the T43 mobo.
This mobo will not work on 14.1" SXGA+ or any UXGA.
PM me if interested.

[systemBuilder]

I believe that if the clock is not set the laptop will not boot. As the computer boots it notices the clock is not set and forces you into the BIOS insisting that you set the time! This is why all unknown supervisor passwords will need to be erased or otherwise recovered from the original owner, otherwise, the laptop becomes a brick when the CMOS battery dies (or is removed) - eventually!

I suggest you google around for ways to solve this problem and don't forget to look at ebay for help. I am in a similar situation - somebody disabled my wireless card and there is a supervisor password so the wireless is toast and the laptop is a ticking time bomb - when the battery dies the laptop will be toast! We survived for the past several months with a $5 external wireless card but I realize now that I'll need to solve this problem sooner rather than later.

[burns334]

Can you keep the main charged battery in the laptop and swap the CMOS battery without triggering the BIOS password?

[RealBlackStuff]

No, the two are independent.
Also, the CMOS is not a rechargeable battery. They are supposed to last ca. 5-6 years.

[burns334]

No, the two are independent.
Also, the CMOS is not a rechargeable battery. They are supposed to last ca. 5-6 years.

RBS, so is there anyway to change out a CMOS battery without triggering a admin password if there is one set on one's machine?

burns

[ajkula66]

No.

[hunterman223]

RBS, so is there anyway to change out a CMOS battery without triggering a admin password if there is one set on one's machine?

No.

Never listen to all those listing for supervisor password-locked thinkpads on ebay, claiming that it doesn't affect usage of the machine. It doesn't, until the battery dies.. and it will.