Weird T40 Bios bug.

[Sebastiaan]

Hey guys and gals from the thinkpad forum,

I am kind of posting here as a last resort option hoping to find the expertise I need.

I recently bought a second hand T40 for my wife. Configured it, loaded a fresh copy of XP, set passwords and all is good.

Now 2 months later Windows decided to bork up and I want to load her a fresh copy.

I try entering the bios to set CDROM to boot device but I get stuck in usermode bios, without the system even asking once for my SVP.

To illustrate is made a video of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCGxiKDpVDE

As you can see in the video the system ask for a power on password (which is NULL) and never asks for my supervisor password.

A quick sum up of the problem:
The bios isn't giving the the chance to enter the admin bios.

A note: I am NOT looking for a password hack.
NOR am I looking for a way to circumvent it, so this is not to break into some stolen laptop as other forums have tried to accuse me off.

I hope you guys know what I am doing wrong, if anything, or if my bios is just bugged.

This is my first experience with a Thinkpad, so I really have no clue.

Thanks in advance,

Sebastiaan

[poshgeordie]

Welcome to the forums Sebastiaan!

Looking at the video your TP has a Supervisor password (SVP).

The only way this can be removed is if you can contact the previous owner and ask if they can remember the password.

Unfortunately it is against forum rules to discuss removing passwords, other than the POP.

[Sebastiaan]

<void>
Sometimes the hand posts faster than the brain thinks.

[sarbin]

what are you entering at the 'lock' screen?
just an 'enter'?

try entering your svp at the 'lock' screen.

[richk]

The prompt is for the SVP

[sarbin]

that's what i thought, Rich. there's nothing on the lock screen that specifies svp or pop. if svp is set, that's what needs to be entered. do i have that right?

[poshgeordie]

yes that's right Sarbin.

Am I right in thinking that if everything's (Hdd, CD rom, etc) fitted to a TP, that it will allow you to enter the bios but cannot make any changes?

[sarbin]

Am I right in thinking that if everything's (Hdd, CD rom, etc) fitted to a TP, that it will allow you to enter the bios but cannot make any changes?

i don't understand the question. i've got all attached and have no issues modifying bios settings once my svp has been supplied at boot.

[poshgeordie]

Sarbin - sorry ignore that question! I'd had a heavy day!