Resetting the Bios Password

[codek]

I just bought a used x41 and wanted to know if there is a way to reset the bios password.

Also will i get locked if i keep typing the wrong password?

thanks

[rkawakami]

As it appears you do NOT know the BIOS (supervisor) password, this falls under rule #12 of the FAQ:

12) Can you help me remove the BIOS/HDD password from this
ThinkPad that I just bought/inherited/found/was given/stole/other?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Cracking passwords is a highly charged subject that
reasonable people disagree over.

That said, you may simply have a power-on password. That can be removed by following the instructions in the Hardware Maintenance Manual. As far as I know there is no lock-out if "x" number of attempts are invalid. But then again, I know what my passwords are.

You may want to contact the seller and ask for the password. If he/she doesn't know it, then you may have grounds for a refund.

[codek]

As it appears you do NOT know the BIOS (supervisor) password, this falls under rule #12 of the FAQ:

12) Can you help me remove the BIOS/HDD password from this
ThinkPad that I just bought/inherited/found/was given/stole/other?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Cracking passwords is a highly charged subject that
reasonable people disagree over.

That said, you may simply have a power-on password. That can be removed by following the instructions in the Hardware Maintenance Manual. As far as I know there is no lock-out if "x" number of attempts are invalid. But then again, I know what my passwords are.

You may want to contact the seller and ask for the password. If he/she doesn't know it, then you may have grounds for a refund.

bought this off of craigslist so i can't return this

Where do i find this Hardware Maintenance Manual?

[rkawakami]

The HMM for the X41 can be found here:

X41 Hardware Maintenance Manual

[egibbs]

If the seller won't proide the password you should probably contact the police - you may have been sold stolen property, and you may have been seriously ripped off.

A machine with an unknown supervisor password is worth very little due to the time, difficulty and cost of getting it removed.

Ed Gibbs

[codek]

If the seller won't proide the password you should probably contact the police - you may have been sold stolen property, and you may have been seriously ripped off.

A machine with an unknown supervisor password is worth very little due to the time, difficulty and cost of getting it removed.

Ed Gibbs

I'm pretty sure it's not stolen. The guy that sold it to me is not too smart. And he gave me the s/n over the phone freely. I think he just doesn't know too much about computers.

The tablet is fully functional except that I don't have the bios password.

[egibbs]

As long as it's just the Power On Password it's no big deal. If it's really the BIOS (Supervisor) password, then make sure you never do anything (like pulling the BIOS battery) that would cause you need to enter BIOS in order to be able to boot.

Ed Gibbs

[codek]

As long as it's just the Power On Password it's no big deal. If it's really the BIOS (Supervisor) password, then make sure you never do anything (like pulling the BIOS battery) that would cause you need to enter BIOS in order to be able to boot.

Ed Gibbs

I am thinkpad noob.. How do you tell the difference between the supervisor and power on. By the power on, do you the windows login password?

I s/w the guy and he said he will either trade me for another one or give me my money back...

[ryengineer]

Directly from Lenovo.

Types of passwords
As many as three passwords may be needed for any ThinkPad computer: the Power-on password, the Hard drive password (master and user), and the Supervisor password.

Supervisor password (BIOS password)

A Supervisor password protects the system information stored in the BIOS. The user must enter the Supervisor password in order to get access to the ThinkPad BIOS Setup Utility in order to change the system configuration. If the Supervisor password is forgotten there is no way to reset it to enter the BIOS configuration. Setting a Supervisor password automatically sets the master Hard drive password. The following is the icon that comes up in the upper left corner if a Supervisor password is set:

Normal operation

When the Supervisor password is set, then a prompt will appear when entering the ThinkPad BIOS setup utility and the Supervisor password will need to be entered before access will be granted to view or change settings.
Note: Setting the Supervisor password does not prevent access to the operating system. If the user Hard drive password and Power-on password are not set, then setting a Supervisor password will not cause the password prompt to appear when the operating system is booted.

Forgotten Supervisor password
A forgotten Supervisor password will prevent access to the ThinkPad BIOS setup utility. To regain access, the system will need to be serviced to have the system board and hard drive replaced. Proof of purchase is required, and this repair is not covered under the warranty.

Hard drive password

There are two Hard drive passwords: a user Hard drive password for the user and a master Hard drive password for the system administrator. The administrator can use the master password to get access to the hard drive even if a user has changed the user Hard drive password. The following is the icon that comes up in the upper left corner if a Hard disk password is set:

Normal Operation

There are two modes for the Hard drive password: user only and master + user. The master + user mode requires two Hard drive passwords; the system administrator enters both in the same operation and provides the user Hard drive password to the system user. If either master + user or user only are set, a the password prompt will appear during the boot process either the master or the user Hard drive password will need to be entered before the operating system can be booted.

Forgotten Hard drive password

If the user's Hard drive password has been forgotten, check whether a master Hard drive password has been set. If it has, it can be used for access to the hard drive. If no master Hard drive password is available, or if the administrator forgets the master Hard drive password, then the hard drive must be replaced. This replacement process is not covered under the warranty.

Power-on password

A Power-on password protects the system from being powered on by an unauthorized person. The following is the icon that comes up in the upper left corner if a Power-on password is set:


Normal Operation

When the Power-on password has been set, a prompt will appear during the system start up, and the Power-on password must be entered before an operating system can be booted.

Forgotten Power-on password

If the Power-on password is forgotten and the Supervisor password is known, simply go into the ThinkPad BIOS setup utility and reset the Power-on password, otherwise try the following:
Turn off the computer.
Remove the battery pack.
Remove the backup battery.
Turn on the computer and wait until the POST ends. After the POST ends, the password prompt does not appear. The POP has been removed.
Reinstall the backup battery and the battery pack.
Note: Some ThinkPad systems have the ability to reset the Power-on passwords in the ThinkPad BIOS setup utility if a Supervisor password has been set.
Click here to contact a local PC Service Provider to carry your machine in for service.

[codek]

Directly from Lenovo.
<snip>

Thank you very much

Moderator edit: Please trim quotes. No need to quote the entire post for a one line thanks.