Thinkpads Forum

I bought a used X301 from PC World Business (UK) which I thought was a bargain, at 470 without a hard drive.

I've just got it and wanted to boot from a linux usb stick to check everything worked before installing a new un-opened SSD.

However straight away I'm confronted by the horror of a power-on password. I've tried calling PC World and they don't know the password and the guy suggested removing the CMOS battery. Is this my only option and is it advisable?

Or would I be best finding a lenovo service center nearby and should they be able to reset it?

OK, the plot thickens. I've followed the backup battery removal instructions given on the lenovo website.

However the backup battery appears to have been tampered with in the past. Instead of being on a socket, the cable ends were loose and not connected to the motherboard.

I guess there's nothing I can do in this case?

Edit: they may have been connected and i knocked them loose, it's hard to say.

I also realise that this is covered in the FAQ but I was hoping for information on what damage can be done to the system if it is started up without a CMOS battery (as this may have been) and whether it will be worth me trying to source a new CMOS battery with a proper socket on it.

It sounds like a Supervisor password was set. The only fix a repair center can/will do is to replace the systemboard in the machine. Also, it is against forum rules here to discuss how to defeat passwords set on Thinkpads, so please do not be tempted. To do so will result in this thread vanishing forever.

Thanks Harry. I will return the laptop and buy a X201s new I think. At least that way I know it will work!

I don't know if Lenovo still has it in the BIOS. Back in the IBM time, IBM had built into the BIOS a back door master unlock password. They made me go a long way to give me that by sending in proof of purchase, proof of ownership and possession of machine, etc. I also had to be elevated to level 2 support. Then they gave me a long cryptic code at the poweron password screen and it unlocked the machine and let me go in and either modify or remove the power on password. Before you return the machine, if the machine is still under warranty, it is worth a shot to call Lenovo support and see if they can help.

Hope this information does not violate forum policy.

Well, if it truly was a power on password then you went through a bunch of hoops for nothing. The procedure to remove one is fully documented in most any of the Hardware Maintenance Manuals and generally involves removing the CMOS (backup) battery and/or shorting out two pads on the motherboard. This information is not restricted as it's been publicly printed. However, if one does that and a BIOS (aka, supervisor) password has also been set, then the system will still prompt you for a password when the system is turned back on. This is what the OP apparently has encountered. Removal of the CMOS battery would have cleared any power-on password but it also would have permanently invoked the BIOS password. Since the date and time information would have been lost when disconnecting the CMOS battery, the system would force the user to enter the BIOS the next time the system is started and reset it. Having a password prompt in front of your face after knowing that the backup battery was removed equals a BIOS password.

I certainly hope that IBM would not have used or designed in any "back door" BIOS password as that kind of defeats the entire purpose of having the supervisor password in the first place.

rkawakami wrote:I certainly hope that IBM would not have used or designed in any "back door" BIOS password as that kind of defeats the entire purpose of having the supervisor password in the first place.

IBM certainly did. It was my personal experience. Just not sure if Lenovo carrys the trend over.

If the OP found out the CMOS battery was disconnected, then very likely the prior owner knows about the password and disconnected the battery in an attempt to unlock the unit. Without progress, the prior owner sold the machine and claimed ignorant.