locked out

[shakushinnen]

Hi All,
This is more than likely a scenario you've heard all too often, so I'll try to be brief.
I bought this 600x at a yard sale (no installation disks). It's partitioned between windows 95 and XP. Couldn't get into XP, but could access windows 95. I read that I could erase the password by crossing out the two contacts just below the ram chips. Did it. No change, except the script looked different at boot up. So far, no big boob. Now I decide to remove and replace the little yellow battery hoping that the cmos will reset with no password. WRONG! Now I get two beeps at startup, after the ram count and "161, 163", followed by the image of a lock with a small box beside it to the bottom left. If I then hit enter, I get an error screen with the number 00161 and 00163 and a duck? in the bottom right of the screen. Enter again gets me another, similar, error screen. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
John

[whizkid]

The 161 and 163 mean the little yellow battery is dead, or nearly so. You nee to get a new one.

As for passwords, you probably mean Windows passwords. For XP, just re-install and away you go. For 95, boot into safe mode and delete all the *.pwl files.

[wa8yxm]

There are multiple passwords, One (Actually more) are in BIOS, this includes the power up password, which is the one you reset by the shorting connections trick (and I'm not sure that those are the right connections,you may have done nothing but kill the battery)

There are passwords for power on, adminstrative changes (Example, changing passwords) and hard drive access, all these are stored in CMOS and are resettable by shorting something somewhere... I've done it accieently on my 600E but can't tell you how to do it

In addition Windows NT which includes eXtra Painful, has it's own password, this is NOT stored in CMOS and there is only one way I know of to reset it

Reload, actually re-install windows

Here are a few hints though

At the XP log in it will likely show you one or more icons with names

If one of them is "Admin" or anything that looks like an "owner" try it with "Password", IT's own name (IE: Admin or Owner) and the owner's former owner's first & last names if you know them.

Else you need to re-install Windows XP... To do this you will need the windows install key, which is very likely on a sticker on the bottom of the laptop (But I'd not bet on it too heavely) if it's there, you are in luck, if not, I not, You have a probelm. The install files may well be on the hard drive, Alas, i don't know where.

But if you are getting into win-9x w/o problems then the password that is blocking you is NOT!! stored in CMOS, rather it is encrypted on the hard drive.

Now... It can be reset, or rather deleted, Here is one trick you can try. Using a KNOPPIX or simuler disk search the XP partation for any and all flies with a PWL extension, Re-name them, say PWB, see if it boots as a new instalation and gives you the option of setting passwords

NOTE: I think the extension is PWL but once again, I'm not 100% sure (one thing about renaming as opposed to deleting,,, You can always re-name back)

[shakushinnen]

Gentlemen,
I can't even get the [censored] thing to boot past POST, with out getting this lock image. I guess the first thing to do is change the little yellow battery, and go from there. I live near Toronto, Markham actually. Does anyone know where these batteries can be purchased near here?
Thanks,
John

[Ground Loop]

If you were able to boot Win95 from power-on before dorking around with it, then there was NO hardware password at all -- no BIOS password, no hard drive password.

You should have just reformatted the drive and reinstalled your favorite flavor of Windows or whatever. Boot from CD, ignore what's on the hard drive, and reformat it.

Shorting wires together seems like entirely the wrong thing to be doing.

Who knows what state it's in now, but you probably shorted out your battery and killed it.