new motherboard, new problem.

[bonestonne]

ok, so my thinkpads motherboard is shot. i went out, and got a new one, and i was anticipating it working perfectly, boot up no issues, go right into the OS.

well, i was wrong. theres a lock on the BIOS, and on startup i get an 0217 error, reset time/date...well, since i don't know the password i did my googling. i found one method that i can use [however i'm keeping that to myself as per forum rules], and i thought of another, but wanted to know some opinions before i go do something stupid.

1) when all else fails and i think about taking off the BIOS from the motherboard and swapping it with the one from my dead board, what problems will i come up with?

2) my soldering iron has a removeable tip, i can look up the model later, but can anyone suggest a nice fine tip for me after i post the model? i got it at radio shack, its a generic radio shack soldering iron [15W i think, but again, i can be more specific after a good nights sleep].

replacing the physical BIOS chip is my absolute last resort...so if anyone can give me pointers that would really help. it took quite some googling to find the other method though..its efficient, but also involves soldiering, so i'm skeptical as to how i'm going to approach this [$40 for the motherboard was cheap, however i don't have another to blow for yet another board].

thanks for any help in advanced, i hope someone can help me with this...its my first laptop, and i can't say i know if i'll get another until college, so if i can make this work i'm all for it.

[rkawakami]

As we can't discuss this subject in too much detail I can answer a couple of your questions:

1) Replacing the BIOS chip will NOT solve your password issue.

2) There are some specialized tips for removing surface mount components. They basically look like a large upside-down "U" so that all of the pins are heated at the same time. You would need to match the soldering iron tip with whatever sized component you are trying to remove/replace.

My final recommendation would be to return the motherboard to the seller and get your money back due to the password.