Problem RESETTING passphrase in “Client Security”

[Jim M]

Greetings from a Newbie, everyone!

I have a ThinkPad R51 2887-B2C with a strange software problem. I am unable to RESET the password in the “Client Security” module, as required each six months. I suppose that is the hard drive password.

NOTICE! THIS IS NOT A THREAD ABOUT HACKING PASSWORDS!

I know and use the Power On Password, and also the password in “Client Security.” After I enter the “Client Security” password, I get another screen, also labeled “Client Security” at the top, which reads:

Your password has expired and must be changed. Please enter your new passphrase below:
[my computer ID and User Name]
Enter new passphrase:
Confirm new passphrase:
View passphrase requirements . . .

After I enter a new passphrase in each of the boxes, I get a message, “The current passphrase was not entered correctly. Please try again.”

I have read and printed out the passphrase requirements. I have entered and tried dozens of proposed new passphrases which comply with the passphrase requirements. I always get the same message, “The current passphrase was not entered correctly. Please try again.”

Note that it is NOT the current passphrase that I am entering; it is the proposed new passphrase. The current passphrase was entered (and accepted) at the beginning of the “Client Security” program.

I have had this R51 since late in 2004, and I had changed the passphrase several times (probably about eight to ten times) at six month intervals before the program started rejecting my new proposed passphrases.

I do have a work-around for this problem, but I would really like to know what is going wrong with the program that it won’t accept my new suggested passphrases, which comply with the passphrase requirements.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Jim M.

[RealBlackStuff]

Welcome to the Forum.
My first suggestion would be a near-dead CMOS battery after 4-5 years.
If you have a multimeter, check that battery, should give 3.0V or more. If less, replace it.
The hard drive password is stored on the hard disk, and entered separately (although Client-Sec and HD passwords could be the same).
I have disabled/uninstalled all Client Security software on my Thinkpads, so I am not familiar with the intricacies.
Someone else will chime in soon, I'm sure.

[Jim M]

RBS, thanks for the suggestion. I changed the CMOS battery about two or three years ago when I upgraded the memory from the original 512 MB to 1 GB in two 512 MB DIMMs. Still, it could be going bad in that length of time. I hadn't thought of that as a potential problem.

Just this week I ordered two 1 GB DIMMs to upgrade the memory to 2 GB, and those will probably arrive in a week or so. I will order a new CMOS battery and change that while I am in there for the memory upgrade.

Might as well! Most of the disassembly will already be done, and CMOS batteries are inexpensive compared to the frustration they can cause when they go bad.

Is there a quick way to check the CMOS voltage without removing the keyboard and keyboard bezel? I do have a multimeter and the HMM, but I haven't stumbled across any shortcut method in the HMM for checking the CMOS battery without actually accessing it.

Thanks for that suggestion.

Jim M.

[RealBlackStuff]

No, you'll have to take at least the front-part of the keyboard bezel off, to access the CMOS battery.

[Jim M]

RBS said:

No, you'll have to take at least the front-part of the keyboard bezel off, to access the CMOS battery.

Okay, I'll do that. I just ordered a new CMOS battery. For the low price, I figure I might as well change it if I have to go to the trouble of accessing it. The new memory should be here in the next week, so maybe I'll just do both at the same time.

Meanwhile, anyone else have any other ideas about the problem? I was thinking along the lines of a corrupted file in the "Client Security" program. I will change the CMOS battery anyway, but is there anything else I should be doing?

Thanks again, RBS.

Jim M.

[RealBlackStuff]

For the RAM, you only need to remove the keyboard resp. the small cover on the bottom of the laptop.

Before you swap the CMOS battery, try this first.
If you can still access your data with the old passphrase/password, I would suggest to remove the PW altogether for the moment, and then make a full backup -or take an image with e.g. Acronis TrueImage- of your HD, before you go any further.
After your backup/image, do a re-install of the CSS. Or see if there are updates for that program.

Lenovo offers this help: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-66965

[Jim M]

RBS said,

If you can still access your data with the old passphrase/password, I would suggest to remove the PW altogether for the moment, and then make a full backup -or take an image with e.g. Acronis TrueImage- of your HD, before you go any further.
After your backup/image, do a re-install of the CSS. Or see if there are updates for that program.

I can still access my data with the old passphrase. I don't know how to remove the PW completely. Is that the same as removing the CSS completely? I also don't know how to do that. Can you point me to any information on that?

I am going to upgrade my hard drive soon (from the current 120 GB to 320 GB or maybe 350 GB). I have been using the 120 for three years, since my previous hard drive crashed (August 2006), and I now have 110 GB of stuff on it. It's time for an upgrade!

I am wondering if I should re-install the CSS on the new drive if I take it off the current drive before the upgrade. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Jim M.

[RealBlackStuff]

Normally, for PW change you type in the old PW, hit Enter, type in the new PW (or leave it blank if you want to remove it), hit Enter, confirm the new PW (or leave BLANK), and hit Enter or OK. Then save your changes.
This should work in BIOS as well as in your CSS program.
Once your password has been removed, reboot the PC and check that it indeed works!
If OK, uninstall CSS. Do a checkdisk and a Defrag, then transfer your stuff onto the new HD.
When done, if you still want it, get the latest version CSS and install that again.
Personally, I would not bother with CSS. If anything goes wrong, you loose access to your data!
A Supervisor password and a Hard Disk password are more effective.

Oh yeah, and the largest PATA HD you can get is 'only' 320GB.