I just bought a Thinkpad A31 that was in need of some parts.It needs 
keyboard,cd-rom,hard drive.
I have the parts coming in from e-bay .But after reading diffrent web site 
about bios passwords, it got me thinking about this one i bought.
From what i read,if you lost or dont know the bios password(if it has been 
set befor). There is no way to clear off that bios password.You will have to 
replace the motherboard.
Is this true?
Is there some way around this?
I know alot of people dont want to talk about this because of stolen 
laptops.But what about those of us that may need the help?
 

[ billwheeler@gmail.com ]

[ ... ]

> There is no way to clear off that bios password.You will have to
> replace the motherboard. Is this true?


Yes. The manual for the A31 clearly states that:

"Attention: If the SVP has been forgotten and cannot be made available
to the servicer, there is no service procedure to reset the password.
The system board must be replaced for a scheduled fee."

I do not know what IBM charges for a motherboard replacement, but it
cannot be cheap.


> Is there some way around this?


Short answer -- no.

Long answer -- yes, but it requires a rather involved and invasive
procedure.
<http://sodoityourself.com/hacking-ibm-thinkpad-bios-password/> is
probably where you should start (as well as a google search, since
this was the fourth hit on the list I got).

[ rant ]

Thinkpads' BIOS password is an insanely stupid idea. It offers no
security whatsoever (the hard drive with the information can be
removed by a prospective thief, and companies like IBAS *will* remove
an HDD password if it exists for a moderate fee), and only adds
aggravation to the users. If one wants to protect the data, truecrypt,
dm-crypt or similar solutions are so much nicer to work with.

[ /rant ]


> I know alot of people dont want to talk about this because of stolen
> laptops. But what about those of us that may need the help?


There is always the replacement option :)





ivr
-- 
"...but it's HDTV -- it's got a better resolution than the real world."
		                           -- Fry, "When aliens attack"

saberx wrote:

> Is there some way around this?
> I know alot of people dont want to talk about this because of stolen 
> laptops.But what about those of us that may need the help?

The bios password is weakly protected against reading from the hardware.
http://sodoityourself.com/hacking-ibm-thinkpad-bios-password/
S.

igorr@ifi.uio.no (Igor V. Rafienko) wrote:


>
>Thinkpads' BIOS password is an insanely stupid idea. It offers no
>security whatsoever (the hard drive with the information can be
>removed by a prospective thief, and companies like IBAS *will* remove
>an HDD password if it exists for a moderate fee), and only adds
>aggravation to the users. If one wants to protect the data, truecrypt,
>dm-crypt or similar solutions are so much nicer to work with.
>


Whilst what you say is true, it still gave me a small element of pleasure
knowing the bastard that stole my A31 would not just be able to disconnect
the CMOS battery and get a fully working laptop.
Whilst there are a few clever criminals out there, most would have a
problem reading let alone doing the procedure outlined at the website you
gave the URL to.
Yy new T42 also has a hardware chip and a password for the HD which really
is hard to overcome (not impossible I know)

I also looked at it as knowing that even if the laptop thief was a BIOS
geek it would still take him and hour or so which was plenty of time for me
to go online and change important passwords.

Any security is better than none, if everyone put at least a BIOS password
on the thieves would be a lot less likely to bother. Companies who have the
dubious pleasure of having employees calling in saying they have forgotten
their password all the time may disagree. :-)
Andy

Well i powered up my system after getting a new keyboard and few more 
parts.There was no passwords on it at all.
Looks like i got a deal at 50.00 bux.This will trach the last owner(a 
friend) to spill honny on the keyboard.

"saberx" <billwheeler@gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:etfe0g$5ig$1@news.datemas.de...
>I just bought a Thinkpad A31 that was in need of some parts.It needs 
>keyboard,cd-rom,hard drive.
> I have the parts coming in from e-bay .But after reading diffrent web site 
> about bios passwords, it got me thinking about this one i bought.
> From what i read,if you lost or dont know the bios password(if it has been 
> set befor). There is no way to clear off that bios password.You will have 
> to replace the motherboard.
> Is this true?
> Is there some way around this?
> I know alot of people dont want to talk about this because of stolen 
> laptops.But what about those of us that may need the help?
>
>
>