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How to Bypass BIOS Passwords

BIOS passwords can add extra layer of security for desktop and laptop computers, and are used to either prevent a user from changing the BIOS settings or to prevent the PC from booting without a password. BIOS passwords can also be a liability if a user forgot their passwords, or if a malicious user changes the password. Sending the unit back to the manufacturer to have the BIOS reset can be expensive and is usually not covered in a typical warranty. However, there are a few known backdoors and other tricks of the trade that can be used to bypass or reset the BIOS password on most systems.

To enter the BIOS Setup try these keystrokes:

  • AMI BIOS:  Del key during the POST
  • DTK BIOS:  Esc key during the POST
  • Award BIOS:  Ctrl-Alt-Esc
  • misc BIOS:  Ctrl-Esc
  • Phoenix BIOS:  Ctrl-Alt-Esc or Ctrl-Alt-S
  • IBM PS/2 BIOS:  Ctrl-Alt-Ins after Ctrl-Alt-Del

Backdoor Passwords

Many BIOS manufacturers have provided backdoor passwords that can be used to access the BIOS setup in the event you have lost your password. These passwords are case sensitive, so you may wish to try a variety of combinations.

WARNING: Some BIOS configurations will lock you out of the system completely if you type in an incorrect password more than 3 times. Read your manufacturers documentation for the BIOS setting before you begin typing in passwords.

Award BIOS backdoor passwords:

ALFAROME

BIOSTAR

KDD

ZAAADA

ALLy

CONCAT

Lkwpeter

ZBAAACA

aLLy

CONDO

LKWPETER

ZJAAADC

aLLY

Condo

PINT

01322222

ALLY

d8on

pint

589589

aPAf

djonet

SER

589721

_award

HLT

SKY_FOX

595595

AWARD_SW

J64

SYXZ

598598

AWARD?SW

J256

syxz

AWARD SW

J262

shift + syxz

AWARD PW

j332

TTPTHA

AWKWARD

j322

awkward

AMI BIOS Backdoor Passwords:

AMI

BIOS

PASSWORD

HEWITT RAND

AMI?SW

AMI_SW

LKWPETER

CONDO

Phoenix BIOS Backdoor Passwords:

phoenix

PHOENIX

CMOS

BIOS

Misc. Common Passwords

ALFAROME

BIOSTAR

biostar

biosstar

CMOS

cmos

LKWPETER

lkwpeter

setup

SETUP

Syxz

Wodj

Other BIOS Passwords by Manufacturer

Manufacturer

Password

VOBIS & IBM

Merlin

Dell

Dell

Biostar

Biostar

Compaq

Compaq

Enox

xo11nE

Epox

Central

Freetech

Posterie

IWill

Iwill

Jetway

Spooml

Packard Bell

bell9

QDI

QDI

Siemens

SKY_FOX

TMC

BIGO

Toshiba

Toshiba

Toshiba BIOS

Most Toshiba laptops and some desktop systems will bypass the BIOS password if the left shift key is held down during boot

IBM Aptiva BIOS

Press both mouse buttons repeatedly during the boot

Motherboard “Clear CMOS” Jumper or Dipswitch settings

Many motherboards feature a set of jumpers or dipswitches that will clear the CMOS and wipe all of the custom settings including BIOS passwords. The locations of these jumpers / dipswitches will vary depending on the motherboard manufacturer and ideally you should always refer to the motherboard or computer manufacturers documentation. If the documentation is unavailable, the jumpers/dipswitches can sometimes be found along the edge of the motherboard, next to the CMOS battery, or near the processor. Some manufacturers may label the jumper / dipswitch CLEAR – CLEAR CMOS – CLR – CLRPWD – PASSWD – PASSWORD – PWD. On laptop computers, the dipswitches are usually found under the keyboard or within a compartment at the bottom of the laptop.

Please remember to unplug your PC and use a grounding strip before reaching into your PC and touching the motherboard. Once you locate and rest the jumper switches, turn the computer on and check if the password has been cleared. If it has, turn the computer off and return the jumpers or dipswitches to its original position.

Removing the CMOS Battery

The CMOS settings on most systems are buffered by a small battery that is attached to the motherboard. (It looks like a small watch battery). If you unplug the PC and remove the battery for 10-15 minutes, the CMOS may reset itself and the password should be blank. (Along with any other machine specific settings, so be sure you are familiar with manually reconfiguring the BIOS settings before you do this.) Some manufacturers backup the power to the CMOS chipset by using a capacitor, so if your first attempt fails, leave the battery out (with the system unplugged) for at least 24 hours. Some batteries are actually soldered onto the motherboard making this task more difficult. Unsoldering the battery incorrectly may damage your motherboard and other components, so please don’t attempt this if you are inexperienced. Another option may be to remove the CMOS chip from the motherboard for a period of time.
Note: Removing the battery to reset the CMOS will not work for all PC’s, and almost all of the newer laptops store their BIOS passwords in a manner which does not require continuous power, so removing the CMOS battery may not work at all. IBM Thinkpad laptops lock the hard drive as well as the BIOS when the supervisor password is set. If you reset the BIOS password, but cannot reset the hard drive password, you may not be able to access the drive and it will remain locked, even if you place it in a new laptop. IBM Thinkpads have special jumper switches on the motherboard, and these should be used to reset the system.

Use the Debug command

Boot to MS- DOS prompt, run through the below example, this example is perfectly fine to run on any PC Computer running MS-DOS / Windows and will not harm anything.

DEBUG script that will just reset the password only
Type debug and press enter.   (ex.  A:\>debug )
After typing debug you will get “-” as a prompt ,type these exactly how they are written.
o 70 10
o 71 20
quit
Explanation of code:
DEBUG    ; Run DEBUG, “-” will appear on each line then type:
o 70 20     ; Send 70 to address 18
o 71 21     ; Send 71 to address FF
q              ; Quit DEBUG
or you can use this alternate DEBUG script that will just reset the the BIOS
A
MOV AX,0
MOV AX,CX
OUT 70,AL
MOV AX,0
OUT 71,AL
INC CX
CMP CX,100
JB 103
INT 20
Note: Nothing is typed on this line
G By pressing G this will execute the above script
Q

Then reboot and you will get a Setup Checksum Error. Go into setup, correct all the incorrect values, time, date…

Alternatively you can use the program WipeCMOS from a boot floppy

Use the Decoding software

CmosPwd by CGSecurity – This is probably the most up to date and popular CMOS decryption tool. CmosPwd decrypts password stored in cmos used to access BIOS SETUP, you can also backup, restore and erase/kill cmos.You will have to be logged in as administrator, run ioperm -i command and then run cmospwd_win.exe
PC CMOS Cleaner – PC CMOS Cleaner is an easy-to-use tool to recover, delete, decode and display the superior passwords stored in BIOS whatever the brand is. It’s an bootable CD that runs on x86 and x86_64 computers. It can display the superior passwords of the BIOS, remove BIOS password(will set the BIOS to default status, need reset date).
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By Swatantra Kumar

Swatantra is an engineering leader with a successful record in building, nurturing, managing, and leading a multi-disciplinary, diverse, and distributed team of engineers and managers developing and delivering solutions. Professionally, he oversees solution design-development-delivery, cloud transition, IT strategies, technical and organizational leadership, TOM, IT governance, digital transformation, Innovation, stakeholder management, management consulting, and technology vision & strategy. When he's not working, he enjoys reading about and working with new technologies, and trying to get his friends to make the move to new web trends. He has written, co-written, and published many articles in international journals, on various domains/topics including Open Source, Networks, Low-Code, Mobile Technologies, and Business Intelligence. He made a proposal for an information management system at the University level during his graduation days.

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