Locked ThinkPad - Options?

[Greg]

I have an old ThinkPad that I got from a freind, and unfortunatley he forgot/didn't know the Bios password If I were to reset the CMOS it is my understanding that the harddrive would remain locked and unusable. I was wondering if it would work to reset the CMOS and put in a different harddrive? I was planning to install Linux on it in the first place.

Thanks,
~Greg

 

[HDR]

try going to http://www.nortek.on.ca/.

They unlock thinkpads, but I do not know how much it costs.

Could be worth it?

 

[Greg]

Yeah I have seen a bunch of ways to unlock them, but pretty much all of them require paying for a service or a chip, and I don't really want to spend any money.

 

[Continuum]

Then there is not much you can do if it is a HDD password as it is kept in the system area that is not accessible by normal means.

 

[Kubel]

It's highly likely this ThinkPad is hot. ThinkPads are known for their security because it leaves the thieves (or the unfortunate forgetter) with a practically useless laptop. The most valueable thing you can do is tear it down and sell the unaffected parts.

The power on passwords are stored in non-volatile ram, which means just popping out the bios battery won't work. If you can't remember the password, you have to take it apart and replace the memory chip that the power on password resides in, or replace the entire motherboard.

You can hire someone to do this for anywhere from $100-$800.

 

[Continuum]

I thought that the HDD password was stored in the system area, and not the NV ram. Anyway, Kubel is right. You need to pay for the hdd to be working again.

 

[Greg]

Alright, thanks for the info. I'll keep it around a little longer before probably taking it apart.