Recent content by ark42

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Reset Dell Bios Password?

I mentioned in the original post that F12 requires a password. It's the same as pressing F2, you get nowhere until you enter the password.
- ark42
- Post #31
- May 15, 2012
- Forum: Computer Building
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Reset Dell Bios Password?

Yes, I tried, and people keep suggesting it without reading the topic. I even said I tried in the first post. It does not work. The password is stored in NVRAM, not in the regular CMOS settings.
- ark42
- Post #26
- May 15, 2012
- Forum: Computer Building
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Reset Dell Bios Password?

There can be issues with installing windows on another computer and moving the drive back to the laptop. It might work, but it might just crash on startup then, who knows. Also I don't really want to fix Windows for them, I want to let it boot normally so they can fix it themselves. I think...
- ark42
- Post #24
- May 14, 2012
- Forum: Computer Building
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Reset Dell Bios Password?

Thanks. Looks like that is A28 and I had A12. I'll have to see what's new on that version. It may only do service tag changes still though, I'm not sure.
- ark42
- Post #22
- May 14, 2012
- Forum: Computer Building
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Reset Dell Bios Password?

I searched for things like that, but only came up with a Dell Internal utility that lets you change the service tag and other things like that. Since I can boot from CDs by removing the hard drive, I tried that. I tried changing the service tag to things like AAAAAAA and using those utilities...
- ark42
- Post #19
- May 14, 2012
- Forum: Computer Building
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Reset Dell Bios Password?

While I appreciate your attempt to help, I mentioned in the very first post that the CMOS battery was already removed. It does not clear the password on Dell laptops under any circumstance. Even when left out for 48 hours as mentioned in a later post.
- ark42
- Post #16
- May 14, 2012
- Forum: Computer Building
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Reset Dell Bios Password?

So... you can boot from CD when the hard drive is removed, without having to use F12. Updated from A05 to A12 BIOS while booted from a Hiren's BootCD. There is still a password on the BIOS afterwards though.
- ark42
- Post #14
- May 9, 2012
- Forum: Computer Building
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Reset Dell Bios Password?

Both batteries were removed and the laptop sat, unplugged of course, for 48 hours, with no change. I'm pretty sure the password is written to some NVRAM on another chip. Can't update the BIOS, unless there is a secret key-press that I don't know about which will jump directly to updating the...
- ark42
- Post #12
- May 9, 2012
- Forum: Computer Building
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Reset Dell Bios Password?

If it is, it's not going to work, and I doubt my friend would have spent 4 hours on the phone with dell trying to get a password out of the service code, only to have them tell her that maybe removing the CMOS battery will work (obviously it would never). I'm going to have to guess that the...
- ark42
- Post #7
- May 7, 2012
- Forum: Computer Building
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Reset Dell Bios Password?

I'm sure if that was going to happen, I wouldn't have the laptop over at my place at all. All he knows is it was like 16 letters long, and everything he tried he thought was right didn't work.
- ark42
- Post #5
- May 7, 2012
- Forum: Computer Building
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Reset Dell Bios Password?

dell, Dell, and DELL were all tried, none work. I'm sure those are all for very old models.
- ark42
- Post #3
- May 6, 2012
- Forum: Computer Building
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Reset Dell Bios Password?

So, my friend's son messed up his Windows installation. You can't boot into anything. No F8 Safe Mode or anything gets past a few seconds of boot without a hard reset for no reason. I'm sure my friend could fix this for her son, but he put a password on the BIOS and doesn't remember it. The...
- ark42
- Thread
- May 6, 2012
- Replies: 92
- Forum: Computer Building
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Does Fujitsu MHW2160BJ 160GB 7200rpm 2.5" have a freefall sensor

Well if it doesn't have that feature, it seems like it's going to be a difficult case to argue with Dell support over. The choices on the Vostro 1700 currently still list what I just purchased: 160GB Free Fall Sensor Hard Drive, 7200RPM, for Dell Vostro 1700 Notebook add $0 Dual Hard Drives...
- ark42
- Post #7
- Mar 24, 2008
- Forum: Memory and Storage
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Does Fujitsu MHW2160BJ 160GB 7200rpm 2.5" have a freefall sensor

I couldn't find any mention of it at http://www.fujitsu.com/us/serv...le/mhw2160bj-sata.html Perhaps I just missed it, but the "datasheet" PDF didn't have much information in it at all. I specifically purchased the 160GB with freefall sensor from Dell, for the price as the 250GB 5400rpm...
- ark42
- Post #5
- Mar 24, 2008
- Forum: Memory and Storage
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Does Fujitsu MHW2160BJ 160GB 7200rpm 2.5" have a freefall sensor

No, I believe it detects when the laptop is dropped more than a few inches, and moves the heads to the side and disables read/write temporarily to avoid damage. What you said sounds like just a way to check after the fact if the drive was dropped maybe.
- ark42
- Post #3
- Mar 24, 2008
- Forum: Memory and Storage

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