Laptop Resuscitation Help Required PLEASE!

[sapna_chavda]

Hello there

I pleased to have got my hand's on a laptop for my little cousin's to play about on...BUT... it doesn't work (or I'm being really stupid).

It's an Acer TravelMate 525TE, looks like it has Windows 2000 Pro ME on it. (I don't have the original disk for this but do have XP sp2 and Vista).

I am unable to much with it as it keeps asking me for a password which is unknown. BUT the password screen is not the usual windows screen, I'd say it resembled MSDos. Basically I've got a black screen with "Setup Password" on the very first top line, and a symbol of a key underneath it. It doesn't accept anything I put in obviously because it's not the right password.

Please please please any help would so so much be appreciated so that the little man can mess around on it and leave the older one's to do serious work!

Many many thanks

Sapna

[Firefox]

The password you are seeing is the one that was set by the previous owner in the BIOS.

It has to be cleared in the BIOS. This could be hard on a laptop.

Usually what you would do on a desktop is remove power from desktop, then remove the battery off the motherboard for a few minutes, and that would clear the password.

On a laptop the same would work, but the motherboard battery is hard to get to on a laptop (on some anyway). You could try removing the battery and power cord and let it sit for a while see if it looses the password. (this would work especially of the battery on the motherboard is weak or dead).

Aside from that, have you tried to contact the person you bought it from and asked them for the password?

[Haider]

Hello sapna_chavda:

You may try one of the following (assuming default i.e. not changed):

1. acer
   
2. Acer
   
3. ACER
   

Should you have any other question(s) please post back using button

[sapna_chavda]

Thank you Firefox and Haider for responding.

Firefox - I tried to remove the battery and left it for a day but it didn't work. And yes I have tried the obvious which is to ask the person that gave it to me, but they don't remember as they have not used it for some time.

Haider - I tried your suggestions but none of them worked either.

What are my next options?

Thanks

Sapna

[Haider]

Hello sapna_chavda:

It is not only the main battery but the CMOS battery that has to be taken out along with!

[sapna_chavda]

I understood that Firefox was suggesting I removed the battery and mains power to the laptop, and in the event the battery is bad then it may work.

Never mind... So is that my only option?

Is there a way the laptop can be re-formatted or something?

Thanks

Sapna

[Firefox]

it is possible that you could contact Acer and they may have some sort of bootable floppy that could re-flash the bios and it would clear the password.

Also I don't know how comfortable you are with opening the laptop (at least the access panels) but you could look for: (this needs to be done carefully and with now power or battery in the laptop)

Under where the memory is you may notice some little plugs. On one of my laptops, plugged in just under the wireless card were black and red wires. I followed those wires for like 2 inches and tucked away in the dark was something that looked like a CMOS battery. I unplugged that, waited like a minute cause I was inspecting it, plugged it back in. I turned the computer back on and Viola no password! I was still in business. Hope that helps!

[sapna_chavda]

Hi Firefox...costs a lot of money to get Acer to reset/ clear passwords.

This is not looking good is it?

You guys are always so helpful and always find a way...I'm willing to try anything if I know what and how!

[CWB]

i googled around for an answer and came up with this (from a website) as a possibility :

"I ran into the same issue except I work for a Highschool and one of the kids who was using our mobile lab decided to put a password on the BIOS and boot. That really stunk. The laptop is a newer Acer TravelMate and I was able to remove the password. I too googled the heck out of this one and couldn't find anything but "Your SOL unless you cough up the money to Acer". Here is what I did: In search for answers I removed the hardrive first. Then I went to remove the memory and noticed an odd looking thing. Plugged in just under the wireless card were black and red wires. I followed those wires for like 2 inches and tucked away in the dark was something that looked like a CMOS battery. I unplugged that, waited like a minute cause I was inspecting it, plugged it back in. With the harddrive out still I turned the computer back on and Viola! Shutdown, put the harddrive back in, and I was still in business. Hope that helped!"

the model is a bit different than yours ... however , this may be a chance of doing this without tearing the whole machine apart or paying for someone's vacation to barbados !

the only way is to check physically .

[Haider]

Hello All:

Regardless of whether it's a Desktop or Laptop, when you cutoff the power supply and remove CMOS battery it will lose password stored in BIOS!