how to unlock an IBM thinkpad X40

[horton]

i have been given a thinkpad x40 to play with.

there is a code when i try to start it up, before XP, before anything happens. i dont have the code, neither does the guy who gave it to me.

try to start XP - code
try to fuck with the bios - same code.

anything to do? or a lost cause?

[Foo]

Open the laptop and remove the CMOS battery to clear the BIOS. Replace the battery and the BIOS passwording should be gone.

[AmIdYfReAk]

if my memory serves me properly, Foo's method wont work...

take the Batt pack out of it, and leave it for a few days.. that should get it to clear ( Debtfull )

Ibm dosent screw around with there passwords and etc, the only thing that i could think of is a Forcefull Cmos clear/Bios flash

[horton]

from what i can see online, the security is not on the BIOS, its some hardcore security chip.. is that possible?

and how can i clear the everything?

is this gonna involve me opening the case?
im a pussy, i will open desktop PCs all day long, but ive never had the balls to open a laptop.

[SOAPboy]

Good luck with that. IBMs are pretty lock tight.

Best case call IBM. theres some sort of general all purpose password.

[horton]

its one of those situations, where you dont ask where the laptop came from, you dont ask why there is no password.

ive just been given it to unlock because my limited knowledge of PCs, is slightly less limited than the person who was given it.

my immediate suggestion was ' give it back to the cunt who gave it to you, and say no password = useless box with IBM written on it '

at best rip the HDD, Ram and CPU out, and throw the rest away.

[Underpants?]

there're two levels of security on most IBM laptops. The first is hard disk security, so if it's an hdd password (does it say "drive locked, or disk locked?") just swap the disk out and you have the problem resolved. The second is unbreakable, a nvram password. If it's the second, the only fix I've heard of is to send it in.

[+JuggerNaut+]

Good luck with that. IBMs are pretty lock tight.

Best case call IBM. theres some sort of general all purpose password.

an "all purpose password" does not equal "lock tight"

[Underpants?]

Horton, does it look like this:
?

[horton]

Horton, does it look like this:
?

yeah it does, well apart from the fact that it tells me to fuck off, and puts a black X, instead of saying ok.

but yeah. thats the point at which it is telling me that i can go no further

[Underpants?]

My guess is you're screwed then. Here's a spiffy website on how to solder up your very own homemade key mechanism in the event that chasing tail or going out doesn't do it for you anymore:
http://www.ja.axxs.net/unlock/

[SOAPboy]

Good luck with that. IBMs are pretty lock tight.

Best case call IBM. theres some sort of general all purpose password.

an "all purpose password" does not equal "lock tight"

Yeah but its different for each model, and GL "googling it", ive tried