Help with bios password?

[Limpster]

My friend at work asked me to break into this PC. Its a server for our company and he needs to be sure its safe. He has a Dell poweredge 400 SC. It seems he enabled the bios password and you cant boot from anything. From what I found, the bios on it may be Jetway A05. I tried the default password of spooml and it didnt work. Any ideas?

[nihil]

Pure guess

Open machine (unscrew the case)...........move BIOS jumper (probably the one closest to the processor) power up.............then power down................then move the jumper back. Screw up the case and the BIOS password could be reset.

If it uses an eeprom chip you will have to use a paperclip?.............

I take the view that with servers, physical security is paramount

There is a big difference between stealing a laptop and stealing a server, so I consider your question to be genuine.

Good luck, and please let us know how you get on

[magnoon]

If an intruder gains physical access the box is not safe. It took me about 2 minutes to find the information for that server on the Dell website complete with a diagram illustrating the jumper location and postions required to clear the existing password.

http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...a0.htm#1078098

[Relyt]

Good Evening,

Most certainly true, as Nihil and Magnoon have indicated, if we can physically touch it, it can be had very quickly. So make sure he locks that bugger up!

In addition to the methods previously posted: If he allows you, or you can gain access over the wire, you could overwrite the bios by updating it and the password would be removed. Also make sure he keeps his AV updated etc., there are viruses that can make the change as well.

Here’s a dated method that should be seriously obsolete by now, but if for some reason it still works, shame on them!

(Warning: if this still works, you will reset all the settings to default)

Reboot the box, and press the Del key (or whatever key the Bios indicates) to enter setup. When the password prompt appears, press Ctrl, Alt, End. The password prompt should reappear, then press the Enter key. If that doesn’t work, try pressing the Ctrl or the Shift key and then Enter. You might have to try it a couple of times, however on some, this did reset everything to default and thus all the previous settings and the password would be gone.

Now if that lame thing doesn’t date me, wholly cow!

cheers

[Riot]

well the easiest way to get pass the bios password would be to open up the case and then remove the battery for a couple of minutes and then place it back in and start it up that should erase all of the bios settings and the password. (Hope it works I have never actually seen the inside of a server but I do a lot of work with computers so I am just guessing that their will be a battery.)

[XTC46]

Riot...for the most part a server is just a bigger better desktop...still has the same basic components, they are usually just much more powerful.

[Riot]

Yea i knew that but i dident know if it would be in their.

[SirDice]

Server or workstation. For the most part the difference is in the programs they're running.
I've seen 'ordinary' desktops used as servers and Compaq Proliants as workstations.
It's all about what you do on them that defines it as a server or workstation.

[morganlefay]

As to the Server\Workstation

Yes it all depends on the software you are running...and what you are doing with it

But there is server class hardware.....

Such as SCSI, Backup drive, Multi processors, hardware RAID etc

I have seen far too many businesses running server apps on Workstations...then complaining that the "network" is slow, the app keeps crashing..blah blah blah....

At that point I tell them...get a real server...or stop whinning!!!

MLF

[Riot]

Yes it all depends on the software you are running...and what you are doing with it

well i know that i use my comp as a server some times so i have access to some files when i am away and i know abou the diffrent hard wear stuff cuz i am taking a+ sertifacition i just neavor seen the inside of a real server so i dident know.