Guest John Reece Posted August 22, 2007 Posted August 22, 2007 Greetings, The situation is as follows: A malevolent employee has left and locked down an important non-networked computer (Dell Optiplex) that we require access to. He has: 1. Reset the local Administrator password. 2. Put an Admin password on the BIOS so that we can't alter the boot sequence and use one of the standard password re-setting tools, all of which require booting from CD, USB or floppy. 3. Padlocked (yes, padlocked!) the computer so that it can't be opened without serious hassles in order to fiddle with the password jumpers and/or CMOS battery. So, we need to re-set the BIOS password so that we can change the boot sequence to allow us to re-set the Admin password, but we need to do it with software if possible. Questions: 1. Does anyone know of a software-based method for re-setting the BIOS password that doesn't require Admin rights? 2. Does anyone know of a way of changing the boot sequence that (a) can bypass the BIOS and (b) doesn't require Admin rights? 3. Does anyone know of a way of resetting the local Admin password that doesn't require booting from a CD, USB or floppy? 4. What other newsgroups do you think might be helpful? John
Guest Gary S. Terhune Posted August 22, 2007 Posted August 22, 2007 Re: Need to reset both BIOS and Administrator passwords 1. Cut off the padlock. Machine is worthless this way. 2. Pull the CMOS battery for half a minute and then reset it. That will get rid of the BIOS password. 3. Search for a password cracker. There's lots of them out there, most of them free. Use it to get into the Administrator account. Easy. -- Gary S. Terhune MS-MVP Shell/User http://www.grystmill.com "John Reece" <jereece@NOSPAMbigpond.net.au> wrote in message news:OW170MF5HHA.5160@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl... > Greetings, > > The situation is as follows: A malevolent employee has left and locked > down an important non-networked computer (Dell Optiplex) that we require > access to. He has: > > 1. Reset the local Administrator password. > 2. Put an Admin password on the BIOS so that we can't alter the boot > sequence and use one of the standard password re-setting tools, all of > which require booting from CD, USB or floppy. > 3. Padlocked (yes, padlocked!) the computer so that it can't be opened > without serious hassles in order to fiddle with the password jumpers > and/or CMOS battery. > > So, we need to re-set the BIOS password so that we can change the boot > sequence to allow us to re-set the Admin password, but we need to do it > with software if possible. > > Questions: > > 1. Does anyone know of a software-based method for re-setting the BIOS > password that doesn't require Admin rights? > 2. Does anyone know of a way of changing the boot sequence that (a) can > bypass the BIOS and (b) doesn't require Admin rights? > 3. Does anyone know of a way of resetting the local Admin password that > doesn't require booting from a CD, USB or floppy? > 4. What other newsgroups do you think might be helpful? > > John >
Guest John John Posted August 22, 2007 Posted August 22, 2007 Re: Need to reset both BIOS and Administrator passwords You have little choice but to cut the padlock, sooner or later you will have to cut the padlock anyway so may as well cut it now! Then remove the battery or jump the CMOS. As for the Windows password do a search for "nordahl offline" and you will find a free, reputable password reset utility. Be warned that if there are encrypted files on the machine and if you change the password of the user who encrypted the files the files will be lost. John John Reece wrote: > Greetings, > > The situation is as follows: A malevolent employee has left and locked down > an important non-networked computer (Dell Optiplex) that we require access > to. He has: > > 1. Reset the local Administrator password. > 2. Put an Admin password on the BIOS so that we can't alter the boot > sequence and use one of the standard password re-setting tools, all of which > require booting from CD, USB or floppy. > 3. Padlocked (yes, padlocked!) the computer so that it can't be opened > without serious hassles in order to fiddle with the password jumpers and/or > CMOS battery. > > So, we need to re-set the BIOS password so that we can change the boot > sequence to allow us to re-set the Admin password, but we need to do it with > software if possible. > > Questions: > > 1. Does anyone know of a software-based method for re-setting the BIOS > password that doesn't require Admin rights? > 2. Does anyone know of a way of changing the boot sequence that (a) can > bypass the BIOS and (b) doesn't require Admin rights? > 3. Does anyone know of a way of resetting the local Admin password that > doesn't require booting from a CD, USB or floppy? > 4. What other newsgroups do you think might be helpful? > > John > >
Guest HeyBub Posted August 22, 2007 Posted August 22, 2007 Re: Need to reset both BIOS and Administrator passwords John Reece wrote: > Greetings, > > The situation is as follows: A malevolent employee has left and > locked down an important non-networked computer (Dell Optiplex) that > we require access to. He has: > > 1. Reset the local Administrator password. > 2. Put an Admin password on the BIOS so that we can't alter the boot > sequence and use one of the standard password re-setting tools, all > of which require booting from CD, USB or floppy. > 3. Padlocked (yes, padlocked!) the computer so that it can't be opened > without serious hassles in order to fiddle with the password jumpers > and/or CMOS battery. > > So, we need to re-set the BIOS password so that we can change the boot > sequence to allow us to re-set the Admin password, but we need to do > it with software if possible. > > Questions: > > 1. Does anyone know of a software-based method for re-setting the BIOS > password that doesn't require Admin rights? > 2. Does anyone know of a way of changing the boot sequence that (a) > can bypass the BIOS and (b) doesn't require Admin rights? > 3. Does anyone know of a way of resetting the local Admin password > that doesn't require booting from a CD, USB or floppy? > 4. What other newsgroups do you think might be helpful? Call the cops. What he's done is criminal. At least the police report will give you standing for an insurance (or bonding) claim. Call your lawyer and have your lawyer call him. The employee is liable for the (not insignificant) cost of recovering the usability of the machine. Others have suggested cutting off the lock; I recommend calling a locksmith - the locksmith will be far more expensive, even if you have to go to small claims court. Hint: Be careful what you say about him when asked for a reference. 'He diligently observed all national holidays" is okay. "We never actually caught him stealing" is likewise okay. The BIOS is independent of Windows - there is no Windows function that interacts with the BIOS. The BIOS is completely hardware oriented. Therefore, the answer to #1 and #2 above is: No, there is no software solution to the BIOS password difficulty.
Guest Bruce Chambers Posted August 22, 2007 Posted August 22, 2007 Re: Need to reset both BIOS and Administrator passwords John Reece wrote: > Greetings, > > The situation is as follows: A malevolent employee has left and locked down > an important non-networked computer (Dell Optiplex) that we require access > to. He has: > > 1. Reset the local Administrator password. > 2. Put an Admin password on the BIOS so that we can't alter the boot > sequence and use one of the standard password re-setting tools, all of which > require booting from CD, USB or floppy. > 3. Padlocked (yes, padlocked!) the computer so that it can't be opened > without serious hassles in order to fiddle with the password jumpers and/or > CMOS battery. > > So, we need to re-set the BIOS password so that we can change the boot > sequence to allow us to re-set the Admin password, but we need to do it with > software if possible. > > Questions: > > 1. Does anyone know of a software-based method for re-setting the BIOS > password that doesn't require Admin rights? None. Cut off the padlock. > 2. Does anyone know of a way of changing the boot sequence that (a) can > bypass the BIOS and (b) doesn't require Admin rights? No. > 3. Does anyone know of a way of resetting the local Admin password that > doesn't require booting from a CD, USB or floppy? Several. But you have to know the current password first. Cut off the padlock and reset the BIOS. Nothing else will suffice. -- Bruce Chambers Help us help you: http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell
Guest Lil' Dave Posted August 22, 2007 Posted August 22, 2007 Re: Need to reset both BIOS and Administrator passwords An IT would know to provide at least the bios mfr and version when seeking such info. And, would probably not seek that info here. Dave "John Reece" <jereece@NOSPAMbigpond.net.au> wrote in message news:OW170MF5HHA.5160@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl... > Greetings, > > The situation is as follows: A malevolent employee has left and locked > down an important non-networked computer (Dell Optiplex) that we require > access to. He has: > > 1. Reset the local Administrator password. > 2. Put an Admin password on the BIOS so that we can't alter the boot > sequence and use one of the standard password re-setting tools, all of > which require booting from CD, USB or floppy. > 3. Padlocked (yes, padlocked!) the computer so that it can't be opened > without serious hassles in order to fiddle with the password jumpers > and/or CMOS battery. > > So, we need to re-set the BIOS password so that we can change the boot > sequence to allow us to re-set the Admin password, but we need to do it > with software if possible. > > Questions: > > 1. Does anyone know of a software-based method for re-setting the BIOS > password that doesn't require Admin rights? > 2. Does anyone know of a way of changing the boot sequence that (a) can > bypass the BIOS and (b) doesn't require Admin rights? > 3. Does anyone know of a way of resetting the local Admin password that > doesn't require booting from a CD, USB or floppy? > 4. What other newsgroups do you think might be helpful? > > John >
Guest Bruce Chambers Posted August 22, 2007 Posted August 22, 2007 Re: Need to reset both BIOS and Administrator passwords Lil' Dave wrote: > An IT would know to provide at least the bios mfr and version when seeking > such info. And, would probably not seek that info here. True, but what's your point? There are literally hundreds of thousands of businesses that are too small and too poor to have an IT staff or to even be able to readily afford an outside technician. -- Bruce Chambers Help us help you: http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell
Guest Gary S. Terhune Posted August 22, 2007 Posted August 22, 2007 Re: Need to reset both BIOS and Administrator passwords A few of them are my clients. -- Gary S. Terhune MS-MVP Shell/User http://www.grystmill.com "Bruce Chambers" <bchambers@cable0ne.n3t> wrote in message news:ezoqV1G5HHA.1992@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl... > Lil' Dave wrote: >> An IT would know to provide at least the bios mfr and version when >> seeking such info. And, would probably not seek that info here. > > > True, but what's your point? There are literally hundreds of thousands of > businesses that are too small and too poor to have an IT staff or to even > be able to readily afford an outside technician. > > > -- > > Bruce Chambers > > Help us help you: > http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm > http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html > > They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary > safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin > > Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand > Russell
Guest John Reece Posted August 22, 2007 Posted August 22, 2007 Re: Need to reset both BIOS and Administrator passwords Correct, and you have profiled the business with 100% accuracy; I am not an IT professional. That's what newsgroups are for ;-) Many thanks for all the suggestions. Getting rid of the lock looks like the only way to go. BTW, it's a Phoenix BIOS (don't know the version) and none of the readily available backdoor passwords have worked. John "Bruce Chambers" <bchambers@cable0ne.n3t> wrote in message news:ezoqV1G5HHA.1992@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl... > Lil' Dave wrote: >> An IT would know to provide at least the bios mfr and version when >> seeking such info. And, would probably not seek that info here. > > > True, but what's your point? There are literally hundreds of thousands of > businesses that are too small and too poor to have an IT staff or to even > be able to readily afford an outside technician. > > > -- > > Bruce Chambers > > Help us help you: > http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm > http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html > > They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary > safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin > > Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand > Russell
Guest Gary S. Terhune Posted August 22, 2007 Posted August 22, 2007 Re: Need to reset both BIOS and Administrator passwords Regardless, you need to be able to get into the box someday. Good luck! -- Gary S. Terhune MS-MVP Shell/User http://www.grystmill.com "John Reece" <jereece@NOSPAMbigpond.net.au> wrote in message news:ue10R2L5HHA.5316@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl... > Correct, and you have profiled the business with 100% accuracy; I am not > an IT professional. That's what newsgroups are for ;-) > > Many thanks for all the suggestions. Getting rid of the lock looks like > the only way to go. > > BTW, it's a Phoenix BIOS (don't know the version) and none of the readily > available backdoor passwords have worked. > > John > > "Bruce Chambers" <bchambers@cable0ne.n3t> wrote in message > news:ezoqV1G5HHA.1992@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl... >> Lil' Dave wrote: >>> An IT would know to provide at least the bios mfr and version when >>> seeking such info. And, would probably not seek that info here. >> >> >> True, but what's your point? There are literally hundreds of thousands >> of businesses that are too small and too poor to have an IT staff or to >> even be able to readily afford an outside technician. >> >> >> -- >> >> Bruce Chambers >> >> Help us help you: >> http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm >> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html >> >> They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary >> safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin >> >> Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand >> Russell > >
Guest Ken Blake Posted August 22, 2007 Posted August 22, 2007 Re: Need to reset both BIOS and Administrator passwords "Gary S. Terhune" <none> wrote in message news:uwnm5UF5HHA.2108@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl... > 1. Cut off the padlock. Machine is worthless this way. > 2. Pull the CMOS battery for half a minute and then reset it. That will > get rid of the BIOS password. > 3. Search for a password cracker. There's lots of them out there, most of > them free. Use it to get into the Administrator account. Easy. And 4. Notify the police. What he has done--especially padlocking what he doesn't own--is criminal behavior. -- Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User Please reply to the newsgroup > "John Reece" <jereece@NOSPAMbigpond.net.au> wrote in message > news:OW170MF5HHA.5160@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl... >> Greetings, >> >> The situation is as follows: A malevolent employee has left and locked >> down an important non-networked computer (Dell Optiplex) that we require >> access to. He has: >> >> 1. Reset the local Administrator password. >> 2. Put an Admin password on the BIOS so that we can't alter the boot >> sequence and use one of the standard password re-setting tools, all of >> which require booting from CD, USB or floppy. >> 3. Padlocked (yes, padlocked!) the computer so that it can't be opened >> without serious hassles in order to fiddle with the password jumpers >> and/or CMOS battery. >> >> So, we need to re-set the BIOS password so that we can change the boot >> sequence to allow us to re-set the Admin password, but we need to do it >> with software if possible. >> >> Questions: >> >> 1. Does anyone know of a software-based method for re-setting the BIOS >> password that doesn't require Admin rights? >> 2. Does anyone know of a way of changing the boot sequence that (a) can >> bypass the BIOS and (b) doesn't require Admin rights? >> 3. Does anyone know of a way of resetting the local Admin password that >> doesn't require booting from a CD, USB or floppy? >> 4. What other newsgroups do you think might be helpful? >> >> John >> > >
Guest Lil' Dave Posted August 23, 2007 Posted August 23, 2007 Re: Need to reset both BIOS and Administrator passwords Unplug the PC from the outlet, or whatever. Get a bolt cutter. Open the PC and remove the cmos battery for a few minutes or use the cmos reset jumper. This doesn't have to be a knowledge contest, just use some common sense. If it was my personal PC, I'd be doing exactly that. Not letting someone hold my PC hostage any longer. Dave "John Reece" <jereece@NOSPAMbigpond.net.au> wrote in message news:ue10R2L5HHA.5316@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl... > Correct, and you have profiled the business with 100% accuracy; I am not > an IT professional. That's what newsgroups are for ;-) > > Many thanks for all the suggestions. Getting rid of the lock looks like > the only way to go. > > BTW, it's a Phoenix BIOS (don't know the version) and none of the readily > available backdoor passwords have worked. > > John > > "Bruce Chambers" <bchambers@cable0ne.n3t> wrote in message > news:ezoqV1G5HHA.1992@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl... >> Lil' Dave wrote: >>> An IT would know to provide at least the bios mfr and version when >>> seeking such info. And, would probably not seek that info here. >> >> >> True, but what's your point? There are literally hundreds of thousands >> of businesses that are too small and too poor to have an IT staff or to >> even be able to readily afford an outside technician. >> >> >> -- >> >> Bruce Chambers >> >> Help us help you: >> http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm >> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html >> >> They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary >> safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin >> >> Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand >> Russell > >
Guest Lil' Dave Posted August 23, 2007 Posted August 23, 2007 Re: Need to reset both BIOS and Administrator passwords Thank you for the insight. Your knowledge is infinite, and credulous. Especially to resolving the problem the OP provided. Dave "Bruce Chambers" <bchambers@cable0ne.n3t> wrote in message news:ezoqV1G5HHA.1992@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl... > Lil' Dave wrote: >> An IT would know to provide at least the bios mfr and version when >> seeking such info. And, would probably not seek that info here. > > > True, but what's your point? There are literally hundreds of thousands of > businesses that are too small and too poor to have an IT staff or to even > be able to readily afford an outside technician. > > > -- > > Bruce Chambers > > Help us help you: > http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm > http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html > > They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary > safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin > > Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand > Russell
Guest Paul Knudsen Posted August 25, 2007 Posted August 25, 2007 Re: Need to reset both BIOS and Administrator passwords On Wed, 22 Aug 2007 10:27:10 +1000, "John Reece" <jereece@NOSPAMbigpond.net.au> wrote: >Greetings, > >The situation is as follows: A malevolent employee has left and locked down >an important non-networked computer (Dell Optiplex) that we require access >to. He has: > >1. Reset the local Administrator password. >2. Put an Admin password on the BIOS so that we can't alter the boot >sequence and use one of the standard password re-setting tools, all of which >require booting from CD, USB or floppy. >3. Padlocked (yes, padlocked!) the computer so that it can't be opened >without serious hassles in order to fiddle with the password jumpers and/or >CMOS battery. You really ticked him off, hmm? I'd call the police and see if they can scare him into fixing that. If not, charge him with property damage. -- Top 10 Conservative Idiots: http://journals.democraticunderground.com/top10
Guest Not Me Posted August 25, 2007 Posted August 25, 2007 Re: Need to reset both BIOS and Administrator passwords Bolt cutters will remove most padlocks in a matter of seconds. I hope the employee is now a former employee. "Paul Knudsen" <me_not@here.org> wrote in message news:l93vc3phcgeust5hs5objeoe2b29glgdbb@4ax.com... > On Wed, 22 Aug 2007 10:27:10 +1000, "John Reece" > <jereece@NOSPAMbigpond.net.au> wrote: > >>Greetings, >> >>The situation is as follows: A malevolent employee has left and locked >>down >>an important non-networked computer (Dell Optiplex) that we require access >>to. He has: >> >>1. Reset the local Administrator password. >>2. Put an Admin password on the BIOS so that we can't alter the boot >>sequence and use one of the standard password re-setting tools, all of >>which >>require booting from CD, USB or floppy. >>3. Padlocked (yes, padlocked!) the computer so that it can't be opened >>without serious hassles in order to fiddle with the password jumpers >>and/or >>CMOS battery. > > You really ticked him off, hmm? I'd call the police and see if they > can scare him into fixing that. If not, charge him with property > damage. > -- > Top 10 Conservative Idiots: > http://journals.democraticunderground.com/top10
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