Hi everyone,

Got an old Toshiba Satellite Pro 445CDX notebook from my brother (he doesn't know the password either) and upon turning it on, I get this:


TOSHIBA Video BIOS V2.80
Copyright (C) 1996 Chips and Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

If you ain't me you're wrong sucker!!!!!!
Password = _



The CAPS/underscore is naturally the cursor.

My question is, is there anyway to bypass the password so I can get into the system?

Is this password in the CMOS?

Is there a link where I can see an exploded view of the notebook itself?

Thanks!!!

<b><font color=blue>VAGABOND<font color=blue></b>

<b><font color=blue>veni,vidi, and ended up in THGC<font color=blue></b>

Reset the BIOS.

I can't reset the BIOS if I can't access it.

Do I have to eventually crack the case open and take out the battery? Or is this password locked in the CMOS?

<b><font color=blue>VAGABOND<font color=blue></b>

<b><font color=blue>veni,vidi, and ended up in THGC<font color=blue></b>

That's what I meant. Open the case and set the "Clear CMOS" jumper as per your motherboard manual. Or alternatively, remove your battery and give it a few hours before reinstalling.

Have you ever cracked open a laptop?

My brother sent me brochures w/it but I don't think any manufacturer would send a "how to crack the case of your laptop" manual.

Thanks anyway.

<b><font color=blue>VAGABOND<font color=blue></b>

<b><font color=blue>veni,vidi, and ended up in THGC<font color=blue></b>

I've cracked them open before! Literally! If you miss a screw and hear a cracking noise...doh! And if you don't miss a screw, you'll swear you did because the seems often snap together as well!

<font color=blue>Watts mean squat if you don't have quality!</font color=blue>

I do it all the time... part of my job is to fix Dell laptops in my area. It's not hard; just make sure you remember which screws go where. In a lot of cases, just removing the keyboard will give you access to the CMOS battery; you don't have to completely disassemble the laptop.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>

LOL Crashman!!!

<b><font color=blue>VAGABOND<font color=blue></b>

<b><font color=blue>veni,vidi, and ended up in THGC<font color=blue></b><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by vagabond on 06/29/03 03:47 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

I went ahead and gave it a try. They have more screws than towers!!!

There is no typical CMOS battery that I could find and I tore the laptop apart to its basic components. I couldn't tell you where the CMOS is. I went as far as taking the mobo and disconnected it from everything that could be disconnected. The PSU assembly under the mobo had no battery. The mobo itself has no battery.

Could the CMOS battery be hidden behind the TFT??? A bit far-fetched, huh? That's the only place I haven't disassembled yet.

I did see a couple of battery packs (not cells) hooked up to the mainboard itself but these are NiMH packs. The smaller of the two (3.6V 30mAh) is for the RTC (whatever that is) and the bigger one is for SUB (7.2V 110mAh) and they're rechargeable. Do I have to really wait so many hours before putting them back in? I can't see a jumper anywhere.

Anyways, I'll keep it as it is until you guys give some more feedback. That should be more than enough time to drain the CMOS. Do I have to physically drain it myself?

<b><font color=blue>VAGABOND<font color=blue></b>

<b><font color=blue>veni,vidi, and ended up in THGC<font color=blue></b>

The RTC battery is also the CMOS battery in a lot of cases... if you have disconnected both battery packs, chances are you've got the right one. I've never seen a CMOS battery within a LCD panel. I forgot to mention some laptops use a battery 'pack' instead of the usual button cell you see on most desktop motherboards.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>

Thanks Zoron,

Now I know I pulled the right one.

Another thing, how long should I wait till the CMOS drains?

Since my last post is about 6 hours ago. Can I put it back together now?


<b><font color=blue>VAGABOND<font color=blue></b>

<b><font color=blue>veni,vidi, and ended up in THGC<font color=blue></b>

Two hours should be enough... though some people like to leave it overnight. I know anything less than an hour for sure isn't enough.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>

Hey Zoron,

Well it's been apart for approximately 24 hours now since my last post. I'm going to put it together and see what happens.

<b><font color=blue>VAGABOND<font color=blue></b>

<b><font color=blue>veni,vidi, and ended up in THGC<font color=blue></b>