Computer Hope
Microsoft => Microsoft DOS => Topic started by: Kyall on March 15, 2008, 11:32:46 PM
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Hey again
i would like to thank those who helped me with my hard drive. I found the problem and it was the format settings.
Yet now i have a new problem to deal with :-[
i was given a laptop by my dads work, yet it REALLY needs a format.
yet this laptop it a hunk of $#!% and it has a broken cd drive.
So i installed a bootable version of windows onto my flashdisk to install it to my flashdisk. The only problem is that i need to choose my laptop to boot from my flashdisk.
YET!!! i need a password to get into setup. ??? ???
I got the password tho ;D
BUT!!!
:o
the only button on the keyboard that would work is enter
PLEASE help me! i need the laptop in 48 hours time.
Thanks in advanced
Kyall
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If its keyboard is broken, that laptop ain't gonna be much use to you.
Sounds like you have 48 hours to buy a new keyboard for that laptop. have you plugged in an ordinary keyboard? many laptops have keyboard and mouse sockets.
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if it doesnt have the PS/2 sockets for keyboards look for a USB port on the laptop then plug up a USB Keyboard to it.
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except the bios may not see a USB keyboard
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well depeding upon the year it was manufactured, some comp's bios have support for USB Keyboards and Mice just as for PS/2 Keyboards and Mice.
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well depeding upon the year it was manufactured, some comp's bios have support for USB Keyboards and Mice just as for PS/2 Keyboards and Mice.
yes, but often you need to get into the BIOS to enable legacy USB support, if it is not enabled, and you need a PS/2 keyboard to do that.
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yea i guess ur right....
Kyall does it have PS/2 ports on it or not?
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It's a kind of annoying catch-22 thing isn't it? I have an el-cheapo PS/2 keyboard in the cupboard for this very reason (found out the hard way)
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It's a kind of annoying catch-22 thing isn't it? I have an el-cheapo PS/2 keyboard in the cupboard for this very reason (found out the hard way)
Everyone should have one...
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We really need more information Kyall. It's hard to read your mind, but ...
I am guessing that you did not mean that the keyboard was bad, but rather that the BIOS would only recognise that one choice.
Regardless, you may be able to use a program such as killcmos to kill the bios password. I'm sure a Google search will turn up several of that type of program that you can download for free.
Here is one:
KILLCMOS 1.0 As long as you are able to boot from the floppy KILLCMOS will remove the BIOS password if you don't remember it.
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Miscellaneous/KILLCMOS.shtml
Oops! :-[ That might not work if you can't boot the system.
i was given a laptop by my dads work, yet it REALLY needs a format.
If that means you can't get to windows at all, then the only other way is to remove the cmos battery or access the jumper(s) to kill the cmos. Both of those options may be difficult since this is a laptop.
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he doesnt even have his OS installed so how is he going to get that prog?!?!
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he doesnt even have his OS installed so how is he going to get that prog?!?!
He could use the computer he's using to access this site and download it. Then copy it to the USB drive. ???
His comment:
i was given a laptop by my dads work, yet it REALLY needs a format.
May mean that his op won't boot, or that it is simply running poorly and ...
REALLY needs a format.
Like I said before, we really need more information!
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true but there is no way when he plugs in his flashdrive that he'll be able to copy it to the harddrive much less run it since the keyboard is toast.
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... then the only other way is to remove the cmos battery...
... since this is a laptop.
I doubt that.
Reference:
http://www.computerhope.com/forum/index.php/topic,46128.msg289067.html#msg289067
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Contact Acer and get your wallet out...
Laptop BIOS passwords cannot be reset with the method listed above...
This is by design.
Acer will probably request proof of purchase
Willy,
Patio may be right. I don't know. Never tried it nor have I seen it documented anywhere else that removing battery in laptop will not work, nor that it would ruin the laptop!
The guy at this site says to:
"Use extreme caution when removing the keyboard on any laptop!"
Exercise Caution - YES! - He didn't say it was impossible.
http://murfsgarage.cybertechhelp.com/cmos.htm
macdad
true but there is no way when he plugs in his flashdrive that he'll be able to copy it to the harddrive much less run it since the keyboard is toast.
I am still not convinced that the keyboard is toast. If we take the Subject line of Kyall's post and the post itself at face value,
"Keyboard problem when entering password in Settings "
the problem occurs only when he is trying to enter values into the bios.
He states:
yet this laptop it a hunk of $#!% and it has a broken cd drive.
"Broken cd drive" - no mention of broken keyboard. I really doubt if he would be trying to save this laptop if both the cd drive and keyboard is toast.
Since we are all trying to read between the lines, I guess that we will just continue to argue back and forth until we get an update from Kyall
We really need more information Kyall. It's hard to read your mind, but ...
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Contact Acer and get your wallet out...
Laptop BIOS passwords cannot be reset with the method listed above...
This is by design.
Acer will probably request proof of purchase
Willy,
Patio may be right. I don't know. Never tried it nor have I seen it documented anywhere else that removing battery in laptop will not work, nor that it would ruin the laptop!
I was referring only to clearing the bios password on a laptop.
For more interesting reading on it:
Click on Old Forum Search down towards the bottom of this page.
Search For: laptop bios password
by user: gx1_man
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If we are "reading between the lines", it occurs to me that the OP may be expecting to see some characters (or maybe just asterisks) to appear when he types in a BIOS password, which is not always the case (You don't see anything on the Dell Optiplex I use at work)
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All this guessing and reading between the lines is a lot of fun, but for someone who has this mysterious deadline of 48 hours,
PLEASE help me! i need the laptop in 48 hours time.
He is sure taking his time getting back to clarify things. ???
The clock is ticking, give us an update Kyall.
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Kyall we need the info so that we can help u. its already be a day and still you hvent given us any info.
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So sorry, i jst got home form school XD
yes i have tried USB keyboard, and i have tried one of the old keyboard with the round ports. nothing seems to be working, and the keyboard is working, only enter is working in CMOS.
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the password was set after purchase, and im sure there maybe a way to wipe its memory, i jsut dont know how???
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true but there is no way when he plugs in his flashdrive that he'll be able to copy it to the harddrive much less run it since the keyboard is toast.
Yeah thats probably true. any ideas, will promice to reply quickly :)
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only enter is working in CMOS.
Do you mean when you type the letters of the password in CMOS you don't see them on the screen? Not stars either? But when you press Enter something happens? Like it says wrong password? Because that's normal.
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Kyall do u hve some experience in electronics?
if so then try to take of the top cover of the laptop(while its off of course)
then try to pull of the keys gently. the keys on laptops hve a small portion of metal at the bottom of the key look were you pried of the key if you look closely u'll see there are to copper contacts at the bottom that arent connect(dont wrry about that thats norm) but the way a laptop keyboard works is when u press down the key the metal at the bottom of that key touchs the 2 metal contacts which in turn allows electricity to flow throw which then tells the BIOS that such-in-such key was pressed. but the keys maynot even be able to touch the copper contacts or there isnt a small metal portion on the bottom of that key, just do the steps above and then look at the bottom of the key, tell us if there is a small piece of metal at the bottom of that key.
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Kyall,
You STILL haven't explained your situation very well!
You are leaving everyone guessing! :(
We don't even know the brand of this laptop, or whether you can still get into windows.
Please clarify!!!!!!!!
You've got us all guessing!
macdad want's you to fix the keyboard.
the keyboard is working, only enter is working in CMOS.
If "the keyboard is working", as you stated, then ABSOLUTELY DO NOT attempt to fix it!!! :o
"Why fix it if it ain't broke" comes to mind!
Why do you say? ...
i was given a laptop by my dads work, yet it REALLY needs a format.
Does that mean that the operating system is working ... but simply running so poorly that it "REALLY needs a format" in your opinion?
I suspect that the answer is YES!
How else would you know that ...
the keyboard is working, only enter is working in CMOS.
If, the OP system is still bootable, you should be able to use killcmos as I suggested
15 posts back.
KILLCMOS 1.0 As long as you are able to boot from the floppy KILLCMOS will remove the BIOS password if you don't remember it.
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Miscellaneous/KILLCMOS.shtml
Download it.
Extract the files. (Copy them from the compressed folder to a regular folder.)
Copy the extracted files to the USB drive.
Run the program on your laptop. (You do not have to copy it to the hard drive.)
If you are successful, don't be alarmed if the screen goes black & the system reboots.
(That scared the crap out of me the first time I used it.)
As the system reboots, press delete(or whatever) to access your bios.
Your password & all other user settings will be gone.
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is the keyboard working or not
if it isnt then just type in the FREAKIN PASSWORD IN SETUP!
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Easy guys!!!
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srry Dias, but Kyall plz give us some info
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I should have put a smiley then you would have seen I was being lighthearted :)
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This is all the info i have
yes the keyboard is fine yet i cannot type anything into the password box,
and i can use the keyboard for anything other than CMOS password
all the components are fine and working Apart from the cd drive.
needs an operating system.
sorry about the slow reply. been really busy. i dont need to worry about the 48 hour deadline anymore, if i am to reply it will b in either 10-12 hours
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Kyall,
Can you run anything at all in windows?
I can see your little green online light. You are on line right now.
Please answer!
It's you and me only right now, Please answer!
Can you run a program in windows? ???
yes the keyboard is fine yet i cannot type anything into the password box,
and i can use the keyboard for anything other than CMOS password
What's the deal, I was online along with you for at least 10 minutes there.
You & I were looking at the same topic. It looks like you dropped off the grid about 3:35AM, 10 minutes after I put up the first half of this post.
You should have refreshed the page and answered before you went offline. ???
needs an operating system.
What is the deal with the OP system?
Not running at all?
Running bad?
Running, but not windows(set up for some machine at work?)
There simply has to be something there for you to know that:
yes the keyboard is fine yet i cannot type anything into the password box,
and i can use the keyboard for anything other than CMOS password
Dias (and I) suspect that the keyboard is just fine, even in the bios. We suspect that the charactors being typed as the password are simply hidden from you as you type them, so the only key that you get a response out of is the enter key.
Do you mean when you type the letters of the password in CMOS you don't see them on the screen? Not stars either? But when you press Enter something happens? Like it says wrong password? Because that's normal.
You stated that you have the password. Either the password given you is wrong, or you are mistyping it. (possibly because you can't see anything you get flustered. ???)
This may be a long shot, but do it anyway. Try the password again. But be extremely careful this time. Make sure that caps lock is off. Forget the fact that you can't see anything on the screen. Just type the charactors, slowly and carefully.
If that doesn't work, try uppercase. Type slowly and carefully.
And HOPE that you screwed up before, because you couldn't see what you were typing! :)
If that doesn't work, your best bet is still killcmos, if you can find a way to run it.
You must give us more information! (for the umpteenth time)
1. What Brand & Model is the laptop?
2. What is the appx. age of the laptop?
3. What is the deal with the OP system?
4. Windows? What version?
5. If Windows, do you have the Administrator's password?
(maybe that's what you have, and not the bios password.)
6. Not Windows? Then What?
7. Can you run a program from the USB drive?
8. Does it have a floppy drive? (long shot)(if so try to boot from the floppy.)
9. Can you easily remove the hard drive?
Please answer those 9 questions. There may be a very easy solution to your dilemma, but we are still only guessing without that information.
We know you have a long day in school, but get back ASAP.
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1. What Brand & Model is the laptop?
Compact evo n1000v
2. What is the appx. age of the laptop?
3. What is the deal with the OP system?
There is none, the laptop was formatted when it was given to me, even though the cd drive is broken.
4. Windows? What version?
Was running XP Pro
5. If Windows, do you have the Administrator's password?
(maybe that's what you have, and not the bios password.)
Fair point, will contact the original owner of the laptop to see if its the Admin password or Bios
6. Not Windows? Then What?
Nothing
7. Can you run a program from the USB drive?
With OS, yes but without, not too sure, was going to Bios to boot from my flashdisk
8. Does it have a floppy drive? (long shot)(if so try to boot from the floppy.)
Yes. i could try running a boot disk from it??? or not
9. Can you easily remove the hard drive?
Yes
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Dias (and I) suspect that the keyboard is just fine, even in the bios. We suspect that the charactors being typed as the password are simply hidden from you as you type them, so the only key that you get a response out of is the enter key.
That did it, in cmos, thanks. sorry about the long replys, will tell you how i get on with the OS.
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Does that mean I was right?
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Sure looks like it to me! :)
It's too bad that Kyall didn't explain things better in the first place. If he had done so, this thread would have been a whole lot shorter. The whole thread is full of "reading between the lines" as to what was wrong.
Even the solution was a result of that. ;)
If we are "reading between the lines", it occurs to me that the OP may be expecting to see some characters (or maybe just asterisks) to appear when he types in a BIOS password, which is not always the case (You don't see anything on the Dell Optiplex I use at work)
Good Job Dias! :)
Next time Kyall, PLEASE take the time to explain things better!