[sf-lug] Laptop computer(s) and its/their so-called 'root' password(s)

[Bobbie Sellers]

On 9/26/19 9:27 PM, Rick Moen wrote:
> Quoting Bobbie Sellers (bliss-sf4ever at dslextreme.com):
>
>> The last we page I saw with skeleton key passwords was a trial and
>> error matter and the number of passwords was very high, the testing
>> procedure was time-consuming and in the meantime the hard-used laptop
>> Dell E6420 failed and I moved on to my present notebooks Dell E6520
>> and Dell E6540.
> Well, no surprise there, right?  You look for such things because you've
> somehow gotten into an untenable position you should carefully avoid
> getting into, and are trying desperation fallback measures.
>
> I had thought all of what you say above ought to have been obvious and
> predictable from the situation described.  You try it because you have
> no better options.
>
> FWIW, I certainly hope you also tried the fallback-fallback measure that
> was bog-standard all the way back to the 1980s, of disconnecting power,
> disconnecting the PSU, then removing the CMOS battery and shorting the
> terminals that lead to the CMOS battery.  You might find the password
> zeroed out along with the rest of the BIOS Setup information.  OTOH, if
> the BIOS Setup password was stored in _non-_volatile memory, then that
> won't work, but you won't be any worse off.
>
>
     Of course I tried all those measures and was surprised it did not work.
     But that is what you get for cheap.

     I certainly got that 6420 cheaply and learned some things using it.
     One of the things I learned is to inquire of every person I buy 
from about
the BIOS/Firmware password as I was attempting to do with John Strazziano.

     Bobbie Sellers