Service Forum

Sly-Delvecchio · Nou Venit Joined: 08 Oct 2009 Posts: 6

Hello all,

I am a technician for a computer & laptop repair company.

My friend put a power on & BIOS password on his Ei System 3090. He doesn't really know what he's doing and has forgot it. Obviously, he asked me to do it.

I tried at home with software, which I couldn't do as you can't get this laptop to boot any devices without the password.
I had to take the laptop to work. I removed all power & the CMOS/RTC battery. Left for a while. Powered back on. Although the POST complained about the BIOS settings being lost (Time, Date etc), the password was still enabled.

I checked for a EEPROM Chip. The only one I found was the 93c46, which I'm pretty sure is used for the NIC as it's right next to the RTL NIC IC. I'm also pretty sure that the security/password information is stored in a flash chip. I think the chip in question is the EON en29lv800bt - other codes on the chip: HL0585H, 0642TSB & there's a sticker on the chip with L51ll3 1.09 on it - the L5 code is the motherboard series I think.

Full laptop details:
Ei System (E-Systems?) 3090. It's a Phoenix BIOS. It has the same motherboard as the Advent 7113 & Ei System (E-Systems) EI 3103.
The main code on the board is 37GL50200-C0.

This is the motherboard I will be replacing it with if I cannot get the password removed:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ADVENT-7113-E-SYSTEMS-EI-3103-MAINBOARD-37GL50200-C0_W0QQitemZ320426958145QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_LaptopMotherboards_CPUs_CA?hash=item4a9aef5d41&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Makes a change me asking for help in a forum, normally I'm the one providing the help as I run a small technical assitance forum myself Smile

_________________
Head Technician at Conceptex Laptop and Computer Repair, Wolverhampton

trooper · Nou Venit Joined: 11 Oct 2009 Posts: 2

Can you not just short the points out under the ram? think it might be marked with XX.

put a bit off wire on the 2 points and power up the laptop???

Sly-Delvecchio · Nou Venit Joined: 08 Oct 2009 Posts: 6

Just had a look, can't see any points marked XX under either DIMMs (or anywhere).

I'll bear your advice in mind and have a search for something along the lines of your suggested.

Thanks for the reply Smile

_________________
Head Technician at Conceptex Laptop and Computer Repair, Wolverhampton

Sly-Delvecchio · Nou Venit Joined: 08 Oct 2009 Posts: 6

Got it working using your advice as a guideline.

Cheers!

If anybody else has this laptop or motherboard and needs the password resetting, I'm happy to take a photo and write a guide, just PM me or something =)

trooper · Nou Venit Joined: 11 Oct 2009 Posts: 2

Good work.

a guide would be great.

Sly-Delvecchio · Nou Venit Joined: 08 Oct 2009 Posts: 6

No probs.

Unfortunately the laptop has already been taken, but I have taken a photo of the motherboard from eBay and highlighted what I did.

Guide:

Disconnect battery & charger.

Earth yourself.

Expose motherboard, by removing the back panel.

Remove RAM from the back of the motherboard.

Put the RAM you took from the back into the other slot on the front of the motherboard, under the keyboard.

Look for the soldered points hightlighted on the photo I've provided:

Turn the laptop upside-down.

Open the lid (so you can access the power button).

Plug the charger into the laptop.

Take a length of wire and short out the two points highlighted. Bad photo, I know. The two points are quite large blobs of solder.
They are labelled PJP6 & PJP8 I think. Not too sure about the numbers, but definately similar.

Turn the laptop on - still holding the wire in place.

Leave for 5 seconds or so.

Remove jumping wire.

Laptop should boot when you remove the wire.

No BIOS/CMOS/Power On passwords!
_________________
Head Technician at Conceptex Laptop and Computer Repair, Wolverhampton

thelight · Nou Venit Joined: 14 Oct 2009 Posts: 2

Hi. I am having very similar problems to you with a friends laptop I am trying to fix. It seems this was triggered by the cmos battery coming loose and detached during a house move, and when they turned it on afterwards it asks for a password, which they never set.

Anyhow, I have got as far as removing the RAM from the back of the laptop in your guide, however, first of all. In this laptop, there is a piece of clear tape just under the ram which covers the 2 pieces of solder i need to short. If I remove this, and put the ram back in, the laptop wont boot, putting it back and it boots fine. Second thing is, you dont explain how to get to the other side of the motherboard? Im never dismantled a laptop before and have no idea how to remove the keyboard to continue with this fix. Advice would be appreciated

thanks

Sly-Delvecchio · Nou Venit Joined: 08 Oct 2009 Posts: 6

I've had a few customer say similar things - passwords appearing on their computers.

I can't see a CMOS battery coming loose setting a password. The password does not rely upon the CMOS battery.

Yes, under the RAM there should be a piece of clear tape. It shouldn't affect the useage of the laptop. I didn't put this piece of clear tape back on at all, I just binned it. The laptop works fine without it.

To get to the RAM slot at the other side of the laptop you just need to remove the keyboard. If you have the back panel off then you would have already removed the keyboard screws. There will just be some clips around the edges of the keyboard that you need to press in to pop the keyboard out. Don't pull the keyboard after unlocking these clips, ensure you disconnect the keyboard ribbon first, or you may damage it.

Take the RAM from the back of the laptop and put it in the slot you just exposed.

Then do the jumping as I described above.
_________________
Head Technician at Conceptex Laptop and Computer Repair, Wolverhampton

thelight · Nou Venit Joined: 14 Oct 2009 Posts: 2

by back panel do you mean the weird shaped panel which covers the motherboard, or the whole of the back of the laptop?

Sly-Delvecchio · Nou Venit Joined: 08 Oct 2009 Posts: 6

The wierd shape piece of plastic that you unscrew & remove to expose the motherboard (RAM, CPU etc).
_________________
Head Technician at Conceptex Laptop and Computer Repair, Wolverhampton

delash2 · Nou Venit Joined: 13 Dec 2009 Posts: 1

Hola, probe la forma que dijiste y no me resulto =(
hice el puente y prendia normalmente sin ningun efecto.
Tambien intente haciendo puentes con PJP5 ubicado como muestra la foto, lo cual probocaba que no encendiera y creaba los pitidos de bios al encenderlo nuevamente cuando eliminaba el puente.
Pero aun pide password!!.
Alguna variacion?

HELP!! ( www.elmundo.es/traductor ) plzzz

pionex · Nou Venit Joined: 08 Dec 2008 Posts: 1

i also have tried the above procedure and failed to get past the bios password, do you know of any other procedures or are we missing something out????

woodsy · Nou Venit Joined: 14 Jun 2010 Posts: 1

I have a 3089, same mobo but didn't work for me too, PJP3 & PJP4 did not reset, tried PJP4 with PJP5 that didn't work also.
I ended up binning it after trying PJP4 & PJP2 (top right near dvd connection) after that it never worked again, DEAD MOBO Sad

It's a nice little earner for PC World, ?120 to reset a password! this shouldn't be allowed.

Bios rev. 1.09.DIX (which we all are for buying from them)

charlesblake · Nou Venit Joined: 04 Jan 2011 Posts: 1 Location: Clun

Hi
This technique worked for me exactly as described. The only change I made was to solder the wire to each point. I clipped it off afterwards. The sticky tape fixed back on fine. Thanks for all this info. I wonder if the technique is generally applicable to similar boards?
Bill

davidmti · Nou Venit Joined: 07 Aug 2011 Posts: 1

would you plz explain us about that wire that which base has
been conect + to - or two base togher !!
thanks Wink