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Panasonic CF-32 bios password removal
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sganioglu
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Joined: 14 Nov 2008
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 9:24 pm    Post subject: Panasonic CF-32 bios password removal Reply with quote

Hello guys,
I have a Panasonic CF-30 with bios password.
I can get into windows but if i want to enter to bios it ask for a password. Is there any way to by-pass or reset this password?
Thanks in advance.
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victor
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 1:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I did unlock a CF-29 once, so I guess the CF-30 will be the same.

The password is in EC, if you have access to the OS, then simply boot from a floppy and do a BIOS upgrade, that is all, BIOS will be unlocked.
Watch out, there are 2 floppys for upgrade, the first one is the EC (embedded controller firmware) upgrade and the second one is actually the BIOS code. The password is in EC, so you have to do the EC upgrade first off then BIOS, one after another.

I know is not your case next, but for the forum records:
-The system password (or boot password) is the tough one on Panasonic.
In order to remove that and therefore to be able to boot from the mentioned floppys, you have to use the so called "Password Skipping Plug". This plug has 2 connectors, one for the LPT port and one for the PS/2 mouse.

- The wirring of the parallel plug:

Connect pins 2-5-6-8-11-13-15-18-19-20-21-22-23 to Shiled GND (PS/2 connector pin 3)
Connect 3-4-7-9-10-12 to VC5 (PS/2 connector pin4) with a 4.7KOhms each.

You may use the +5V and GND from the USB port instead.

Good luck!
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Victor Voinea
ALLservice HQ, Romania.
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fuxxi
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Joined: 18 Feb 2009
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

victor wrote:
I did unlock a CF-29 once, so I guess the CF-30 will be the same.

The password is in EC, if you have access to the OS, then simply boot from a floppy and do a BIOS upgrade, that is all, BIOS will be unlocked.
Watch out, there are 2 floppys for upgrade, the first one is the EC (embedded controller firmware) upgrade and the second one is actually the BIOS code. The password is in EC, so you have to do the EC upgrade first off then BIOS, one after another.

I know is not your case next, but for the forum records:
-The system password (or boot password) is the tough one on Panasonic.
In order to remove that and therefore to be able to boot from the mentioned floppys, you have to use the so called "Password Skipping Plug". This plug has 2 connectors, one for the LPT port and one for the PS/2 mouse.

- The wirring of the parallel plug:

Connect pins 2-5-6-8-11-13-15-18-19-20-21-22-23 to Shiled GND (PS/2 connector pin 3)
Connect 3-4-7-9-10-12 to VC5 (PS/2 connector pin4) with a 4.7KOhms each.

You may use the +5V and GND from the USB port instead.

Good luck!

Hi victor,

I need Your help Smile

The password skipping plug is working perfectly, I can boot from whatever i want now.

My problem is: The BIOS and EC of my Panasonic CF29 mk3 is up to date and when i start the EC-Updater it says:

Current Version: 3.0.0.16L
Update Version: 3.0.0.16L

No Target Machine.


Is there any way to update it without checking if I really need the update?
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victor
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 5:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

USe the DOS disks. The EC disk has pec29_3.exe or simmilar.
I think there are 3 command switches: -i, -r and -t

I can only speculate that -i means "ignore", put this command in autoexec.bat:
pec29_3 file.rom -i

Or try combination iwth the other two -r and -t
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Victor Voinea
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fuxxi
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

victor wrote:
USe the DOS disks. The EC disk has pec29_3.exe or simmilar.
I think there are 3 command switches: -i, -r and -t

I can only speculate that -i means "ignore", put this command in autoexec.bat:
pec29_3 file.rom -i

Or try combination iwth the other two -r and -t

Im using the DOS Disks Smile

But great informations, thanks for Your help!! Ill give it a try.

May I ask You, where You get these informations from, like these command switches? I was searching on google for pec29a3.exe (this is the correct file name) but did not found any informations. Same with the so called "Password Skipping Plug". Hmm Neutral
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fuxxi
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 9:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

OK, I tried it and its not working Sad Sad

I tried all combinations pec29a3.exe file.rom -i
I tried all combinations pec29a3.exe file.rom -r
I tried all combinations pec29a3.exe file.rom -t
I tried all combinations pec29a3.exe file.rom -i -r
I tried all combinations pec29a3.exe file.rom -i -t
I tried all combinations pec29a3.exe file.rom -i -r -t
I tried all combinations pec29a3.exe file.rom -r -t

Maybe the pec29a3.exe has other switches? How could i find that out or could You take a look?

I grabbed the bios_29_3_r050097_ec_29_3_m050069.exe from http://pc-dl.panasonic.co.jp/cgi-bin/itn/toughbook/dl02.cgi?main=5321

The I unzipped it (BIOS / EC and ROM File included) and burned it onto DVD. Boot into Windows-DOS-Mode and played with them around.

But i get always the same error messages stated above.
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victor
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 10:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The version you have does not accept switches anymore, looks like they removed them.
Ok use this one below.

www.allservice.ro/forum/dl/CF29-EC.rar

The EC ROM version is the same and I included the "-i" switch in autoexec.bat. Make a bootable floppy or CD-ROM and copy the files there. You may try out the other switches too.

I hope it will work, otherwise we need somebody to crack the kill switch in IDA and make it functional Cool .

Have fun.
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Victor Voinea
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fuxxi
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 10:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks again!

I grabbed Your EC-Updater and burned it.

After executing "pec29_3 29330160.rom -i" it was erasing the EC and updating it, then it shut off automatically.

BUT: After restart it kept asking for a password Confused

I tried with -i -r -t but same results.

The weird thing is, when i execute the BIOS-Update-Utility which was incluced in the pec29A3 package, it says, that the BIOS-Updater is not for that model.

Do You have the old BIOS-Updater which was in the pec29_3.exe package? Or do You have any other idea, why the password is not erased?
I have used Your supplied 29330160.rom not the official one. Maybe there is a standard password in Your supplied ROM-File?
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victor
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 1:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hm, the 2 ROM files are identical, so is not that the issue. I guess your BIOS ROM simply does not match with the model.

The process must be completed with a proper BIOS version reflash, otherwise a different BIOS cannot read EC RAM/ROM properly or offsets maybe different form version to version, or simply they can't work with each other.

Ok, here is my BIOS archive. www.allservice.ro/forum/dl/CF29-BIOS.rar

Good luck!
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Victor Voinea
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toughbooks
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 2:05 am    Post subject: Removing Bios Password on Panasonic Toughbook CF-30 Help Reply with quote

Hi Guy, I got some Panasonic Toughbooks CF-30 Mk2 From the USA and they all have bios Password on them. They all run ok, and boot fine into windows, just would like charger setting in the bios on the com port so get the gps and the wi-fi plus WWLAN turn on and up and running , they are all Mk2 Cf-30, am very great-full of any help thanks Very Happy
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fuxxi
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 10:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

victor wrote:
Hm, the 2 ROM files are identical, so is not that the issue. I guess your BIOS ROM simply does not match with the model.

The process must be completed with a proper BIOS version reflash, otherwise a different BIOS cannot read EC RAM/ROM properly or offsets maybe different form version to version, or simply they can't work with each other.

Ok, here is my BIOS archive. www.allservice.ro/forum/dl/CF29-BIOS.rar

Good luck!

Victor, its working perfectly! Thanks for all the help and much more the files! Thank god, You archived them and they are not as smart as my new updater program! Smile
Looks like Your BIOS-Updater program just checks the BIOS-Version-String and offer to update it with even an older rom file. The bios in my CF-29 was 3.00L16, but there is officially only 3.00L13 available. The bios was also tagged with a company logo, so I guess it was specially made for that company. Tricky case...!


One short question at last:

Do You know of any hard disk lock feature in the CF-29 series? I made a boot hdd with the EC and BIOS-Update files and when I did the EC-Update the HDD got locked and i can no longer boot from this or any other HDD.

Since in my case the password is not cleared after EC-Update and the boot order starts with HDD i had to remove the CMOS-Bat to get the boot order starting with FDD and CD. Then i did the BIOS-Update via Boot-CD and I was able boot from HDDs again. The HDD I used to do the EC Update with is still locked, even in other notebooks and external. I can access it but no partitioning or formating possible.

Really curious.. Shocked

I was thinking about starting with BIOS-Update first, but was afraid to corrupt the CF-29 then.
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secoim
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 6:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

victor wrote:
I did unlock a CF-29 once, so I guess the CF-30 will be the same.

The password is in EC, if you have access to the OS, then simply boot from a floppy and do a BIOS upgrade, that is all, BIOS will be unlocked.
Watch out, there are 2 floppys for upgrade, the first one is the EC (embedded controller firmware) upgrade and the second one is actually the BIOS code. The password is in EC, so you have to do the EC upgrade first off then BIOS, one after another.

I know is not your case next, but for the forum records:
-The system password (or boot password) is the tough one on Panasonic.
In order to remove that and therefore to be able to boot from the mentioned floppys, you have to use the so called "Password Skipping Plug". This plug has 2 connectors, one for the LPT port and one for the PS/2 mouse.

- The wirring of the parallel plug:

Connect pins 2-5-6-8-11-13-15-18-19-20-21-22-23 to Shiled GND (PS/2 connector pin 3)
Connect 3-4-7-9-10-12 to VC5 (PS/2 connector pin4) with a 4.7KOhms each.

You may use the +5V and GND from the USB port instead.

Good luck!
Hi. Can you tell me how does "Password Skipping Plug" works? whit this I can get in on BIOS.??? I need to change the boot order 'cause i need to boot with a bootable usb flash, but the Bios has a password. Can I use this method? Thanks a lot.
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Courier
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Joined: 13 Dec 2010
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 14, 2010 4:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello,

i have also an toughbook CF-30 with system-password... but there ist no LPT-Connector to use a "password-skipping-plug"...

need help...

thanks
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Disabled
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Joined: 23 Mar 2008
Posts: 103

PostPosted: Wed Dec 15, 2010 1:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Courier wrote:
Hello,

i have also an toughbook CF-30 with system-password... but there ist no LPT-Connector to use a "password-skipping-plug"...

need help...

thanks

Hello Courier,
get a docking station for this CF-30 model (one that has the parallel port) and then use the "password-skipping-plug".

DRGN997
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Courier
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 15, 2010 2:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

to buy a dockig-station is more then expensive... 400euros...
no other way?
or anybody that can do this job for me?
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