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Resetting Bios Password
I am doing some spring cleaning, getting rid of old desktops, laptops, and routers. Regarding the computers, I am wanting to wipe the hard drives with Darik's Boot and Nuke software. When I booted up one old Dell desktop from 2001, I learned that it requires a BIOS password. Why I ever put one on is beyond me. Unfortunately, I have forgotten the password. The rest of this message will be about wanting to know if my understanding for resetting the BIOS password is correct.
Technically, this thread/message isn't about Windows 10 specifically. But it does relate to hardware, and I am hoping that it would apply to a significant number of computers, so I hope this message is okay.
I called Dell, and the technician said that I needed to reset the jumper on motherboard to reset the BIOS password. After opening the case on my old Dell computer and hunting on the internet, this is the what I think I have learned. I will present photograph of a portion of the motherboard.
I have put a red rectangular box around what I think is the jumper for the BIOS. I note that "PASS" is written on the motherboard beside those three pins.
I believe these are steps I need to follow. Please correct me if I am wrong.
- Turn off and unplug the computer. (It has been off and unplugged for about ten plus years. I just plugged it in today. I am not sure if this information is relevant. Perhaps it helps with regard to the motherboard's battery.)
- Open the case and locate those "PASS" pins again.
- Switch the jumper from the current two pins to include the third pin and middle pin. Leave it there for 5 seconds or more. In other words, move the jumper over one pin for a few seconds.
- Reset the jumper back to its original position with the original pins.
- Plug in the computer, and attempt to boot it up.
- Assuming it boots up, open CD tray and put in Darik's Boot and Nuke software and follow the steps.
Is there any information that I am missing? Do I have the correct location for the jumper? Are my steps correct?
Thank you for your help.