Accessing BIOS Setup on a Compaq Presario 1230 Laptop

Hi,

I service TVs, etc. Once in a while, I service my own computers, one of
which is a Compaq Presario 1230 laptop with Windows 98se I bought second hand
a few years ago.

Recently, during power up, I saw "Error, O2BO: Diskette drive A error".
I removed the floppy drive, but I got the same error, which could be
it's controller?

I inserted a bootable CD rom hoping that the boot sequence might start at
the CD rom, but it didn't. It must be A: drive first. Note: The HDD is fine
because I removed it and checked it on anther PC.

If I can change the boot sequence, I can do without the floppy drive,
but to get into the settings by pressing F10, I have to enter a password.
I don't have the phone number of the person I bought it from who lives
out of town.

I removed the RTC/CMOS battery (soldered in) and waited 24 hours
hoping that it may "clear" the password requirement, but it did not.
Maybe I should wait longer?

Pressing F10 presents a screen that says, "Phoenix BIOS Setup Utility"
followed by a prompt for a password. I tried some by guessing, but it
didn't work. I hope the password isn't stored in the BIOS.

Do you know a technique to bypass the password requirement so
I can change the boot sequence?

Thank You in Advance, John

PS, Remove "ine" from my email address

wrote:

If I can change the boot sequence, I can do without the floppy drive,
but to get into the settings by pressing F10, I have to enter a password.
I don't have the phone number of the person I bought it from who lives
out of town.

I removed the RTC/CMOS battery (soldered in) and waited 24 hours
hoping that it may "clear" the password requirement, but it did not.
Maybe I should wait longer?

Maybe, but that seems like a long time to me. Generally there are a
couple of contacts somewhere on the motherboard that you need to short
to clear the password (and all other BIOS settings, I think). If you
could find documentation for the computer or motherboard, it would
show you where the contacts are. Compaq - er, I guess HP now - might
have it buried on their website someplace.

Pressing F10 presents a screen that says, "Phoenix BIOS Setup Utility"
followed by a prompt for a password. I tried some by guessing, but it
didn't work. I hope the password isn't stored in the BIOS.

It's stored in the Bios's CMOS memory, like all the other settings.

Do you know a technique to bypass the password requirement so
I can change the boot sequence?

Have you tried simply removing or unplugging the floppy drive?

--
Tim Slattery

http://members.cox.net/slatteryt

wrote in
:

snip

Compaq Presario 1230 BIOS password

BION, I have received EXCELLENT responses from HP to any and all
of my inquiries/problems with /my/ Compaq (which is a desktop).

Start he
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/p...c=en&dlc=en&pr
oduct=94985

Also take alook he

http://www.eserviceinfo.com/download...q_Presario%201
200%20Series.html

The dl is free, but saves as an mp3 file. Change the extension
to rar and unrar it to get the PDF. I just did it, works fine,
no virus either.

You should be able to find the BIOS and how to blank it
somewhere. Or a friendly tech will.

wrote in
:

Also, it remember that years ago sometimes the name of the
manuf. was a "secret" password for such situations - so you
could try HP, Compaq or Phoenix. Maybe the model number. You
never know.

On 03/31/2011 05:32 PM, thanatoid wrote:
wrote in
:

Also, it remember that years ago sometimes the name of the
manuf. was a "secret" password for such situations - so you
could try HP, Compaq or Phoenix. Maybe the model number. You
never know.




I found this


http://www.go4expert.com/forums/showthread.php?t=114

In message , philo
writes:
On 03/31/2011 05:32 PM, thanatoid wrote:
wrote in
:

Also, it remember that years ago sometimes the name of the
manuf. was a "secret" password for such situations - so you
could try HP, Compaq or Phoenix. Maybe the model number. You
never know.

(Also try a blank password, of course.)



I found this


http://www.go4expert.com/forums/showthread.php?t=114

Thanks for that - looks most useful. Bookmarked.

(Glad jaugust has got back in.)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G.5AL-IS-P--Ch++(p)Ar@T0H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
-Arthur C Clarke, science fiction writer (1917- )