Have a acer netbook model a0d270 on boot up has a hard drive password. The bios has a password. Still under warranty, acer wants $99.00 to fix. I say screw you.
Already Tried: after password XXXXX three times I can get it to boot into linux with a external drive. I can not see the drive in linux, gpart no drive found.
Hello, My name is XXX XXX I'll be happy to assist you today.
Are you referring to the BIOS password XXXX you first turn it on? or the Windows password?
hard drive security password
ok....I believe that would be the bios password.
ok
Are you the original owner of the laptop?
no
The reason Acer is asking for the large fee is mainly as a security precaution. The password XX XXXXX to prevent an unathorized individual from gaining access.... but I'm sure you know that. So lets see if we can find a solution that works for you.
ok the owner went to jail for 3 years, bought it from the manager where he lived. To help pay his back rent.
When you boot it up. does it identify the BIOS manufacturer. Award, Phoenix, or something else?
Sometimes there are backdoor passwords that work. It may take several attempts but sometimes you get lucky.
no straight to hard drive password XXXXXX, on boot up. f2 bios has a password XXXX
another option is to locate the CMOS battery and remove it for a period of time to clear all the settings.
That would require opening the case
I'm not familiar with that specific model, so I cannot tell you specifically where it would be located
I work on computers, will another hard drive work ?
The password XX XXXX likely in the BIOS itself.
if you are unable to get into the system settings via F2 then its most likely that a different hard drive will not make a difference
Lets see if e can find out the bios manufacturer... I'm looking up some specs
when you boot it up, do you get any indication of the bios vendor?... it may flash quickly
no just the acer logo
ok. I think its going to be 'Insyde'
one sec while I look more
ok that name shows up in the manual
I'm not finding that there is a backdoor password XXX that product
so the only option I can suggest is clearing the CMOS by either removing the CMOS battery
or checking to see if there is a reset jumper
acer.com has two bios files listed.
laprops generally dont have a jumper
dell laptops removing the cmos battery does not work.
sometimes you need to remove it for 24 hours
ill try it
there are utils listed in the acer shop manual that will regenerate a password
I'm looking at a service guide for that model. Here's the link:
http://www.manualowl.com/m/Acer%20Computers/AOD270/Manual/257833?page=150
page 149 has reference to resetting the password
i can get to dos is the problem
You will need to boot to a usb device and boot to it
Here are some instructions on creating a bootable usb drive:
http://www.bootdisk.com/pendrive.htm
You may even be successful if you download the latest bios from Acer and flash the bios.
tried that will not read bios from flash drive the only thing this netbook will read is a cd from a external drive. made a linux bootable flash drive it will not boot from usb. i can get linix live cd to run
Can you boot to a external drive loaded with WinPE?
i can get hires boot cd to load but the cd drivers do not load.
winpe i never got a cd to build right
ok. go back to the service manual and look at page 150. it refers to booting in crisis mode
you dont actually need to boot to the usb drive, you just need the drive formatted
I hope this works for you....I'm not finding any other solutions. Unfortunately this is by design. Password XXXXXXXXXX is there for a reason and sometimes it requires the manufacturer to resolve it properly.
no ac adapter yet so fn and esc gives me a black screen
ok thanks
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Hello, I wanted to follow up because I had not heard back from you. Have you been successful in resetting your laptop to get past the password? And as a reminder, I do not receive any compensation for assisting you unless you click Accept Answer and rate my support with 3 stars or better. If you wish to continue our discussion, you can reply back to this message and I will be more than happy to continue to assist you to resolution. If you do not feel this your questions are fully answered, then I would appreciate the opportunity to further address your concerns and see this through. Regards, Joe