Toshiba BIOS password help!

snarebyte

My teacher recently gave me his Toshiba Satellite m45-s359 laptop to fix. The problem it has is that there is a BIOS password on it and he doesn't know what it is. All of his information is backed up onto a removable drive so I don't need to worry about wiping the drive. My question is, is there any way to remove the BIOS password for free or very cheap price. Free is always better, mind you. Any help on this would be appreciated by me and him.

Apreche

First, where did the laptop come from? If it is a laptop from the school, then it is likely the school set the password. Second, where did he get the laptop from? Perhaps the retailer set a password to keep you from messing with it. Third, check the Toshiba website for info. Next, check Google to see if there is a secret way to break through the BIOS password.

If all those methods fail, there is only one option. You reset the password the same way you do on a desktop PC. You open it up, find the CMOS jumper and move it to the other two pins for a minute. Then you move the jumper back, screw the laptop back together and turn it on. If it was a cheap used old laptop, I would have no problem suggesting this as the first course of action. It is the simplest, and it is guaranteed to work. However, this is your teacher's laptop, and I don't know if you've ever unscrewed a laptop before. It's not for the faint of heart.

snarebyte

As I was looking for a "secret way to break through the BIOS password", I found an article that said that someone flashed their BIOS to get rid of it. Is that an easy thing to do because I don't want to open the computer unless I have to. If it is a possibility could you tell me the quickest and easiest way to do it? Thanks a lot.

Farragar

On a desktop I'd just whip out the CMOS battery for a few seconds (looks like a watch battery) as Scott said, however I suggest you look through all other options first.

Apreche

If you want to flash the BIOS it all depends on Toshiba. Read their website for info.