Removing a Supervisor Password from a ThinkPad.

[@Curbuntu]

I've been enjoying your Thinkpad series. I get the impression that this video in particular will come in handy "for a rainy day," so I'm going to note is for future reference. Thanks, Sebi!

[@Mcqlfc]

I was given an old T60 from my work. The internal battery ran out and after reinstalling a new one, I was faced with the password or death! Thankfully, guys like you have saved the day for me and I now have my laptop back! Thank you

[@chromaticvisuelle]

How did you do it please??

[@haroldbowdler1590]

Thank you, sir. I bought 6 thinkpads from a local seller who bought them at an auction. He said they no longer worked. 2 work, 2 have major issues and the other 2 were locked. Your video helped me fixed those 2. So bless you. BTW took many times and they are both T410.

[@BigHenFor]

Thank you for putting this out there. Keeping Thinkpads in use is a good thing, saving money and the environment.

[@harrytsang1501]

I love this kind of information that keeps otherwise fully functional devices out of the landfill

[@bobblum5973]

Thanks for documenting this process. Only two issues / suggestions: (1) A better view of the pins (pads?) to be shorted would be helpful, even if only as an example for the model you're working with. Just a different camera angle might help. (2) State more clearly when to start shorting the pins, the fact that you need to keep them shorted throughout the process, and when to remove the short. I don't think you said when to remove it, even while re-watching it. Other than that it's a decent video. You were pretty clear on which models this should work on. Also, people need to realize that any time you do something like this there's a risk of damaging the unit to the point where it becomes unusable (i.e. broken!).

[@ultimopenguin7]

Your video production quality is SOOO MUCH BETTER than other videos on this. Thank you! 🙏

[@jonbertocchi173]

I looked everywhere. I have the supervisor password but I just wanted to disable it. You're the only person to mention that hitting enter twice will just disable it. I entered my password then hit enter twice and yay!

[@Michael-ot9bk]

Right around 2012 my company acknowledged these types of security measures to be ineffective and non-compliant as it was medical company. Hardware HD encryption methods were then put in place and we replaced every HD in the company. We had the ability to activate the encryption remotely provided the computer was online so then on next power up you would need to enter the password. HOWEVER, my boss lost the master password. So we ended up with about 350+ systems in the field with ridiculously expensive drives in them, without encryption. We could technically STILL encrypt but we decided not to because we lost the ability to DECRYPT since that was when the password was required. We COULD have reset the entire system but then this would have made it impossible to decrypt the few systems we had already encrypted (which were the executive leadership teams systems since those were the first ones we did). So we left it as it was and never told anyone the problem. I don't know whatever happened as I left about 2 years later. I've also experienced other encryption problems similar to that scenario. After those experiences my rule of thumb is to simply encrypt using local methods. Software based, local encryption....like encrypting a single folder. Overall I disagree with encryption in general unless you are dealing with HIGHLY sensitive data. Most people, and businesses are not dealing with such data, therefore it makes encryption largely irrelevant. I find most people who want to implement security measures can't adequately convey why they want it, or need it. It's usually overkill....like those people who have 4 different virus scanners installed. More important than security is backups/data integrity. It's one thing for your data to potentially fall into the wrong hands, it's another for it to be unrecoverable. The latter is much worse.

[@nitrax8629]

Great video, sadly wasn't able to get this to work on my T21... uses an older 14-pin EEPROM with a pin between the two needed to short... which is seemingly tied to ground so shorting across it hangs the system.

[@andybrooks7228]

Thanks for this I have a T60 and T61 with passwords on both and both came without HDD's. I've had both for more than three years and because of you vid can move forward with them. Keep up the great content keep safe keep well and thankyou.

[@kokomal]

Can you post a pic to where is the A4 marking on a t60 motherboard?

[@GabrieleTroscia]

One thing isn't clear from this video: how long i have to keep the pins shorted? After pressing F10 to save settings? After entered the BIOS?

[@magnum333]

I was asking myself the same thing. I successfully removed the password for an old Thinkpad. The pins to short were in a different location and I think you should keep them shorted all the time. Not sure, but maybe right before exiting the BIOS you should unshort them. In any case, repeat the process. Remember to press F1 to enter the BIOS. Use an external keyboard and an external monitor if needed. YMMV. Good luck!

[@B10KPlaysGames]

0:23 Oh my god! A room filled with ThinkPads instead of MacBooks? Is that picture taken in a alternate reality or something?

[@ashfaqahmad1156]

Excellent work, precisely described steps to understand, then resolve the task in hand. 👍 up, stay blessed.

[@pajotero4219]

I don't own any IBM or Lenovo gear yet still find your videos interesting and informative :)

[@autismisnotmysuperpower]

Thanks for putting this online. I have known a few people who have bought thinkpads on ebay or at garage sales and such, just to find out they have supervisor passwords.

[@leonicholson9382]

Exactly. I purchased a very nice x230 on eBay that had an unmentioned supervisor password. The vendor was unaware and offered return, but I did this instead.

[@ThomasWarden-vf2wp]

Will it work for a R60 laveno thinkpad IBM. It also has the fingerprint security feature as well... thanks in advance for all feedback...

[@yugalsharma2773]

Worked for X230 in first try . Luv U Sebi the ThinkMan 💐💐

[@yugalsharma2773]

@@marlonresler6181 I will surely help U I will mail you the photo in 4-5 hrs. Plz provide your email.

[@ryangould6934]

​@@yugalsharma2773 HI @Yugal Sharma, i am about to do this to my X230 and i am also wondering where on the motherboard you did his too?

[@ryangould6934]

Email: [e-mail]

[@yugalsharma2773]

@@ryangould6934 I will mail you the photos showing that chip on my x230 board In about 1 day

[@secretosweb4536]

Fast,simple and right on point !! I thank u much

[@elektron2kim666]

I like the dirt cheap ebay/US models, so this happened to me and I find it interesting to fix. I'm already digging into all of it by accepting some faults.

[@Othmaneforyou]

Useful for 3th gen laptops and older

[@SS8SS]

Hello, thanks for your video This method will work for T460s ?

[@naaD69]

2:18 thats my laptop. I have a annoying problem with my keyboard, when i press E,D,C,3,F4 or F3 it beeps and it types weird stuff

[@SebisRandomTech]

Might need to replace the keyboard.

[@naaD69]

@@SebisRandomTech already done that one time but after a few uses it begon again

[@isopycnic746]

@@naaD69 cry

[@naaD69]

@@isopycnic746 great idea

[@isopycnic746]

@@naaD69 no bother lad

[@KAFIERIS]

Could you tell me the pins for L470?

[@Christosseventy7]

I have the error shown at 5:12. Check time and date. What does this mean?

[@SebisRandomTech]

You need to reset the date and time settings. No big deal usually.

[@learningbird9940]

Thanks a lot for this golden info. This should be done with the battery or the power cord connected? Now...on to the same info for the T440 and T450!

[@SebisRandomTech]

learningbird Yes, there’s no way to do this if there’s no power going to it! :P

[@impulsemahe]

Did you tried for T440 ?

[@klwthe3rd]

So the supervisor password is really the password to get into the BIOS? The startup password is more like FDE but not really.

[@juanescobar6582]

Kenneth How can I verify that?

[@percivalgebashe4376]

I have a t540p bought from a friend. Everything on the bios is greyed out. I and even enter the sub categories. She doesn't remember setting anything related to supervisor password. I doubt she would really. She only used the laptop to watch movies. So now I have the laptop. I need to enable virtualization when I found this problem out after having the laptop for a few months now. So my question is will this method work on this machine?

[@TD-wi1zh]

Just wanting to be clear - you refer to "pins" in the audio but are actually using the two holes/contact pads just left of the 4 soldered points? Unfortunately your hand covers the target and you use the word "pins". Or perhaps they are pins, but it looks like holes on my screen.

[@SebisRandomTech]

Maybe "connection points" would be a better word.

[@W1ldTangent]

The EE term would be "vias". They just serve to connect traces from different layers of the board together, but in this case give you a handy way to access the EEPROM.

[@GenePavlovsky]

The reason he is shorting the vias is that the EEPROM chip itself is located right under a metal chassis part on this model of ThinkPad, so it's hard to access. These vias have traces going to the pins in question, but you have to look it up to know this. If you can find the actual chip (it's a SOIC-8 chip, on my X230t it's marked L08), you can use the pins directly, whatever is more convenient. I didn't try it with these two pins, I shorted one pin (SDA, pin 5, the furthest diagonally away from the circle-shaped mark on the chip) to ground (VGA connector's body) with a micro test clip and a wire. Seems more easy and requires less of a steady hand than the tweezers approach. If you have such a micro test clip, of course. Got mine (a set of 8) on AliExpress, model name is SDK08.

[@dustincjsaunders]

4:52 You forgot to mention when to release the pins. I was still holding the pins and the laptop just froze after I hit enter twice. I tried too often and now I got a black screen at boot.

[@briancraery6390]

It worked on my L450. Thank you

[@henghwakiah883]

please advise what do i short on a T60?

[@WodenIstWotan]

Done this with a X230, took a few tries but its working now. Thanks king.

[@abelsimtako1874]

Hello. Please can you help me? I also purchased a x230 but I don't know how to do it.

[@christopherschwahn3398]

Thanks man Helped a ton ! Take care

[@alansavelski5240]

The most useful video ever! Just one question, do we need to keep the pins shortened during the whole time or we can release it at some point?

[@SebisRandomTech]

Keep them shortened until you have reset the password and restarted the machine, if I remember correctly. It's been a while since I've had to do it.

[@alansavelski5240]

@@SebisRandomTech Just unlocked x230 in a second attempt, tnx Sebi!

[@SebisRandomTech]

@@alansavelski5240 Glad you got things working! Enjoy your laptop!

[@DIYTryOuts]

I've bought a t460 basic model from a used laptop shop (as it was cheap like 250 usd). Now I need to install a linux operating system for my research project. But i can't do that. Guess what... Secure boot enabled, supervisor password unknown.. 😭😭 Isn't there any way?????

[@scifreaks]

Did you figure out x240 in the end?

[@beickus]

hi there, came across a w520 but the seller (found it in recycling i guess) says there is some kind of lock and cannot boot from the primary disk (there is no disk anyway) and the machine only boots from usb. Is this a supervisor password case? What do you think?

[@amanorebenezer1704]

Great tutorials keep it up. Will this also work on Lenovo Thinkpad Edge? Thanks for your assistance.

[@SebisRandomTech]

Only older ones (2012 or older).

[@gregsmith9183]

Yes. I used a similar method to unlock and ruemove all passwords from an old 2011 educational used ThinkPad Edge 11 (0328) that was locked down tighter than Fort Knox with a supervisor and bios password. davidzou.com/blog/der-laptop-bios-unlock Rather than see it get thrown out. Just follow the linked instructions.

[@KaterKomPuter]

Man, thanks so much, you just saved the X200s i just got for 10 bucks..! ^^

[@haditabatabai1294]

Thank you for sharing this. Would this work with a T15 second generation?

[@billyandriam]

NO! As he said in the video this method is only suitable up to the T430/530/W530 models. The newer version have Intel Boot Guard and frankly, there is no workaround but to completely change the motherboard.

[@oinkey]

That’s cool! Pretty useful and easy to do too!

[@HitAndMissLab]

@03:54 you keep talking about 2 points, but then you are showing 4 points. one can easily ruin the whole pc by shorting wrong pins. Which 2 of these 4 pins does one need to short?

[@SebisRandomTech]

www.ja.axxs.net/eeprom_location.htm

[@AndyMcClements]

@@SebisRandomTech Thanks for the link !!! That is what I needed, proper old-skool low-level info. Seems like there's a conspiracy to hide this sort of info nowadays !

[@bandwsf]

Thanks. Good to know.

[@okioki2800]

Unlock the bios password successfully. Thanks 😊.

[@HaniefTrihantoro]

lucky you. with my t420, i have to open the back of the motherboard to access the pin 😅

[@SebisRandomTech]

Oh yes, I've done that on the T420 once and it is a massive pain on that model.

[@emmanueltobzyakintimehin7754]

I currently have a T420 but unable to get it done

[@emmanueltobzyakintimehin7754]

Can you help?

[@The_0p3r8t0r]

Tried to find a decent video for unlocking a t42. The other videos I've found are more about setting up a pi and reprogramming...

[@jujufaitdestutos]

Very good video ! Does it work on a Thinkpad T20 ?

[@nitrax8629]

theoretically, if you can manage to short the two needed pins together without also shorting them against the pin between them.

[@vista9434]

Hi, I was wondering if the EPROM chip location on the X230 Tablet the same as the standard X230?

[@adicristi05]

T440p any solution for this?

[@michbostn]

I just bought my first ThinkPad (X250). I went looking for some videos about Thinkpads and wow.. what a cult of followers. It's like a secret society lol

[@michbostn]

@Aurora i bought mine refurbished so I had no supervisor pw on it

[@bobistojanovski6200]

Thank you, this worked great on R61

[@randomawareness5952]

Does it work in T42 ?😅

[@yailynrodriguez1610]

It will in a x380 yoga?

[@ToezzyTV]

And for a x270 you also have to go through the eeprom method?

[@forsfullcommunications1561]

Greetings, I need a Lenovo YOGA 730-15IKB CMOS Battery disabled if one exists, or disable the Administrator's Password? Almost all of the BIOS is corrupted. I am not able to access any Advanced Mode Fix-it options, such as Cmd Prompt, due to a constant Password Block. Uncertain if newer Lenovo Yogas use different Fix-it methods or if everything stays the same? HELP, I've exhausted all I know, thank you...

[@sgal5845]

Hi Sebi, does the T431s count in part of the older gens or the new ones?

[@-MaxwellCat]

How can I remove the bios lock on the ThinkPad L14/factory reset with bios lock?

[@Gigorchanel1982]

Can it also on the model T43?

[@SebisRandomTech]

I don't see why not.

[@kingrobuss]

have you get it working beacause i am not

[@Rafaelsilvagoncalv]

Friend, do you have the same instructions for model T440??

[@Junior-iw6ye]

how to take off the supervisor password off of a thinkpad T480s laptop please? its for the bios.

[@danilovisaya5854]

Hello will it possibly work with x series such as x270 thank you very much.

[@ghostygaming32]

This is Unlikely to work on the new models from x240 upwards.

[@Zer0YT]

@@ghostygaming32 do you know hot to delete the password from a lenovo thinkpad x61s

[@ghostygaming32]

@@Zer0YT I recommend you look on the Lenovo forums

[@Zer0YT]

@@ghostygaming32 i did but it doesn't work with disconnecting the bios batterie... And i did't found a other way...

[@ghostygaming32]

@@Zer0YT while the bios battery was removed and same with removable battery , press and holder power button for 30 seconds to drain the power . Another thing could try is while CMOS not in machine , tired to boot machine and should reset bios for you

[@blindtechh]

Question - do I have to keep holding the pins while I’m navigating through the BIOS?

[@justinl.3317]

He said yes to your question!

[@hit0midesuuue]

I tried this onb my E120, same error and I managed to reset the svp but it seems whenever the laptop restarted or shut off, it just goes back to default with SVP enabled. Maybe the eeprom is just read only. still it's usable and I can't enable VT. as for now, it's just a media thinkpad

[@richramdass3118]

I tried it but when I go in the bios under security, the supervisor password is greyed out, I cant access. Please assist someone.

[@HaniefTrihantoro]

it means you didn't do it right. perhaps you release the pin earlier than it should. justckeep trying, restart the laptop and try short the pins. again and again, until you succeeded. me myself didn't succeed at the first try. for my t420 maybe about 10 times restarting the laptop 😅

[@Drax658]

Good Sir I have a question: thanks to Your advice I'm now proud owner of a T460s (and I absolutely love it). Unfortunately when I want to access the BIOS it asks me for password. How do I know if it's supervisor password? Also can You provide some information on how I can disable it?

[@philpeko1796]

read the video, this is what he explains

[@michaelkugelmann8399]

Hi, work this on a Thinkpad 600-2645 too?

[@mkum2141]

HI I love your videos but I do have a thinkpad question: how does the new X1 Carbon gen 6 hold up against the good old original models. I am looking for a new laptop and the x1 carbon fits my needs as it extremely portable. HOWEVER it is rather pricey and wanted to ask if there is an alternative system that can be upgraded for similar portability and performance.

[@muhwyndham]

Depends on what you consider more important than the other.

[@kashifkhan7868]

Sir... Please sulotion T440p bios password remove how to

[@abaghbani]

thanks a lot guy, nice idea to remove this password with minimum effort, that's working for me on T61

[@DisregardFake_DiscoverTruth52]

WILL THIS WORK FOR A LENOVO YOGA 11E?? I JUST BOUGHT ONE FROM EBAY AND I REINSTALLED WINDOWS BECAUSE THE ONE ON IT WOULDN'T LET ME UPDATE IT. SOON AS IT WAS REBOOTING AND EVERYTHING IT'S ASKING FOR A SCHOOL LOGIN ACCOUNT OR SECURITY KEY!! I'VE MESSAGED THE SELLER, BUT STILL WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THEM

[@NguyenHoang-pv2xd]

If you have newest thinkpad, can use CMOS De-animator software to remove supervisor bios password ?

[@mire873]

Nice video like always.

[@chilunliu]

I have an r500, but it seems that the bios chip is located under some aluminium sheet to the left of the touchpad, is there a way to access it without having to remove the mobo?

[@SebisRandomTech]

Hard to say, I’ve never done this on an R500. I *do* remember that era of ThinkPads being a royal pain to disassemble though...

[@chilunliu]

Okay, thank you for your response

[@marissakristine9257]

So this won't work on a t490?

[@jumbledfox2098]

Nope :(

[@KillerDANPT]

What about a T460 @@jumbledfox2098?

[@hotshot6674]

@@KillerDANPT READ THE DESCRIPTION! THERE IS A REASON WHY IT'S THERE!

[@KillerDANPT]

That was helpful @@hotshot6674!

[@matuslivora7469]

Anyone knows where those pins are located on T430s ? :)

[@SebisRandomTech]

www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/4z9czz/resetting_the_eepromlost_supervisor_password_on/

[@asmaamuhammad2222]

What about Lenovo thinkpad x201 black locked screen problem please 🙏? Need help

[@applepartsTV]

Hello, could you help to locate the eeprom on 11e? Thank you

[@patrickfarrell2024]

What do you think of the e 480

[@SebisRandomTech]

Patrick Farrell Better than a cheap HP or Acer laptop, but not as good as a T480 or even an L480.

[@j.lietka9406]

will this method work on an E535 Thinkpad Edge? other similar videos show the person touching 2 legs on the BIOS chip. thanks for the great video

[@SebisRandomTech]

I've never used that model. I would suggest checking the thinkpads.com forum or r/thinkpad.

[@j.lietka9406]

Sebi's Random Tech thank you i will try them

[@lalo1088]

Hello Sir, did this work with A4 for a T60? thanks

[@AlbertoTorresFoltyn]

Where can I get the pins for the P50?

[@abdulrahmanaref4960]

Does it work with T420? .....Please answer 😁

[@muhwyndham]

watch the video. TLDR it is.

[@DonzLockz]

Can anyone confirm if this works on the Yoga L390? Are the pins going to be in the same place?

[@itachi2575]

Will this process work on the Lenovo e49 model?

[@Kwales66]

Thank you. Can this be done similar on a R500. ?

[@uraoshi]

I successfully used for a R500 with SVP the procedure by shorting pins 5 and 6 of the EEPROM : davidzou.com/articles/bios-password-bypass

[@AdamBluntTech]

Used this on my X220. I was gutted when I saw it had a password but didnt stop me using it for a long time. then I found this method online. was really easy to do and now fully unlocked :D thankfully my X240/T440 dont have passwords

[@pavelshk5550]

help reset superuser on lenovo x13 thingpad gen1.I can send pictures of the motherboard if needed.

[@UKLanka]

have you had any luck with yours ? I need help too for an X13

[@pavelshk5550]

@@UKLanka no. I've been looking for a way out of the situation for half a year

[@victorboame7134]

Still havent found the solution?

[@shaquuu]

I couldn't get this work. I have same model but no luck. Machine always just starts to lock screen, never got to the bios.

[@turbodoggur]

The motherboard in my T410 does not have the A4 labeling located next to the magnesium alloy piece, and does not have the two surface mounted components you are showing for the pins (connection points). Do you know how to locate the SDA and SCL on this variant of T410 motherboard ?

[@SebisRandomTech]

www.ja.axxs.net/t410.htm

[@turbodoggur]

@@SebisRandomTech Been to that site half dozen times. Same pics as you. No help. Guess you don't know the answer ?

[@SebisRandomTech]

@@turbodoggur If that website doesn't have it then I certainly don't. Do you have a picture of what *your* motherboard looks like?

[@amahes1030]

Any idea on how to get this to work on a Lenovo t61?

[@JonathanLeeWilson]

I tried scanning the comments for "Helix" before asking, but not one mention. Is this method applicable to my Ivy Bridge 2 in 1 machine?

[@SebisRandomTech]

If I remember correctly it is possible on the Ivy Bridge Helix machine, but there's only one way to find out!

[@JonathanLeeWilson]

@@SebisRandomTech Yeah it's currently inside out, I'm about to cross my fingers and hope I remember all the ribbon cables. Thanks!

[@JonathanLeeWilson]

Negatory.

[@SebisRandomTech]

@@JonathanLeeWilson Darn, sorry to hear that.

[@JonathanLeeWilson]

@@SebisRandomTech All this means is that my destination lies further down the rabbit hole, a more robust learning experience I am due.

[@abdultouffie1619]

How about a T460 ThinkPad i have the same problem i can't access the supervisor password

[@harry2005]

Will it work on the thinkpad yoga series thanks

[@SebisRandomTech]

No, as that is a newer model than what is shown in this video.

[@marcosgiorgios7913]

you are the best guys........................... yeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssss it works

[@reki353]

Hey maybe you know how to reset the power on password and supervisor password on an ibm thinkpad r52?

[@marcusboys]

Is it the sama like disc password on HP ones?

[@billyring9803]

What I did to get around it was install my windows on a desktop to my thinkpads hdd and then when it comes to its first restart put that hdd into the thinkpad and let it finish the install

[@chimwemwekapombenyasulu5566]

Hey man help What must I do with the t460

[@Bartlangman]

Hey I just wanted to know because I’m trying to get rid of the bios password on my Lenovo ideapad y700 and I was wondering if you could make a detailed vid on how to remove a bios password

[@davidbosilj]

For BIOS password you can just unplug the main battery and the CMOS battery (for a y700 its a small black circular battery with a black and red wire coming out of it)

[@Bartlangman]

David Bosilj I’ve tried it that hasn’t worked

[@januslabreviews2921]

hello do you know wher the pins are in Lenovo L520