Laptop asking for weird password

golfinguy5 · #1 07-27-2007, 09:33 PM

So my motherboard recently fried but just before it did I uninstalled windows xp. I had the mother board replaced while there was no operating system installed. When i now turn on my computer it comes up with a black screen and says "Enter Password (Service Bum:3544831 )" I've tried everything I know and have called dell and they cant figure it out. I have a dell inspiron 5100. Any thoughts?

CORed · #2 07-27-2007, 09:39 PM

It's probably a BIOS password. Usually there is a pair of pins that you can jumper to reset it. If Dell's tech support can't tell you how to do it, make a fuss till they get somebody that knows how to do something other than read their script. If you have the motherboard manual, it should tell you how to do it. Otherwise send the motherboard back.

golfinguy5 · #3 07-27-2007, 09:46 PM

There was a tech guy from dell to came to my house to install the motherboard for me. When he turned it on he wasn't sure what the password was for or how to turn it off....

Freakin · #4 07-28-2007, 03:38 AM

Call them and tell them your laptop is broken and you need it to be fixed. If they can't tell you how to fix it over the phone, ask them where to send it to be replaced with a new laptop.

Shoe Lace · #5 07-28-2007, 04:49 AM

Definitely call and ask for a senior tech and explain the situation.

Dell laptops are different than desktops CORed. You can't just change a jumper or remove the cmos battery. The BIOS password gets written to a special EEPROM.

There is a method of resetting it but it involves shorting the chip which would involve disassembling the laptop, finding the chip, and shorting it.

You could rig it with a bendable piece of metal (paperclip, etc.) but if done incorrectly it will break the laptop.

I don't even think that is a bios password too. If it is, it's definitely not standard. It almost looks like the motherboard that tech put it in was a mistake (could be a testing board they use in-house).

For fun you can try obvious passwords like: god, dog, 1234, and dell. Capitalize the first letter too if it they don't work as is.

QTrips · #6 07-28-2007, 05:13 AM

Latitude_MasterPW.exe is a program I found on another board specifically for this problem. Might/might not work.. but I suppose it's worth a shot.

Also a step-by-step on how to do what Shoe Lace suggested here: http://web.archive.org/web/200404290...dell/dell.html

Good luck... nothing like a password protected doorstop!