How to Reset an IBM ThinkPad BIOS Password

Hard Disk Password

The hard-disk password (HDP) prevents unauthorized persons from accessing the data on the removable hard disk drive.

Supervisor Password

The supervisor password prevents unauthorized persons from changing the system information in Easy-Setup.

How to Reset an IBM ThinkPad Power On Password using Software

If the user can boot the IBM ThinkPad, KeyMaker will recover the BIOS password.

How to Reset an IBM ThinkPad Power On Password Using Hardware

If the ThinkPad cannot be booted, reset the IBM ThinkPad password via hardware.
If only the power-on password is set, do the following to remove the power-on password.

1. Power off the computer
2. Remove the DIMM cover on the bottom side of the computer.
3. Short circuit the two password pads or put a jumper on the contacts to short the circuit.
4. Under the short circuit condition, power on the computer and wait until the POST ends. After the POST ends, the password prompt does not appear. The power-on password is removed.
5. Reinstall the DIMM cover.

If both the power-on password and the supervisor password are set, do the following to remove the passwords:

1. Press and hold F1 to power on the computer.
2. Enter the supervisor password. The Easy-Setup menu appears.
3. Click the Password icon.
4. Click the Power on icon.
5. Enter the supervisor password and press the Space bar.
6. Press Enter twice.
7. Click Exit then click Restart.