Toughbook CF-25 Supervisor PW

**ab1** · May 6th, 2004, 08:00 AM

Hi there all you experts. I am sure this one has been asked before but I am new here so bear with me,please.
Yes. I can't get by the Supervisor password for the toughbook I bought on E-bay. It is the ........EAM model. When booting it does not display a name of a Bios so I can't find a backdoor PW. Somewhere I saw a hex dump sample and instructions on how to change the area where the PW resides. I got rid of the User PW by disconnecting the CMOS coin type battery and then re-soldering it again after several hours. But that still leaves the supervisor PW in order that I can boot from a CD. I thought it was a Phoenix bios but it most likely is not. The IBM name pops up at the beginning of the boot process but info is scant and it whizzes by too fast to read.
Any help in this are would be appreciated. I am willing to take the computer apart again.(done it at least 9 times)to look at all the chips there.

cheers
ab

**NooNoo** · May 6th, 2004, 08:06 AM

Why not ask the seller for the password?

And if it's ibm you are SOL - its part of the motherboard.

**WalkBoy** · June 6th, 2004, 03:14 AM

My greetings to all.

I have Panasonic CF-25 Toughbook too. And I have the same problem.
When power swich on and on pressing F1 I see menu with 3 points (System Setup, Power Management, Supervisor Setup).
And I can't access to the third one. Password is nedded.
I tried to enter most known universal passwords but nothing happends.

Originally Posted by ab1

...When booting it does not display a name of a Bios so I can't find a backdoor PW. ...The IBM name pops up at the beginning of the boot process but info is scant and it whizzes by too fast to read.

I took a shot by camera and read the "start screen".
There are 4 lines:

CHIPS 65550 PCI & VL Accelerated VGA BIOS
Video BIOS Version 2.0.1
DECOMPILATION OR DISASSEMBLY PROHIBITED
Copyright (C) 1996 Chips and Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Can anyone help me to find "right" Supervisor Password?
Or other way to access this point of BIOS menu.

thanks.

P.S.
1. Contents of Supervisor Setup screen is described in this document: http://www.countrymark.com/secure/energy/PSRdoc14.htm (point 12).
2. I have ......DAM model.

**NooNoo** · June 8th, 2004, 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by WalkBoy

My greetings to all.

I have Panasonic CF-25 Toughbook too. And I have the same problem.
When power swich on and on pressing F1 I see menu with 3 points (System Setup, Power Management, Supervisor Setup).
And I can't access to the third one. Password is nedded.
I tried to enter most known universal passwords but nothing happends.

I took a shot by camera and read the "start screen".
There are 4 lines:

Can anyone help me to find "right" Supervisor Password?
Or other way to access this point of BIOS menu.

thanks.

P.S.
1. Contents of Supervisor Setup screen is described in this document: http://www.countrymark.com/secure/energy/PSRdoc14.htm (point 12).
2. I have ......DAM model.

Welcome to windrivers Walkboy

The chips and tech stuff is actually the video adapter - its the next screen you want, although it probably says phoenix....

These are designed to be secure and passwords are not easily removeable.

this is about the best general advice on offer

**WalkBoy** · June 8th, 2004, 11:48 AM

to NooNoo.
Thanks for your advise and good link.
I will try to apply new methods, described there next weekend.

I will have to disassemble my Thoughtbook.

**Clayton** · October 17th, 2004, 07:01 AM

Hi I have same prob with a cf27, had the supervisor reset by a friend who has moved without leaving contact info so cant get hold off any more, I re enabled it by trying to get into to the bios to enable the wirless built in modem and I am now shut out. I have a feeling it can be accomplished by shorting out solder beads, visable near the speaker with batt flap removed, but probbably in a set sequence. so far have not worked it out, as friend done it overnight without any signs of having to open case. I have done all the usual remove cmos batt, tried a loopback device.
Any help most welcom,, its just been gathering dust for the past 12 months.

Clayton

**panasonicuser** · December 22nd, 2004, 05:52 PM

I just managed to remove this.
This by the way is at your own risk and you should use a solder sucker.

You need a philips screwdriver a solder sucker and a soldering iron.
Strip the computer to remove the keyboard this is about 16 screws from the base and there are a good few hidden like behind the gell around the HDD and under the port covers. The Keyboard will then lift straight up dont try and lift up only at the front as the back of it hooks over the screen hinges.
Ok you can now see the mother board, in about the center there is a flat round battry with two flaps. Unsolder one of these I did the front one but it should not matter. Leave it off for 1 min and then resolder.
Reassemble and hey presto it has no supervisor password.
Remember to reconect the keyboard plug to the mother board its a rectangular plug about the middle, its a bit fiddily to reconnect.

Good luck

**panasonicuser** · December 22nd, 2004, 05:56 PM

Ok so I got the supervisor password off but does any body know how to get one of these to boot from the CD ROM?

**Clayton** · December 23rd, 2004, 02:54 AM

hasnt made a difference on mine, removing the cmoss batt, mine did not need to be desoldered as it was on aplug/socket.left dissconn for over 24 hours. my model is a cf27 ej8k model
Clayton