Boot Menu Keys and BIOS Keys

[Master Razor]

anon, could you replace my original posting with the content of my post with number 10? I fear some may miss it.

[anon]

some people could help but i have to send my laptop to them so they do something with hardware? is that true?

I'm afraid so. A hardware reflash is required to remove these locks if you don't have the actual password, which is why I adviced to beware of stolen goods in the other thread. Do not buy a used laptop if the seller won't provide evidence that the BIOS and/or hard drive are not password-protected.

anon, could you replace my original posting with the content of my post with number 10?

Done.

[mammamia11]

I found this guide in youtube and i wonder if you guys think its good or bad? im planing to make this at home,

my laptop is: Lenova T470s
Edit: i tried to mention anon and Master Razor but it didnt work

[anon]

As someone with experience using a CH341a programmer, I can confirm that method works. However, there are several caveats the video does not address.

1. MAKE A BACKUP OF THE FULL ROM CONTENTS AND TRIPLE-CHECK IT BEFORE DOING ANYTHING. You can't just flash a BIOS update from Lenovo if something goes wrong because those are not full ROMs, and if they somehow were, they wouldn't contain data that is unique to your system like MAC addresses, UUIDs and the licensing table.
2. The flash chip may not be so easy to reach. Near-complete disassembly may be required, with all the screw and part order tracking that implies. Download your laptop's service manual and keep it handy before you need it.
3. Handle the chip with extreme care. If one of the pins breaks, you'll need to buy an identical replacement, and if this happens before following point no. 1, you're fucked.
4. The voltage rating for the IC and your serial programmer must be the same. Using a 1.7V programmer on a 3.3V chip won't work. Doing it the other way around has a chance of frying the chip. You may be able to work around a voltage mismatch by blocking the pin the IC gets power from (usually #8), but don't rely on that.
5. Triple check the ROM contents after flashing too. Sometimes successful flashes actually aren't; sometimes successful verifications actually aren't.
6. If you don't have the right equipment or aren't confident in your soldering skills, you can use a clamp instead, as long as you disconnect each and every thing from the board where the chip is located (you don't want electricity from the programmer flowing to the rest of the laptop). The pin-blocking trick mentioned above may also be necessary even if the voltages match.

It may sound like a lot to take in, but don't be intimidated. Just follow the steps carefully and you'll be fine!

[anon]

So, any luck with the unlocking?

If you're thinking there's no point in spending money on a serial programmer you'll only use "this once", I felt the same way at first, but the ability to flash anything with a compatible IC was worth it. Same goes for my USB-TTL adapter... especially considering you'll get charged around the same or more if you pay someone else to do this.

[mammamia11]

i relly like to try it, not problem with welding but considering what the bios upgrade will give me once i update , its not worth the cost of buying the tools but im happy its now posible to do it

[anon]

I don't understand, what will the BIOS upgrade do?

[zey0r]

Wow, sweet cheat sheet!

[abitemp]

Very helpful, thanks for the list