First, remove the case to look at the motherboard, so we can try resetting the CMOS battery. This battery looks a shiny little disk the size of a nickel. Pry the battery free gently, and reinsert the battery after 10 minutes. If this worked and you don't see the password prompt, you don't need any more steps; the problem is fixed. In my experience, two or more additional steps might be necessary depending on the make of the BIOS. Unfortunately, they don't all respond to the same tricks.
Next, now that the case is already removed, locate the jumpers near the edge of the board or near the CPU or the CMOS battery. Once located, find the label that will say clear CMOS, or clear password, etc. Place the jumper over the pins and boot. If this works, no more steps are needed. If it doesn't work, read on.
The third step to try is to enter a password. When you receive the password prompt, try one of the following passwords. If you have an Award BIOS, try these; AWARD PW, ALFAROME, or _award. If you have Phoenix BIOS try, CMOS, PHOENIX, or BIOS.
If none of these things have worked, as a last resort, try a software utility that resets system passwords. These utilities can be found online.
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First, remove the case to look at the motherboard, so we can try resetting the CMOS battery. This battery looks a shiny little disk the size of a nickel. Pry the battery free gently, and reinsert the battery after 10 minutes. If this worked and you don't see the password prompt, you don't need any more steps; the problem is fixed. In my experience, two or more additional steps might be necessary depending on the make of the BIOS. Unfortunately, they don't all respond to the same tricks.
Next, now that the case is already removed, locate the jumpers near the edge of the board or near the CPU or the CMOS battery. Once located, find the label that will say clear CMOS, or clear password, etc. Place the jumper over the pins and boot. If this works, no more steps are needed. If it doesn't work, read on.
The third step to try is to enter a password. When you receive the password prompt, try one of the following passwords. If you have an Award BIOS, try these; AWARD PW, ALFAROME, or _award. If you have Phoenix BIOS try, CMOS, PHOENIX, or BIOS.
If none of these things have worked, as a last resort, try a software utility that resets system passwords. These utilities can be found online.