Aspire 1672 BIOS password fault

After setting a BIOS password for my new laptop it has locked me out completely. When the system boots up it asks for the password but nothing works aside from the Function key. Acer have repaired it twice now (replaced the motherboard) but I've just had to send it away again for the 3rd time now!

Anyone else have this problem? Anyone spoken to Acer about it?

 

This kinda sounds like the password you installed was an "administrator" password for the BIOS. I believe this password gets applied to the HDD as well. Normally to get rind of this type of password is to remove it (enter correct password) or replace both HDD & motherboard at the same time. If only 1 part is replaced (motherboard), the password will get re-applied to the the new part. This makes it costly for anyone who steals a notebook and tries to swapout the HDD. If this is the case, have Acer replace both parts at the same time before powering back on for testing. This way, the password will not get re-applied to the new part.

Another possibility would be that when it pops up with the password prompt, it might not show that something's being typed (hidden cursor). Just try booting the system and when it prompts you, eneter the password and hit enter even though it doesn't look like it's working. If this doesn't work, you're only left with the previous option of getting the HDD and motherboard replaced at the same time.

-Vb-

 

When the laptop comes back to me there is no password set and it works fine. I then set a password and it works fine for a number of reboots. It seems to be prompted by hibernation. I just shut the lid the other night rather than shut it down and it went into hibernation. The next morning it wouldn't let me type the password in (have tried just typing it in anyway and tried a USB keyboard too).

They did something with the hard drive the first time round 'cos it was all reformatted. After that I didn't set a hard drive password to make their life easier if it did it again (and mine easier so I wouldn't have to re-install everything again).

It seems that the BIOS password isn't expecting to be needed when in hibernation so it's not ready to take any form of input (although oddly the function key works, I can switch the display to my TV no probs - woohoo!)

The more I think about it the more I'm sure it's a problem with hibernation, but I'm lost as to why and how to get around it (short of turning it off) without losing functionality of a laptop.

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Aspire 1672 LMI

 

If you suspect a problem with Hibernation, why don't you just disable Hibernation? Just turn your system off when your done and back on when you need it. You don't really save much on boot times (maybe a bit), and your system still turns off (if you're concerned about wear & tear). Try upgrading to SP2 if you don't already have it and see if it helps. Otherwise, I just say disable Hibernation and power off the system when done using it.

-Vb-

 

err, how about because it's a brand new laptop and you shouldn't have to send it off for repairs just 'cos it's gone into hibernation for the entire winter!

(It already has SP2 on it too).

They claim to have fixed it and it's on it's way back to me tomorrow so I'll soon see if everything is as it should be.

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Aspire 1672 LMI

 

Read the topic at the bottom of the page in the link I'm going to give you, there is a BIOS update out to fix the keyboard issue you mention...

http://www.notebookreview.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8642

Ted.

 

Hi spoke to acer yest they quoted £50 to reset bois, however if you take back off laptop with the power socket away from you middle right just under the fixed portion is the cmos backup, i carefully prised this up left for few seconds, replaced, voila bois password removed back to normal- Caution plastic clips holding battery in v fragile.