Sager NP6165 BIOS update and password?

if you are the owner of a sager np6165, could you please tell me if there is an option to set a BIOS password on it? if yes, does this password prevent attempts to flash the BIOS?

and if you know where to get BIOS updates for this computer, please post! i looked here:

Software Upgrade

but bios updates are not listed there. if this means no newer versions have been released, i would still like a copy of the current version that i can use to reflash if i suspect someone has tampered with the bios. what are my options?

 

You there is thread for that called Clevo BIOS.

 

you mean this one here?

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/416916-clevo-bios-thread.html

are those bios updates official (supplied by clevo itself?)

i still wish to know whether there is password protection, and if so, whether the password protection can prevent unauthorized flashes.

 

Yes, all those BIOS files are from Clevo. If they are modified I will specify that.

 

What exactly are you worried about? Do you have an example of how/why someone would tamper with a BIOS? Are you talking about BIOS CODE or BIOS SETTINGS?

 

Essentially, people want to lock down their laptops for that "just in case" it ever gets stolen. Totally understandable, but the only way to prevent a thief from getting information is to use a cloud backup storage that offers remote trace and delete.

I know with another brand of laptop, we were able to remove the hard drives from the system and pop a flash drive into it and reflash the BIOS thus eliminating the password that was originally set there and access the system.

I believe the other option would be to also use Windows 7 Ultimate which offers the 128-bit AES encryption for security but if a thief happens to yank the laptop with the USB "key" then it sort of defeats the purpose.

 

it's actually not so much the laptop getting stolen part that worries me. my worry is that i could get a bios virus that makes changes to my bios. it would be impossible to get rid of a virus like this except by flashing the bios.

this means that i need 2 things:
1. a bios password to prevent the virus from having write access to the bios
2. a clean copy of the bios so i can flash it if something does go wrong

maybe it's only a small threat right now, but that might change in the future. sager doesn't even provide customers with a copy of the bios that's currently installed on their computer, and i'm unwilling to go with clevo, so that's that.

 

Has that ever happened to you? I have been using computers for 20+ years across hundreds of computers, and that has never happened. (and back in the day those kinds of viruses were more common than now, and it is more beneficial for someone to turn your computer into a drone than it is to just kill it!)

 

to be honest, no, it has never happened to me. but destroying the computer isn't the only way to use a bios virus. it could install a backdoor instead: New BIOS Virus Withstands HDD Wipes

it may be a remote threat, but it is a threat nevertheless.

at the same time, is it truly that unreasonable to expect that the manufacturer of my computer provide me with a copy of the bios that came with the computer if something does go wrong? most manufacturers already do this; i don't see why sager doesn't.

it's really a pity, and even now i'm agonizing over this because this sager is perfect in every way for my needs. literally the ONLY thing stopping me from placing an order right now is the lack of a bios file on sager's site. i've looked at computers with similar video cards like the y580 and the dvd6t, and they're all missing something crucial. hp's warranty is only reasonably priced up to 2 years; for 3 years, you pay a massive amount more. the y580 has a glossy screen, while i want matte.

the sagers are the only computers that satisfy every requirement i have (and i'll bet they're easier to open up as well)...except the need to have a copy of the bios. a pity i have to keep looking because of something so small yet so important to me. i cannot simply hope that sager releases a bios update in the future, because some sagers never got one. i have to see one before i place that order...are there any sager reps here? i'm still hopeful they can resolve this somehow.

 

There are 3rd party apps that can export the bios. There is also the warranty and support from the company you bought the machine from. Just relax dude, this is NOT an issue worth worrying about!