How to secure your computer with a bios or uefi password

Chris Hoffman is Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. He’s written about technology for over a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Chris has written for The New York Times, been interviewed as a technology expert on TV stations like Miami’s NBC 6, and had his work covered by news outlets like the BBC. Since 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read nearly one billion times—and that’s just here at How-To Geek. Read more.

A Windows, Linux, or Mac password just prevents people from logging into your operating system. It doesn’t prevent people from booting other operating systems, wiping your drive, or using a live CD to access your files.

Your computer’s BIOS or UEFI firmware offers the ability to set lower-level passwords. These passwords allow you to restrict people from booting the computer, booting from removable devices, and changing BIOS or UEFI settings without your permission.

When You May Want to Do This

Most people shouldn’t need to set a BIOS or UEFI password. If you’d like to protect your sensitive files, encrypting your hard drive is a better solution. BIOS and UEFI passwords are particularly ideal for public or workplace computers. They allow you to restrict people from booting alternative operating systems on removable devices and prevent people from installing another operating system over the computer’s current operating system.

Warning: Be sure to remember any passwords you set. You can reset the BIOS password on a desktop PC that you can open fairly easily, but this process may be much more difficult on a laptop you can’t open.

How It Works

Let’s say you’ve followed good security practices and have a password set on your Windows user account. When your computer boots, someone will have to enter your Windows user account password to use it or access your files, right? Not necessarily.

The person could insert a removable device like a USB drive, CD, or DVD with an operating system on it. They could boot from that device and access a live Linux desktop — if your files are unencrypted, they could access your files. A Windows user account password doesn’t protect your files. They could also boot from a Windows installer disc and install a new copy of Windows over the current copy of Windows on the computer.

You could change the boot order to force the computer to always boot from its internal hard drive, but someone could enter your BIOS and change your boot order to boot the removable device.

A BIOS or UEFI firmware password provides some protection against this. Depending on how you configure the password, people will need the password to boot the computer or just to change BIOS settings.

Of course, if someone has physical access to your computer, all bets are off. They could crack it open and remove your hard drive or insert a different hard drive. They could use their physical access to reset the BIOS password — we’ll show you how to do that later. A BIOS password still does provide extra protection here, particularly in situations where people have access to a keyboard and USB ports, but the computer’s case is locked up and they can’t open it.

How to Set a BIOS or UEFI Password

These passwords are set in your BIOS or UEFI settings screen. On pre-Windows 8 computers, you’ll need to reboot your computer and press the appropriate key during the boot-up process to bring up the BIOS settings screen. This key varies from computer to computer, but is often F2, Delete, Esc, F1, or F10. If you need help, look at your computer’s documentation or Google its model number and “BIOS key” for more information. (If you built your own computer, look for your motherboard model’s BIOS key.)

In the BIOS settings screen, locate the password option, configure your password settings however you like, and enter a password. You may be able to set different passwords — for example, one password that allows the computer to boot and one that controls access to BIOS settings.

You’ll also want to visit the Boot Order section and ensure the boot order is locked down so people can’t boot from removable devices without your permission.

On post-Windows 8 computers, you’ll have to enter the UEFI firmware settings screen through Windows 8’s boot options. Your computer’s UEFI settings screen will hopefully provide you with a password option that works similarly to a BIOS password.

On Mac computers, reboot the Mac, hold Command+R to boot into Recovery Mode, and click Utilities > Firmware Password to set a UEFI firmware password.

How to Reset a BIOS or UEFI Firmware Password

You can generally bypass BIOS or UEFI passwords with physical access to the computer. This is easiest on a desktop computer that’s designed to be opened. The password is stored in volatile memory, powered by a small battery. Reset the BIOS settings and you’ll reset the password — you can do this with a jumper or by removing and reinserting the battery. Follow our guide to clearing your computer’s CMOS to reset a BIOS password.

This process will obviously be more difficult if you have a laptop you can’t open up. Some computer models may have “back door” passwords that allow you to access the BIOS if you forget the password, but don’t count on it.

You may also be able to use professional services to reset passwords you forget. For example, if you set a firmware password on a MacBook and forget it, you may have to visit an Apple Store to have them fix it for you.

BIOS and UEFI passwords aren’t something most people should ever use, but they’re a useful security feature for many public and business computers. If you operated some sort of cybercafé, you’d probably want to set a BIOS or UEFI password to prevent people from booting into different operating systems on your computers. Sure, they could bypass the protection by opening up the computer’s case, but that’s harder to do than simply inserting a USB drive and rebooting.

Пароль Windows, Linux или Mac просто не дает людям войти в вашу операционную систему. Это не мешает людям загружать другие операционные системы, стирать данные с вашего диска или использование live CD для доступа к вашим файлам .

BIOS вашего компьютера или Прошивка UEFI предлагает возможность устанавливать пароли нижнего уровня. Эти пароли позволяют запретить пользователям загружать компьютер, загружаться со съемных устройств и изменять настройки BIOS или UEFI без вашего разрешения.

Когда вы можете захотеть это сделать

Большинству людей не нужно устанавливать BIOS или пароль UEFI. Если вы хотите защитить свои конфиденциальные файлы, шифрование вашего жесткого диска это лучшее решение. Пароли BIOS и UEFI особенно подходят для общедоступных компьютеров или компьютеров на рабочем месте. Они позволяют запретить пользователям загружать альтернативные операционные системы на съемных устройствах и не позволяют людям устанавливать другую операционную систему поверх текущей операционной системы компьютера.

Предупреждение: Обязательно запомните все установленные вами пароли. Вы можете сбросить пароль BIOS на настольном ПК, который вы можете легко открыть, но этот процесс может быть намного сложнее на портативном компьютере, который вы не можете открыть.

Как это устроено

Допустим, вы следовали передовым методам обеспечения безопасности и установили пароль для своей учетной записи Windows. Когда ваш компьютер загружается, кто-то должен будет ввести пароль вашей учетной записи Windows, чтобы использовать его или получить доступ к вашим файлам, верно? Не обязательно.

Человек может вставить съемное устройство, такое как USB-накопитель, CD или DVD с операционной системой на нем. Они могут загрузиться с этого устройства и получить доступ к живому рабочему столу Linux – если ваши файлы не зашифрованы, они могут получить доступ к вашим файлам. Пароль учетной записи пользователя Windows не защищает ваши файлы . Они также могут загрузиться с установочного диска Windows и установить новую копию Windows поверх текущей копии Windows на компьютере.

Вы можете изменить порядок загрузки, чтобы компьютер всегда загружался с внутреннего жесткого диска, но кто-то может войти в ваш BIOS и изменить порядок загрузки, чтобы загрузить съемное устройство.

Пароль микропрограммного обеспечения BIOS или UEFI обеспечивает некоторую защиту от этого. В зависимости от того, как вы настроите пароль, людям понадобится пароль для загрузки компьютера или просто для изменения настроек BIOS.

Конечно, если у кого-то есть физический доступ к вашему компьютеру, все ставки отключены. Они могут взломать его и удалить ваш жесткий диск или вставить другой жесткий диск. Они могут использовать свой физический доступ для сброса пароля BIOS – мы покажем вам, как это сделать позже. Пароль BIOS по-прежнему обеспечивает дополнительную защиту, особенно в ситуациях, когда люди имеют доступ к клавиатуре и USB-портам, но корпус компьютера заблокирован, и они не могут его открыть.

Как установить пароль BIOS или UEFI

Эти пароли устанавливаются на экране настроек BIOS или UEFI. На компьютерах с предустановленной Windows 8 вам потребуется перезагрузить компьютер и нажать соответствующую клавишу во время загрузки, чтобы открыть экран настроек BIOS. Эта клавиша отличается от компьютера к компьютеру, но часто это F2, Delete, Esc, F1 или F10. Если вам нужна помощь, посмотрите документацию на свой компьютер или Google, чтобы узнать номер модели и «ключ BIOS». (Если вы собрали собственный компьютер, поищите ключ BIOS вашей материнской платы.)

На экране настроек BIOS найдите параметр пароля, настройте параметры пароля по своему усмотрению и введите пароль. Вы можете установить разные пароли – например, один пароль, разрешающий загрузку компьютера, и второй, контролирующий доступ к настройкам BIOS.

Вы также можете посетить раздел “Порядок загрузки” и убедитесь, что порядок загрузки заблокирован поэтому люди не могут загружаться со съемных устройств без вашего разрешения.

На компьютерах с установленной ОС Windows 8 вам потребуется войдите в экран настроек прошивки UEFI через параметры загрузки Windows 8 . Мы надеемся, что экран настроек UEFI вашего компьютера предоставит вам вариант пароля, который работает аналогично паролю BIOS.

На компьютерах Mac перезагрузите Mac, удерживайте Command + R для загрузки в режиме восстановления и нажмите «Служебные программы»> «Пароль прошивки», чтобы установить пароль прошивки UEFI.

Как сбросить пароль прошивки BIOS или UEFI

Как правило, вы можете обойти пароли BIOS или UEFI с помощью физического доступа к компьютеру. Это проще всего сделать на настольном компьютере, который можно открывать. Пароль хранится в энергозависимой памяти, питаемой от небольшой батареи. Сбросьте настройки BIOS, и вы сбросите пароль – вы можете сделать это с помощью перемычки или вынув и снова вставив аккумулятор. следить наше руководство по очистке CMOS вашего компьютера для сброса пароля BIOS.

Очевидно, этот процесс будет сложнее, если у вас есть ноутбук, который вы не можете открыть. Некоторые модели компьютеров могут иметь пароли «черного хода», которые позволяют получить доступ к BIOS, если вы забыли пароль, но не рассчитывайте на это.

Вы также можете воспользоваться профессиональными услугами для сброса забытых паролей. Например, если вы установили пароль для прошивки на MacBook и забыли его, вам, возможно, придется посетить Apple Store, чтобы они исправили его для вас.

Пароли BIOS и UEFI не подходят большинству людей, но они являются полезной функцией безопасности для многих общественных и корпоративных компьютеров. Если у вас есть какое-то киберкафе, вы, вероятно, захотите установить пароль BIOS или UEFI, чтобы люди не могли загружаться в разные операционные системы на ваших компьютерах. Конечно, они могут обойти защиту, открыв корпус компьютера, но это труднее, чем просто вставить USB-накопитель и перезагрузить компьютер.

How Do I Remove A BIOS Or UEFI Password?

Computers have become an integrated part of our daily life. It’s more like an organ of our system now a days, less a digital assistant. We always safeguard our personal things and our computer or laptop tops this list. The protection of our PC and the data within it is all important to us. A mere windows or Linux account password would not hold back tech savvy peoples from booting your computer from other bootable devices and finally wiping out your data.

Why not data encryption? You are right. You can prevent anyone from accessing your computers precious data by encrypting your hard drives. Admittedly, it will not be able to block them to wipe out the same by installing another Operating system erasing the existing one. We need further security. Right? Bios or UEFI password gives you that extra layer of security.

A computer with valuable data and less security is vulnerable to the outsiders. But you can secure your computer with BIOS or UEFI password by providing extra protection. As I have mentioned earlier, Windows, Linux, or Mac passwords just prevent anonymous people from login into your operating system. But there are so many other ways to mess with your device. One can override your current operating system with a new one or get access to your sensitive data. BIOS or UEFI password is exactly the thing we need here.

The possible ways in which harm can happen to your computer

If someone with proper knowledge has physical access to your computer then they can easily restart your computer with a CD/DVD inside your dvd writer and boot from that, or they can insert a bootable USB device and do the same. A successful installation of a new operating system will be a few clicks away then. After that what they can do with your hard drives is really not that hard to assume.

But, if you lock your computer from BIOS using strong UEFI password then, they will not be able to access your BIOS to change the boot option priority before doing all these damages. It is really needed for those who use their system to keep a record of their financial, business data or even passwords. One can still open your system case and get your hard drive. And the hard drive can be used with another system to get your data.

I assume you have encrypted your hard drives already. Moreover, It’s always tough for anyone to steal your hard drive rather than just plugging in a bootable USB drive in it

How to set BIOS Password

For a pre-window 8 computer, to get into the BIOS screen you will need to restart your computer first. When boot-up process will be started, simply press the proper key to open up the BIOS screen. Usually, the keys are F2, Delete, Esc, F1 or F10. It varies based on a motherboard’s model.

· In the BIOS setting screen, under the security tab you will get the password option. You can set password for preventing one to enter to your BIOS settings from there. thankfully, you can also set a password to boot your system. On the lower right corner of the screen, you will find a list of keys, which will be required to navigate through the screen. When you have done setting your password, you can save and exit the BIOS settings.

How to set UEFI Password

Users, who own a windows 8 pc just go through the next few steps of this paragraph. It will surely guide you to set the UEFI password from its settings screen. But one thing needs to be noted. If you have upgraded your system to windows 8, means installed windows 8 operating system to your old PC; you may not have the UEFI settings. In this condition you have to access your BIOS settings.

· Firstly, go the settings option on your Windows 8 metro start screen.Then hit the ‘change PC settings’ button. Now select “General” from left hand panel and scroll down the page. Click on the restart now button under Advanced start-up. When the system will restart second time, it will show you the boot menu. Select the troubleshoot tile from the boot menu. Now go to the advanced options on the Troubleshoot page.Now you will get UEFI firmware settings tile in the advanced option page. You need to restart again to make any changes in UEFI settings.

Every single time from now on, the system will open with UEFI settings and hopefully it should provide you with a password option which will work alike BIOS passwords.

Make your personal computer even more professional one if you are running a cyber cafe or so. If you belong to the majority part, then start to think on it before it’s too late. It is your responsibility to keep secures your system and data.

On Windows 10 operating system provides login password or account password to protect important data of users. However, the drawback of these features is that it can be easily bypassed without resorting to the support of the 3rd party application.

• 5 tips for using the BIOS to help you master your computer
• How to set the password for the hard drive from BIOS / UEFI

On Windows 10 operating system provides login password or account password to protect important data of users. However, the limitation of these features is that it can easily be “bypassed” without having to rely on the support of the 3rd party application.

In other words, the login password or account password cannot protect the data stored on your Windows 10 computer safely, the best way you can apply is to set a BIOS password or a UEFI password.

So how to set a BIOS password or a UEFI password on your Windows 10 computer, please refer to the following article of Network Administrator.

1. What is the BIOS password and UEFI password?

The BIOS password or UEFI password will prevent the computer from booting if it does not enter the correct password. If the computer does not have a BIOS / UEFI password in case you forget your computer password, or do not know the password, someone just needs to use USB boot, CD boot or any other similar method to boot into the computer. You can simply understand that your computer login password or Microsoft account password is not enough to protect your computer.

UEFI password or BIOS password?

If you buy a pre-installed computer Windows 8, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, chances are your computer supports UEFI, then you need to set up a UEFI password. And if your computer does not support UEFI, then you must definitely set the BIOS password for your computer. To check if your computer supports UEFI, refer to the steps here.

On different computers, the BIOS password setting or UEFI password will be different. This process depends on the manufacturer of the computer you are using, but it will basically look like the following.

2. Set BIOS password on Windows 10 computer

To set the BIOS password on your Windows 10 computer, follow these steps:

Step 1:

Open your computer and press Del, F2, Esc, F10 or F12 keys to access the BIOS. On different computers, the BIOS access key will be different.

Step 2:

After accessing the BIOS, navigate to Security or Password by using the arrow keys to navigate between items.

Step 3:

Under Security or Password section, search for the item named Set supervisor password, User password, System password or other similar options. After selecting the correct option, proceed to set a “strong” password.

Note:

1. If your BIOS has both Supervisor password or User password options, then the best solution is to set a password for both the Supervisor password and User password.
2. Supervisor password controls access to the installation utility. This means that if you do not have / do not enter the correct password, you will not be able to adjust the settings in the BIOS.
3. User password controls access to the system at startup. This means that if you do not have / do not enter the correct password, you will not be able to log in to the computer.
4. HDD password: Some machines also have the option to encrypt this hard drive, this is an extremely secure layer. Even if you remove the hard drive and carry it to another machine, you must still enter the correct password to decrypt the data on it.

– Some manufacturers can integrate additional security options, you can see as shown below. If your computer has these options available, make sure that these options are configured correctly to enhance the highest security.

Step 4:

Finally, don’t forget to save the changes to the BIOS settings. On most computers, you can press F10 to save the settings. Check the BIOS screen for the link or key to save the settings.

Restart your computer to see the BIOS password message.

3. Set UEFI password on Windows 10 computer

1. Open UEFI firmware settings on your Windows 10 computer. The process of accessing the firmware installation on the computer lines will be slightly different.
2. On the UEFI firmware screen, search for the Security or Password section . On some computers, you must navigate to the settings (Settings) section to see the Security option.
3. After finding the right option to set the password. The next step is to set up the password and don’t forget to save the changes before exiting the UEFI installation window.

4. What happens after setting the BIOS password?

When your computer has just opened, on the screen will appear a window to enter the BIOS password or UEFI password. If the BIOS password or UEFI password is not entered correctly, users cannot access BIOS settings or UEFI settings.

For example, if you set the BIOS password or UEFI password, then you don’t need to use any third-party application, or any login screen password unlock tool to access your computer.

In fact, when the UEFI BIOS password and password are set, users cannot install any operating system on the computer.

And of course if someone accesses your computer with a BIOS password or UEFI password, they can access all the data on your computer by removing the hard drive or SSD drive, later That connects your computer to another computer.

In addition, it is possible to reset the BIOS password or UEFI password if someone has physical access to your computer. However, this process is not easy, especially for notebooks or tablets (tablets).

This means that the BIOS password or UEFI password will help strengthen the security layer for your data, but not the absolute safe solution for data protection.

Refer to some of the following articles:

1. Unlock hidden features on Windows 10 with some Registry tricks

1. Instructions for fixing errors do not turn off Windows 10 computers and laptops

1. Instructions to transfer Microsoft account to Local account on Windows 10 / 8.1

By Sarah | Follow | Last Updated December 18, 2020

Summary :

A good way to secure your computer is to set a BIOS or UEFI password. This is able to help you prevent unauthorized access to your operating system. The password setting is needed especially when there’s confidential or private data on a computer. Today, I’m going to tell you how to set the BIOS or UEFI password on Windows step by step.

What Is BIOS or UEFI Password

As everyone knows, a password helps a lot to prevent people from accessing your device without your permission. This is a good way to control access and protect privacy. By setting a BIOS or UEFI password, you can:

• Prevent people from logging into the certain operating system.
• Prevent booting from any removable devices.
• Prevent others from changing BIOS or UEFI settings.
• Prevent others from installing another operating system.
• …

Yet, the access to other systems is still available.

BIOS or UEFI Password vs. Login or Account Password

Some people may ask what the difference is between the BIOS or UEFI password and the login or account password since both of them are used to prevent malicious access and protect data.

• Indeed, though the login password or account password is built in the Windows to help ensure data security, it can be easily bypassed by using third-party tools. What’s worse, in some cases, even the third-party tool is not necessary.
• Well, the BIOS or UEFI password is lower-level password, which can’t be bypassed by people. So you can enjoy high data security through BIOS or UEFI password setting.

How to Set a BIOS or UEFI Password on Windows 10

If your PC is pre-loaded with Windows 8, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, it is very likely that it supports UEFI. Otherwise, it will be BIOS for sure. The BIOS or UEFI password setting process varies a little from computer to computer, manufacturer to manufacturer, and system to system. Yet, the basic steps are the same. Here, I’ll show you how to set a BIOS or UEFI password on a Win10 computer.

When you need to recover missing files on Windows 10, the methods mentioned in this article may become your life-saving straw.

Set a BIOS Password

1. Turn on your computer and press corresponding button (usually Del, F2, Esc, F10, or, F12) to enter BIOS. If you are not sure about the key, you can look at the screen carefully when computer boots or contact the manufacturer.
2. Search for Security or Password section in the BIOS setting. You can navigate between different sections by making use of the arrow keys.
3. Under the Security or Password section, you should look for any entry similar to:

• User password
• System password
• A general password
• Supervisor password
• Master password for the hard drive

1. Click on the correct password option to set a strong password.

If you find more than one password under the Security or Password section (for instance, you find both Set User Password and Set Supervisor Password), you may set a password for each to enhance security.

Set a UEFI Password

Step 1: Enter UEFI firmware settings. The process to enter UEFI firmware settings is totally different from accessing BIOS. You should do the following things to access UEFI firmware settings:

1. Open Settings
2. Select Update & Security.
3. Shift to Recovery tab in the left-hand panel.
4. Find Advanced startup and click on the Restart now button here.
5. Click on the Troubleshoot option in the Choose an option window.
6. Click on the Advanced options in the Troubleshoot window.
7. Click on the UEFI Firmware Settings option in the Advanced options window.
8. Click on the Restart button in the UEFI Firmware Settings window.
9. Wait for the restart and then you’ll enter UEFI firmware settings.

Step 2: Look for Security or Password section (sometimes, the Security option may be included in the Settings section).

Step 3: Look for the password entry.

Step 4: Click on the correct password option to set a strong password.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Position: Columnist

Sarah is working as editor at MiniTool since she was graduated from university, having rich writing experiences. Love to help other people out from computer problems, disk issues, and data loss dilemma and specialize in these things. She said it’s a wonderful thing to see people solving their problems on PC, mobile photos, and other devices; it’s a sense of accomplishment. Sarah likes to make friends in life and she’s a huge music fan.

Password protection for the BIOS (or BIOS equivalent) and the boot loader can prevent unauthorized users who have physical access to systems from booting using removable media or attaining root privileges through single user mode. But the security measures one should take to protect against such attacks depends both on the sensitivity of the information the workstation holds and the location of the machine.

For instance, if a machine is used in a trade show and contains no sensitive information, than it may not be critical to prevent such attacks. However, if an employee’s laptop with private, unencrypted SSH keys for the corporate network is left unattended at that same trade show, it could lead to a major security breach with ramifications for the entire company.

On the other hand, if the workstation is located in a place where only authorized or trusted people have access, then securing the BIOS or the boot loader may not be necessary at all.

The following are the two primary reasons for password protecting the BIOS of a computer [1] :

Preventing Changes to BIOS Settings — If an intruder has access to the BIOS, they can set it to boot from a diskette or CD-ROM. This makes it possible for them to enter rescue mode or single user mode, which in turn allows them to start arbitrary processes on the system or copy sensitive data.

Preventing System Booting — Some BIOSes allow password protection of the boot process. When activated, an attacker is forced to enter a password before the BIOS launches the boot loader.

Because the methods for setting a BIOS password vary between computer manufacturers, consult the computer’s manual for specific instructions.

If you forget the BIOS password, it can either be reset with jumpers on the motherboard or by disconnecting the CMOS battery. For this reason, it is good practice to lock the computer case if possible. However, consult the manual for the computer or motherboard before attempting to disconnect the CMOS battery.

Other architectures use different programs to perform low-level tasks roughly equivalent to those of the BIOS on x86 systems. For instance, Intel ® Itanium ™ computers use the Extensible Firmware Interface ( EFI ) shell.

For instructions on password protecting BIOS-like programs on other architectures, refer to the manufacturer’s instructions.

The following are the primary reasons for password protecting a Linux boot loader:

Preventing Access to Single User Mode — If attackers can boot the system into single user mode, they are logged in automatically as root without being prompted for the root password.

Preventing Access to the GRUB Console — If the machine uses GRUB as its boot loader, an attacker can use the use the GRUB editor interface to change its configuration or to gather information using the cat command.

Preventing Access to Non-Secure Operating Systems — If it is a dual-boot system, an attacker can select at boot time an operating system, such as DOS, which ignores access controls and file permissions.

The GRUB boot loader ships with Red Hat Enterprise Linux on the x86 platform. For a detailed look at GRUB, consult the chapter titled The GRUB Boot Loader in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Reference Guide .

When prompted, type the GRUB password and press [Enter] . This returns an MD5 hash of the password.

Next, edit the GRUB configuration file /boot/grub/grub.conf . Open the file and below the timeout line in the main section of the document, add the following line:

with the value returned by /sbin/grub-md5-crypt [2] .

The next time the system boots, the GRUB menu does not allow access to the editor or command interface without first pressing [p] followed by the GRUB password.

Unfortunately, this solution does not prevent an attacker from booting into a non-secure operating system in a dual-boot environment. For this, a different part of the /boot/grub/grub.conf file must be edited.

Look for the title line of the non-secure operating system and add a line that says lock directly beneath it.

For a DOS system, the stanza should begin similar to the following:

A password line must be present in the main section of the /boot/grub/grub.conf file for this method to work properly. Otherwise, an attacker can access the GRUB editor interface and remove the lock line.

To create a different password for a particular kernel or operating system, add a lock line to the stanza, followed by a password line.

Each stanza protected with a unique password should begin with lines similar to the following example:

title DOS lock password –md5

Notes

Since system BIOSes differ between manufacturers, some may not support password protection of either type, while others may support one type but not the other.

GRUB also accepts unencrypted passwords, but it is recommended that an md5 hash be used for added security.

The Windows 10 operating system offers the login password feature, but the login or account password can be easily bypassed with or without the help of third-party tools. In short, the login or account password can’t actually protect your confidential data saved on your Windows 10 PC.

There are a couple of ways out there to protect your data (like encryption) on your Windows 10 PC, but setting a BIOS or UEFI password is one of the better ways out there to protect your data.

What’s a BIOS or UEFI password?

A BIOS or UEFI password stops your PC from booting without the right password. That is, one can use a bootable USB or CD or any other method to boot into your PC without entering the BIOS or UEFI password. The BIOS or UEFI password prompt appears right after you turn on the PC. Without entering the correct BIOS or UEFI password, a user can’t even access BIOS or UEFI settings.

For instance, when you have set a BIOS or UEFI password, one can’t use third-party login screen password unlocking tools to access your PC. In fact, when the BIOS or UEFI password is set, users can’t install another operating system as well.

Of course, if someone has access to your PC protected with BIOS/UEFI password, he/she might be able to access your data by removing the hard drive or SSD and then connecting the same to a different PC. Besides that, the BIOS or UEFI password can also be reset if someone has physical access to your PC, but the process is not definitely easy, especially on notebooks and tablets. This means that the BIOS/UEFI password adds an extra layer of security to your data and is not the ultimate solution to protect your data.

UEFI or BIOS password?

If you purchased a PC pre-loaded with Windows 8, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10, then your PC likely supports UEFI, and you need to set the UEFI password. And if your PC doesn’t support UEFI, then it will be BIOS for sure. You can go through our check if your PC supports UEFI for detailed directions.

The BIOS or UEFI password setting process is not precisely the same for all computers. The process varies from manufacturer to manufacture, but the process is more or less the same for most PCs.

Method 1 of 2

Setting BIOS password on a Windows 10 PC

To set the UEFI password, refer to instructions in Method 2 (scroll down).

Step 1: Turn on your PC and press Del, F2, Esc, F10, or F12 key to get into the BIOS. The keyboard key to get into BIOS varies from PC to PC, but the ones mentioned above are commonly used. So try one after another and if one of them works, please check your PC’s user manual or contact the manufacturer to know the right key.

Step 2: Once you are into the BIOS, navigate to the Security or Password section. You can use the arrow keys to navigate between these sections.

Step 3: Under the Security or Password section, look for any entry named Set supervisor password, User password, System password, or a similar option. Select the correct option and set a strong password.

Important: If your BIOS has both supervisor password as well as user password option as seen in the picture below, it’s a good idea to set both supervisor password as well as user password.

On most PCs, the supervisor password protects users from accessing BIOS, whereas the user password restricts users from booting into your PC. That said, on some PCs, the user password acts as both supervisor and user password. So we suggest you set both passwords and make sure that you see the password prompt before accessing BIOS as well before booting into the operating system.

NOTE: Some manufacturers include additional security options, as you can see in the picture below. If additional options are available, make sure that they are configured correctly for the best security. For instance, on my Lenovo ThinkPad T450s, the system doesn’t prompt you for the BIOS password when you reboot with default settings. If there is a similar option, we advise you to enable the same for enhanced security.

Finally, don’t forget to save the changes made to your BIOS settings. On most PCs pressing the F10 key saves the settings. Check on the BIOS screen for directions or key to save the settings.

Reboot your PC to see the BIOS password prompt. Good luck!

Set UEFI password on a Windows 10 PC

Step 1: Open UEFI firmware settings. The process to access UEFI firmware settings is completely different from accessing BIOS. Go through our how to access UEFI firmware settings in Windows 10 guide for step-by-step directions.

Step 2: When you are at the UEFI firmware settings screen, look for the security or password section. On some PCs, you need to navigate to the settings section to see security options.

Step 3: Look for an option to set the password. Set the password and save the changes before exiting the UEFI settings.

How to recover Windows 10 product key from the BIOS guide might also be of interest to you.

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The Basic Input Output System is the software responsible for starting your operating system and computer’s hardware. The BIOS is firmware built into the computer and isn’t associated with the operating system itself. In most cases, a business will never need to edit BIOS settings. However, some companies may choose to set a BIOS password for additional security.

Additional Layer of Security

If a network or Windows password isn’t secure enough for your business, setting a BIOS password provides an additional layer of security. The BIOS starts before the operating system and requires the user to enter a password before the operating system and most hardware is allowed to start. Blocking access early prevents the use of many password-cracking applications used to bypass Windows security. It also provides every system with two sets of passwords before anyone gains access, keeping your company’s network more secure.

Difficult to Crack

While software does exist to help crack BIOS passwords, they are considered more difficult to use than other password breaking programs. With no simple reset or override options, users are more likely to get locked out of their computers when using BIOS passwords than with operating system passwords alone. Since you won’t have access to some hardware and the operating system, formatting isn’t even an option. If you forget your BIOS password, you could find yourself locked out completely.

Resetting Is Difficult

Most companies can reset operating system passwords to give an employee access again. With a BIOS password, resetting requires a journey into the hardware itself. Some BIOS manufacturers have a backdoor administrative password which may or may not override your current password. Otherwise, you’re left hoping the IT department can successfully clear the password using a jumper on the motherboard or by taking out the CMOS battery, which is responsible for retaining all CMOS and BIOS settings when the system is off. Performing either option incorrectly can permanently damage the computer.

The manufacturer may be able to reset the password, but there is no guarantee. If you forget the password, the manufacturer may have you send in the computer or motherboard in order to perform the above resetting procedures in a clean environment. If the reset doesn’t work, the motherboard will need to be replaced.

Prevent BIOS Changes

If your business has employees that like to tinker with their computer settings, including the BIOS, setting a BIOS password prevents unauthorized changes. Since changing the wrong BIOS setting can prevent a computer from booting or even corrupt the system, it’s important to keep employees out. You can choose to set a BIOS boot password, which locks down the entire system, or just a BIOS setup password, which only locks employees out of the BIOS setup options. Both keep computers a little safer from innocent changes made by curious employees.

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Want to password protect your BIOS to prevent unauthorized access? Here’s how to get that set up.

With security breaches and unauthorized access of computers being common today, you can never have too much security on your system. We’ve shown how to make sure your new PC is secure, and every new setup should include properly locking down the system.

One way that might not seem obvious but is a great way to protect your computer is to set a password for the BIOS. This basic firmware runs right off your PC’s motherboard before you ever get into Windows.

You might want to lock the BIOS to prevent unauthorized access (so someone can’t get in and screw with settings, such as changing the boot order), or you could even set a password so that someone can’t boot into an operating system without knowing the password.

Getting into the BIOS is different for every machine; when you first turn on your system (before you get into Windows), look for text that says Press X to enter BIOS or Press X for system configuration or something similar. Usually, the button to press is Delete, Escape, Enter, or one of the F keys.

Once in the BIOS, look for a Security or Password header and select it using the arrow keys and Enter. Typically, you’ll see two password entries — the supervisor password protects the BIOS from being edited, and the user password must be entered before booting from any device.

Some devices might only have one option that acts as both password, so check to see what your system supports. Make sure to save the settings using the corresponding on-screen key, and exit (usually with the Escape key).

Interested in going further with security? Check out our universal guide to PC security.

Check out the best phone cleaner apps for Android that help you clear out junk files taking up space on your device.

Ben is the Editor in Chief at MakeUseOf. He left his IT job to write full-time in 2016 and has never looked back. He’s been covering tech tutorials, video game recommendations, and more as a professional writer for over seven years.

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Table of Contents

How do I unlock a password protected BIOS?

On the computer motherboard, locate the BIOS clear or password jumper or DIP switch and change its position. This jumper is often labeled CLEAR, CLEAR CMOS, JCMOS1, CLR, CLRPWD, PASSWD, PASSWORD, PSWD or PWD. To clear, remove the jumper from the two pins currently covered, and place it over the two remaining jumpers.

How can I unlock Lenovo BIOS password?

Use the backdoor password

1. Power on laptop, press F1 key to boot up BIOS entry screen.
2. On the password text box try with three passwords, if all these three passwords are incorrect, you will be blocked with the screen “System Disabled”.
3. Enter the code you get on the System Disable screen and click on Get password.

How do I reset my Lenovo computer without a password?

When the PC is completely turned off, press the Novo Button on your Laptop. Novo button is a small circular button usually near the power button or on the left side of the laptop. The system will power on to display the Novo Button Menu. Use your arrow keys to select System Recovery and press Enter.

How do I remove the BIOS and supervisor password?

You can remove the BIOS and supervisor password by shorting the security chip. This can be done simply by putting a conductor (like a small screwdriver) on the SDA and SCL pins of the security chip during the bootup process. Remember to ALWAYS remove the BIOS battery. First you will have to disassemble the laptop until you get to the motherboard.

What happens if you don’t have a BIOS password?

Without the user password, a user cannot enter the BIOS, access the one time boot menu (F12 menu), or boot into the operating system. Setup or Admin password – Password that you must enter to access and make changes to the BIOS settings of the computer.

How do I recover a forgotten BIOS password?

BIOS passwords cannot be recovered. If you have forgotten one of the passwords that is set in the BIOS, resetting the CMOS or NVRAM helps reset the BIOS to factory default settings and remove the passwords from the BIOS. WARNING: Clearing the CMOS or NVRAM using a jumper resets the passwords in the BIOS.

What is a BIOS admin password?

Setup or Admin password – Password that you must enter to access and make changes to the BIOS settings of the computer. Prevents an unauthorized user from accessing the BIOS or making changes to the settings in the BIOS.

If you’re running certain PC graphics cards, hardware, or operating systems such as Linux or previous version of Windows you may need to disable Secure Boot.

Secure Boot helps to make sure that your PC boots using only firmware that is trusted by the manufacturer. You can usually disable Secure Boot through the PC’s firmware (BIOS) menus, but the way you disable it varies by PC manufacturer. If you are having trouble disabling Secure Boot after following the steps below, contact your manufacturer for help.

• After disabling Secure Boot and installing other software and hardware, you may need to restore your PC to the factory state to re-activate Secure Boot.
• Be careful when changing BIOS settings. The BIOS menu is designed for advanced users, and it’s possible to change a setting that could prevent your PC from starting correctly. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions exactly.

Disable Secure Boot

Before disabling Secure Boot, consider whether it is necessary. From time to time, your manufacturer may update the list of trusted hardware, drivers, and operating systems for your PC. To check for updates, go to Windows Update, or check your manufacturer’s website.

Open the PC BIOS menu:

You can often access this menu by pressing a key while your PC is booting, such as F1, F2, F12, or Esc.

From Windows, hold the Shift key while selecting Restart. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options: UEFI Firmware Settings.

Find the Secure Boot setting in your BIOS menu. If possible, set it to Disabled. This option is usually in either the Security tab, the Boot tab, or the Authentication tab.

Save changes and exit. The PC reboots.

Install the graphics card, hardware, or operating system that’s not compatible with Secure Boot.

In some cases, you may need to change other settings in the firmware, such as enabling a Compatibility Support Module (CSM) to support legacy BIOS operating systems. To use a CSM, you may also need to reformat the hard drive using the Master Boot Record (MBR) format, and then reinstall Windows. For more info, see Windows Setup: Installing using the MBR or GPT partition style.

Re-enable Secure Boot

Uninstall any graphics cards, hardware, or operating systems that aren’t compatible with Secure Boot.

Open the PC BIOS menu:

You can often access this menu by pressing a key while your PC is booting, such as F1, F2, F12, or Esc.

From Windows, hold the Shift key while selecting Restart. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options: UEFI Firmware Settings.

Find the Secure Boot setting, and if possible, set it to Enabled. This option is usually in either the Security tab, the Boot tab, or the Authentication tab.

On some PCs, select Custom, and then load the Secure Boot keys that are built into the PC.

If the PC doesn’t allow you to enable Secure Boot, try resetting the BIOS back to the factory settings.

Save changes and exit. The PC reboots.

If the PC isn’t able to boot after enabling Secure Boot, go back into the BIOS menus, disable Secure Boot, and try to boot the PC again.

In some cases, you may need to refresh or Remove everything to its original state before you can turn on Secure Boot. For more info, see How to restore, refresh, or Remove everything.

If the above steps don’t work, and you still want to use Secure Boot, contact your manufacturer for help.

How do I find my BIOS password Windows 10?

How can I recover my own BIOS password in windows 10?

1. You must first disconnect your PC from any power source. …
2. Remove your PC’s cover, and locate the CMOS battery.
3. Remove the battery.
4. Press the power button for around 10 seconds.
5. Put the CMOS battery back in place.
6. Put the cover back, or reassemble the laptop.
7. Boot the PC.

How do I change my BIOS password and UEFI?

Your computer’s UEFI settings screen will hopefully provide you with a password option that works similarly to a BIOS password. On Mac computers, reboot the Mac, hold Command+R to boot into Recovery Mode, and click Utilities > Firmware Password to set a UEFI firmware password.

How do I change my startup password on Windows 10?

How to change / set a password in Windows 10

1. Click the Start button at the bottom left of your screen.
2. Click Settings from the list to the left.
3. Select Accounts.
4. Select Sign-in options from the menu.
5. Click on Change under Change your account password.

How do I remove BIOS password?

The simplest way to remove a BIOS password is to simply remove the CMOS battery. A computer will remember its settings and keep the time even when it is turned off and unplugged because these parts are powered by a small battery inside the computer called a CMOS battery.

How do I use a BIOS password?

Instructions

1. To get in the BIOS setup, boot the computer and press F2 (The option comes up on the upper left hand conner of the screen)
2. Highlight System Security then press Enter.
3. Highlight System Password then press Enter and put in the password. …
4. System Password will change from “not enabled” to “enabled”.

How do I disable BIOS at startup?

Access the BIOS and look for anything that refers to turning on, on/off, or showing the splash screen (the wording differs by BIOS version). Set the option to disabled or enabled, whichever is opposite of how it is currently set. When set to disabled, the screen no longer appears.

How do I bypass the BIOS password in Windows 10?

Make sure you change the boot priority within the BIOS so the CD/USB drive is the first boot option. Once the PCUnlocker screen appears, choose the SAM registry for the Windows installation you want to get into. Then click on the Options button and select Bypass Windows Password.

How do I remove a BIOS or UEFI password?

Follow these steps:

1. Enter the wrong password multiple times when prompted by the BIOS. …
2. Post this, a new number or code on the screen. …
3. Open the BIOS password website, and enter the XXXXX code in it. …
4. It will then offer multiple unlock keys, which you can try to clear out the BIOS / UEFI lock on your Windows computer.

Is BIOS Password Safe?

If it’s not physically secure, it’s not secure. A BIOS password can help keep honest people honest and slow down the rest. Just remember that it’s not absolute, and it’s not a replacement for keeping your machine secure. You still need to ensure that any sensitive data on that machine is also kept appropriately secure.

What is UEFI mode?

The Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) is a publicly available specification that defines a software interface between an operating system and platform firmware. … UEFI can support remote diagnostics and repair of computers, even with no operating system installed.

How do I change my Windows startup password?

Select Start > Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options . Under Password, select the Change button and follow the steps.

How do you bypass a BIOS password on a laptop?

Turn off the computer and disconnect the power cable from the computer. Locate the password reset jumper (PSWD) on the system board. Remove the jumper plug from the password jumper-pins. Power on without the jumper plug to clear the password.

Cybercrime is on the rise. Thanks to increasingly sophisticated malware, greater movement of devices and our growing dependence on networked technology, our computers, and the data they contain, have never been more at threat.

Failing to safeguard them can have dire consequences. Companies face the loss of valuable corporate information, passwords, trade secrets and customer details if an employee’s device is compromised. This is not only disastrous for their business but can land them with hefty fines if their lack of adequate security leaves customer details exposed.

It is therefore paramount that both individuals and companies are doing all they can to protect against cyber threats. But while software and network security is openly discussed and implemented, hardware security is too often neglected. This is a dangerous mistake. If laptop security is to mean anything, it should start at the BIOS.

What is BIOS and why does it need to be protected?

You can invest in the most sophisticated antivirus systems in the world but it will be useless if the BIOS of a laptop is compromised. BIOS stands for Basic Input/Output System and is the firmware that is stored on a small chip on the motherboard. It’s the conductor that kicks things into motion, waking up hardware components, checking they are running correctly and instructing the laptop’s operating system to start up. Without the BIOS, there is no computer.

Which means that the BIOS is the place where good security needs to start. If the BIOS isn’t properly protected, it can get infected with malware or hacked. If this is the case, cyber criminals can hack directly into the laptop’s firmware, read out data or even manipulate it without being detected. However, it is very hard to spot this as higher-level scans and protective measures are often unable to detect malicious activity at the BIOS level.

Laptops created for business are designed with security tools that make mobile working easier to achieve. For example, most manufacturers have replaced the standard BIOS with the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI). It is an operating system that runs on top of the PC’s firmware and gives the laptop the ability to deal new functionality, such as larger hard drives or supporting faster networking, that traditional BIOS cannot.

However, UEFI is not as secure as the BIOS, largely due to many laptop manufacturers using the same code. This increases the risk of hackers introducing malware into the system, as once they have access to one machine, they can access countless devices with just one piece of malicious code.

How can I protect my BIOS?

It’s clear that it’s crucial to protect a laptop’s BIOS. Therefore, in addition to stringent security software, good security hygiene and keeping up to date with patches, individuals and companies need to be choosing laptops from hardware vendors that are strict on BIOS security.

You should be looking for a vendor that writes its own BIOS, rather than relying on shared code from third-parties that makes your computer vulnerable to attack. An additional advantage to this is customisation, as the vendor can provide fine-grained access to hardware components, and it can also support the creation of longer, more secure passwords – up to 50 characters in length – for maximum security.

The vendor should be keeping its BIOS code encrypted and secure in its raw format, so third parties can’t access it or amend it and send out fake versions that they can trick people into using so their devices are insecure.

You should also make sure it is impossible for anyone to reset the BIOS password without first contacting the laptop vendor and proving their identity. This is more common than you think: most BIOS passwords can be reset via the jumper on the motherboard or by simply taking out the battery and putting it back in again. Finally, the BIOS should allow for tight integration with the associated hardware platform and all its functions.

Dynabook develops its own BIOS for its Tecra and Portégé series, based on the current UEFI standard. It combines the advantages of both variants into one utility. Within the basic program it is even possible to grant individual access rights. This works on both the software and hardware side and enables IT administrators to specify changes to BIOS passwords only after an identity check by Dynabook. This security measure protects against unwanted manipulation by third-parties.

The BIOS on laptops and computers are vulnerable to attack and hardware security needs to be taken as seriously as we take software and network protection. It’s critical to find a vendor, like Sharp, that understands the importance of BIOS security and can help you protect your machine.

If you would like to know more about how Dynabook laptops from Sharp place an emphasis on security, as well as portability, please Get in Touch.

All major operating systems offer a way to set up a login password. This gives people the feeling that access to their computer is protected, and their files are private. Unfortunately, this is only an illusion. If you boot, say, Ubuntu from an USB stick, you can mount a Windows partition and read all files without providing any password. People have a mild shock when they first find out how easy this is.

But this does not mean that protecting your login account with a password is useless, just that it’s meant more as a method of restricting access when you temporarily leave your desk. But what do you do if you want to make sure nobody can read your files while you leave your computer unattended for hours or days?

Your Disks Have Their Own “Operating System”

One solution to keep your data private is full disk encryption. Another simple solution is to password-protect the disk itself. Firmware is software that runs on a device, and disks have them too. This is independent from your operating system and can enforce its own rules, which means no one will be able to read and write to this disk without providing the proper password. The disk itself will refuse all access and can’t be tricked by a different operating system. Even if the disk is removed and moved to another computer, access will be denied.

How to Set Up Disk Password from BIOS or UEFI

You can consider UEFI as a sort of micro operating system that runs on your computer before anything else is loaded (like the bootloader, Windows, drivers and so on). You will enter its setup menu to configure the passwords. BIOS is similar but only used on rather old computers.

Enter UEFI/BIOS Setup

Unfortunately, there is no standard method to access this menu. Every motherboard manufacturer freely chooses the desired setup key. But, generally, after you press the power button on your computer, you will quickly have to tap DEL , ESC , F1 , F2 , F10 , F12 to enter setup. If you have BIOS, this is the only way to access its settings. Tap one of these keys multiple times to be certain UEFI/BIOS picks up on it. If none of the keys work, read your printed motherboard manual or search for it online to find the required key.

Password Lock Disks

UEFI/BIOS setup menus also have no standard set in stone. Each manufacturer implements their own desired version. The menu may include a graphical user interface (GUI) or a text user interface (TUI).

Use the left or right arrow keys to navigate to the “Security” tab (or equivalent) if your setup which will look like the following image.

Otherwise, browse until you find a similar setting, where you can set disk passwords. Consult the motherboard manual if you have trouble finding it.

You will usually need to find the disk’s codename in that list, select it, and then set a user password, and possibly, a master password.

Warning: if you forget the password, there is no magic reset method. You basically lose your drive; it becomes a useless brick. It’s true that some drives will let you completely wipe them to clear the password, but those are the exception and not the rule.

Don’t confuse the user disk password with the UEFI/BIOS user password.

If the options to set the user password/master password for the disks are grayed out, it means you have to power cycle the machine. Simply power it off, power back on, and then press the required key to enter UEFI/BIOS setup. This has to happen before booting to Windows, otherwise the UEFI/BIOS will lock disk security settings again as a protection measure against unauthorized changes (for example, malware could use this to lock you out).

Set the disk user password. After you save it, the computer will ask for this password every time you power it on to unlock the drive. If you have the option available, set the master password, too, just to make sure you overwrite the factory default.

Save BIOS/UEFI settings and exit. (The proper key to do this should be displayed somewhere on the screen.)

Conclusion

At this point you know that your disk is safely locked when you leave your computer unattended. And, if you desire, you can also password-protect access to your BIOS/UEFI settings. This will usually be called an “Administrator password.” The “User password” is used for a different purpose and is not really required in this particular case. But if that is the only one you have available, set that to prevent unauthorized changes to your BIOS/UEFI settings. It should be noted, however, that if someone opens your computer case, this password can be reset. Consider it a “light” security measure.

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Fell in love with computers when he was four years old. 27 years later, the passion is still burning, fueling constant learning. Spends most of his time in terminal windows and SSH sessions, managing Linux desktops and servers.

Uefi settings lenovo. Go to Boot Manager and disable the option Secure Boot. UEFI firmware provides critical functions to your PC: initializing and booting the processor, detecting and training memory, configuring data buses and motherboard peripherals, monitoring and controlling core hardware, changing low-level settings, and helping Windows® communicate with your PC components. Based on UEFI BIOS, the computer will not boot by an extend device … Start the UEFI/BIOS setup utility. If the computer has a pre-UEFI BIOS, or to boot to the UEFI BIOS without entering Windows. These changes can be saved to an . Your computer will then restart directly into the UEFI/BIOS Setup. Features: Copy UEFI BIOS setup data settings. In some cases, there are options to enable both UEFI and Legacy/CSM. Change the setting to Disabled or Enabled. While I know some facts about UEFI and Legacy and basic differences between them, like UEFI allowing for faster booting (I’ve checked this question already, but it doesn’t answer mine), I have a bit of a different question(s):. Post navigation. Its just once I get there I cant change anything. If this software has been used, updating this software will fix problems, add new functions, or expand functions as noted below. Step 5. For computers that you buy with Windows 8 or Windows 10 … لنوو (Lenovo) F1 یا F2 یا Fn+F1 یا Fn+F2 یا Ctrl+Alt+F3 یا Ctrl+Alt+Ins . This should turn UEFI Secure Boot back on in normal mode. To go to the UEFI settings, you have to press some Function Key(This key varies across the PCs , … Attention: When you press Ctrl+Alt+Delete on F1 setup menu panel, the system will reboot automatically and ask you to enter password again. Format the HDD in NTFS mode. • UEFI Setup: View and change the UEFI settings of your server. 0:00 / 2:49 •. When you update Surface device firmware, by using either Windows Update or manual installation, the updates are not applied immediately to the device, but … We can enable the Secure Boot in the BIOS settings of the motherboard. methods. 05, dated 9/12/2012) for the Lenovo T430 (and T430i) provided support for UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) Secure Boot. At the same time, keep pressing the F12 key during the starting up process. The case was probably first taken up at notebookcheck. Step 1. Continue to hold the volume-up button. 1 Computer type Laptop System Manufacturer/Model Toshiba Satellite C50-B Series I. After that, select UEFI On most PCs pressing the F10 key saves the settings. 0. From the firmware menus, boot to a drive or network while in UEFI or BIOS mode: On the boot device menu, select the command that identifies both the firmware mode and the device. Step 1: Save your work and close all running programs, if any. Select the Troubleshoot option, select Advanced options, and then select UEFI Settings. When booting into preview mode all disks load without issue, so its not the cable. com/us/en/tech-takes/how-to-enter-bios-setup-windows-pcs#:

If you want to protect your computer, it is recommended that you know how to put password to BIOS or UEFI to protect my PC – step by step. Don’t worry, if you have doubts we will teach you how to do it very easily below. Before starting, we recommend that you know what the BIOS is and what it is used for, so that you understand what it is talking about.

BIOS and passwords

To make configurations, it will be necessary first access the UEFI BIOS settings or whatever BIOS your system has. Either way, unscrupulous changes can cause problems.

To make modifications in the BIOS, it will be completely necessary to know its characteristics. In other words, only a user who knows what he is doing should make changes to this system. Given this, if there are people in your home who do not know about the BIOS, it is best to set a password.

Putting a password to the BIOS ensures that no one can enter it if they do not have that key, improving security. Many consider this to be a necessary option, even more so if you have done extensive configuration in your computer’s BIOS. In case you want to configure the BIOS for better Windows boot or other actions, we have prepared this guide to teach you how to put a password to the BIOS and protect your changes.

How to put password to BIOS or UEFI to protect my PC

Before starting, it is important to indicate that there are many types of BIOS, so the method may vary. Even so, it is fair to point out that there are two firmwares of these characteristics at a general level, we refer specifically to BIOS and UEFI.

Although there are many variations in relation to BIOS and UEFI and you can even update the BIOS or UEFI of the motherboard, in general terms the process should be relatively similar. Given this, let’s see what are the common methods for both BIOS and UEFI. Still, before you begin, it is important to put in a password that you can remember.

The first thing to do is access the UEFI configuration options. This is usually done by pressing the F2 or Del key, although it varies depending on the motherboard model. Press the appropriate key until the UEFI configuration menu appears.

In most versions of UEFI you will find the «Security» section, where you will find the password settings. Use the mouse or keyboard to move towards this area and press on it.

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The Basic Input/Output System is the built-in software – sometimes called firmware – that enables your computer to check its hardware connections and launch the operating system when you turn it on. Many users choose to password-protect their BIOS, as this can be a highly effective way of protecting your computer from unauthorized use. However, a misplaced or incorrectly set BIOS password can leave your business unable to use its own computers.

Password Protection

Setting a BIOS password effectively password-protects your whole computer system. BIOS passwords prevent your computer from undergoing its startup procedure until the password is entered, as your computer needs to access its BIOS before it can run any programs. The actual process used to set up a BIOS password depends on the firmware that your computer is running. In general, you will need to hold down a given key when turning on your machine to be given access to the BIOS options menu.

Security

A BIOS password increases your computer’s security levels. By prompting users for a password before the system has even booted up, BIOS passwords limit the options available to individuals looking to gain unauthorized access to a computer. For example, there is no way to crack a BIOS password online, as a computer will not have activated its network services by the time the password is asked for. In addition, BIOS passwords offer protection to an entire system, rather than just individual applications or user areas.

Forgotten Password

The security offered by a BIOS password can cause problems in its own right. If a user forgets the BIOS password set on a computer, gaining access to that machine can become very difficult. One of the most common ways of bypassing a BIOS password is to remove the CMOS battery from the motherboard of your computer, causing the password to be dropped from memory. However, this is a skilled process and involves a real risk of damaging some of your computer’s most fragile components.

Inflexibility

Setting a BIOS password means that access to the whole computer system is governed by a single password. While this may not be an issue for home users, it does make for an inflexible security solution in a workplace or multi-user environment. When a password is set, everyone who needs to use that computer has to know that specific password, and must be informed if the password is changed. This contrasts with network or user area passwords, which can generally be managed by users themselves.

• Lockdown: Setting a BIOS Password
• TechNibble: How to Bypass or Remove a BIOS Password
• Computer Hope: How to Clear an Unknown BIOS or CMOS Password
• Microsoft Windows: BIOS: Frequently Asked Questions

Andy Walton has been a technology writer since 2009, specializing in networking and mobile communications. He was previously an IT technician and product manager. Walton is based in Leicester, England, and holds a bachelor’s degree in information systems from the University of Leeds.

If you want to use an additional layer of security, then you can set and use BIOSor UEFI password on Windows 10 computers. Irrespective of the motherboard your system has, you can make set up an Administrator or Supervisor password with the help of this guide.

Settings up a password or PIN is very easy on Windows 10. Let’s assume that someone has a live disc of a Linux distribution. In this casem, anyone can easily get into your computer without your password and move data to an external drive. If you want to block that situation, you have two options in your hand. First, you cannot leave your computer alone pyh sically (which is not possible) or, second, you can set and use a BIOS password.

If you use a BIOS password to protect your computer, no one can access even the computer start screen without the correct password. The good news is that almost all the motherboard manufacturers include this facility for the consumers. However, the steps or the location of the option might be different for your motherboard.

How to set up a BIOS or UEFI password on Windows 10

To set and use BIOS/UEFI password on Windows, follow these steps-

1. Restart your computer.
2. Go to the BIOS screen.
3. Switch to the BIOS tab.
4. Select the Administrator Password and press the Enter button.
5. Enter a password twice to confirm.
6. Save and exit from the BIOS screen.

At first, you will have to restart your computer. While restarting, press the Delete button to open the BIOS screen.

If you are using a Gigabyte motherboard, the Delete button does the job. However, it is recommended to contact the motherboard manufacturer to find out the correct key. Alternatively, your computer shows the required key while starting. You can note down the key from there as well.

After opening the BIOS screen, switch to the BIOS tab. Although most of the motherboards have this option in the BIOS section, there is no guarantee if you have the same tab or not.

In that case, you will have to find out the option that says Administrator Password.

Select it with the up/down arrow keys, and hit the Enter button. Now, you will find a prompt to enter the password. For confirmation, it asks you to enter the password twice. Once done, save the change and exit from the BIOS screen.

After that, whenever you start your computer, it will ask for the password like the following screen.

That’s all! Hope this security feature will help you a lot.

In case, you forget this password; you can always recover or reset BIOS or UEFI password.

Date: October 31, 2020 Tags: BIOS, Passwords

Why configure Secure Boot?

This type of hardware restriction protects the operating system from rootkits and other attacks that may not be detected by antivirus software. The Managed Workstation Service recommends configuring your device to support Secure Boot, though it is not required.

What is Secure Boot?

Secure Boot is a security standard developed by members of the PC industry to help make sure that your PC boots using only software that is trusted by the PC manufacturer. It is supported on modern versions of Windows, and many distributions of Linux and variants of BSD. When the PC starts, the firmware checks the signature of each piece of boot software, including firmware drivers (Option ROMs) and the operating system. If the signatures are good, the PC boots, and the firmware gives control to the operating system. 1 Secure Boot does not encrypt the storage on your device and does not require a TPM. When Secure Boot is enabled, the operating system and any other boot media must be compatible with Secure Boot.

Preparation checklist

1. Secure Boot must be enabled before an operating system is installed. If an operating system was installed while Secure Boot was disabled, it will not support Secure Boot and a new installation is required.
2. Secure Boot requires a recent version of UEFI. Window Vista SP1 and later support UEFI. Update the firmware if you are in doubt, or if you don’t see the options you expect in the system menu.
3. Secure Boot requires Windows 8.0 or higher. This includes WinPE 4 and higher, so modern Windows boot media can be used.
4. To turn on the necessary system firmware options, you may need to set a system password on some devices.

Step-by-step guide

1. First, take note of the make and model of the machine that you are going to prepare. Many manufacturers update their device’s UEFI support and update the system settings menu choices with firmware updates, so consider updating to the latest version.
2. Boot into the system settings by powering on the system and using the manufacturer’s method for accessing the system settings. On an HP device, this is often F10 and for a Dell it is F2.
3. Navigate the menu and select UEFI as the boot mode. Many menus present UEFI and Legacy as the choices, others may offer UEFI and BIOS. Some devices may offer three choices, like UEFI native, UEFI hybrid (or UEFI + CSM), and Legacy. In each case, choose UEFI or UEFI native. You may also have an option to disable legacy boot methods, and this is recommended.
4. Next, navigate to the Secure Boot option and turn it on. On some devices, you must first reboot once after enabling UEFI and return to the settings menu in order to enable Secure Boot.
5. It is recommended, but not required, to enable the TPM and virtualization support options as well, in order to enable other security features used by Windows. Early Launch Antimalware, Measured Boot, Device Guard, Credential Guard, and BitLocker variously require these settings. 2
6. Save the changes and exit the menu. You can now boot to media that supports Secure Boot and install an operating system. A Windows installation optical disc, USB storage device, or LiteTouch media will work. Windows will partition storage with GPT partitions instead of MBR.
7. After the operating system is installed, you can verify that Secure Boot is enabled at a PowerShell prompt if the cmdlet Confirm-SecureBootUEFI returns the value ‘true’. You can also open msinfo32.exe and check that the value for Secure Boot State is “on”.

Note: UEFI USB boot requires that USB disks should be have at least 4 gigabytes of capacity, the boot mode should be set to UEFI or UEFI native and not UEFI+CSM or UEFI Hybrid, and you may have to disable Fast Boot or Quick Boot on some systems.

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Reset Windows Password:
changing BIOS/UEFI settings, questions and answers

General information

In order to load Reset Windows Password, you may need to adjust your computer’s BIOS/UEFI settings to make the boot device (CD, DVD, or USB) first on the list of devices. This is the routine to follow for that:

1. When booting the computer, press the DEL key to enter the BIOS menu. Some versions of BIOS use other hotkeys; those could be F2, F10, F11, ESC, etc. The hint is normally displayed at the bottom of the boot screen.
2. Enter the BIOS/UEFI, then on the menu find the item that’s in charge of the initial boot devices. Edit it to make the CD or USB with the Reset Windows Password first on the list.
3. Make sure to have saved the changes and then reboot the computer.

For more information, please refer to your computer’s motherboard user manual.

Your PC likely asks for your username and password to grant access to Windows, a nice security measure, but ineffective if someone has physical access to your hard drive. (They’ll just install it in another PC and boot from a different disk.) You should enable hard drive encryption for the best protection against data thieves. But also use additional BIOS tricks enable more layers of security, asking for another password to boot, access the drive, or change BIOS settings. Here’s how to adjust those system settings.

Enter the BIOS configuration when starting PC. Press the prompted key; often, it’s an F-Key, Delete, or ESC. Navigate with the arrow keys, select with Enter, and back out with ESC. Different BIOS interfaces vary, but look for the security settings. Here’s how the options on a common PhoenixBIOS system work.

Supervisor Password: Enable and change this password to prevent someone from changing these BIOS settings in the future. For example, if you don’t want someone booting from a CD or external drive on one of your work systems, first disable those options in the Boot menu, and then enable the password here. If troubleshooting in the future, you can restore those boot options after entering the BIOS password.

User Password: Add an extra password prompt before getting to the Windows login screen. This provides a small, extra security step against unauthorized access. First set the user password, then enable it on boot.

HDD Password: For the best disk protection short of encrypting your drive, enable the hard disk password. If this option is supported on your system, the password settings are stored on the disk itself, preventing access even if installed in another PC. A data-recovery service could likely still access your files since they’re unencrypted. So remember that it’s still possible—although quite difficult—for someone else to access the data.

Remember your passwords. Store them on another PC or somewhere else secure; if you forget any of these, the reset process can be difficult or impossible. Use the BIOS settings you want to disable these passwords in the future. Enter the box to make a change, enter the old password, and then leave the new password blank.

I’m looking into ways of hardening a computer’s security. One of the things is the BIOS.

Does adding a password to the BIOS prevent malware from infecting it?

I have seen this article: Protecting the BIOS from malware but it doesn’t mention about passwords.

Any information on this is greatly appreciated.

4 Answers 4

Absolutely not. The BIOS password is only an authentication mechanism presented when the system boots or when a manual change to the configuration is made during boot. Malware which overwrites the BIOS typically does so by writing over SPI, the interface which the BIOS resides on. If malware gets enough privileges to write to SPI, and your BIOS does not set the proper lock bits that deny access to this interface at runtime, then it is game over. The contents of your BIOS flash chip can be modified completely, including the contents which execute the password authenticating code.

The only two ways to ensure malware cannot overwrite the BIOS is either to:

Have a BIOS which properly sets all the lock bits at boot, and the only way to make sure of that is to use the chipsec framework and understand the results it gives

Use a system which supports BootGuard, an Intel feature in some newer CPUs which causes the chipset to verify the BIOS itself before loading it, ensuring that it can only boot from a BIOS signed with an OEM signing key. This should prevent malicious BIOSes from running (as well as 3rd-party, open-source BIOSes like Coreboot and Libreboot).

BIOS passwords offer absolutely no protection against viruses. Its just there to slow people down who are trying to use your computer without your permission. Most computers have a “bios password ignore” or “bios password reset” jumper somewhere so its not even that secure. Might slow someone down maybe 5 minutes.

The blanket recommendation is to get a good antivirus program and let it hog your cpu in the background. That’s not what I do. The problem with antivirus programs is that they are generally no good for viruses that are not in their database. Likewise, when a new one comes out, several thousand people usually get infected until the antivirus people can update their database. Then don’t get me started on mutating viruses.

The simplest thing to make it really hard for viruses to infect your computer is to create a user with limited privileges and use that, rather than admin. That way, if you get tricked into loading a virus, it doesn’t have enough system privilege to do any real harm. Just don’t let them con you into entering the admin password when you weren’t really doing anything that would call for it.

Setting a Windows 8 password, you can prevent others from logging into your operating system. It’s the lowest level of way to secure your computer. To further secure your computer, you can set a BIOS password to prevent others from booting the operating system installed on your computer. Here let’s see how to set BIOS password on Windows 8.

Part 1: How to Set BIOS password on pre-Windows 8 computer

Step 1: Bring up BIOS settings screen

Boot or reboot your computer and continuously press the BIOS key (F2/Delete/Esc/F1/F10) during the boot-up process to bring up the BIOS settings screen.

Tips: You should press the BIOS key very timely when the first screen flashes by. The BIOS key varies from computer to computer, but usually, it’s F2, Delete, Esc, F1, or F10. If you need help, look at your computer’s documentation or get more information from Google search.

Step 2: Set Supervisor password on BIOS settings screen

1. On the BIOS Setup Utility, select Security by ←and→keys.

2. At this point, it automatically selects the Set Supervisor Password. Hit Enter key. Enter a password and press Enter. Enter the password and press Enter again.

3. Hit Enter to save changes so that you have set Supervisor password.

Tips: Set Supervisor Password means you will need a password to access the BIOS settings.

Step 3: Set User Password on BIOS settings screen

Only after you set a supervisor password can you then set a user password.

1. Select the Set User Password by ↑ key and then press Enter.

2. Type a password and press Enter. Type the password and press Enter again to confirm. Next press Enter to save changes.

Tips: Set User Password means you will need a password to boot your Windows 8 (operating system) installed on your computer.

Step 4: Enable Password on Boot

After the steps above, select Password on boot and hit Enter to make it Enabled.

Then press F10 key to save all the changes. So you have set a supervisor password and a user password, which means you will need password to access to BIOS setup utility and boot the (Windows 8) operating system installed on your computer.

Part 2: How to set BIOS password on post-Windows 8 computer

New Windows 8 PCs use UEFI firmware instead of the traditional BIOS. Accurately speaking, on new Windows 8 computer, you will set a UEFI password instead of BIOS password.

Step 1: Open the Setting charm. Click the Power button. Then press and hold Shift key and click Restart button to reboot your computer into boot options menu.

Step 2: Select Troubleshoot – > Advanced options –> UEFI Firmware Settings. Then set a UEFI password.

Tips: Once you set BIOS password on your Windows 8, you need to keep it in mind. If you unfortunately forget your BIOS password, it may be not so easy to reset the BIOS password.

Can’t get past the password screen while the computer is booting? When you ran into this situation, it’s possible that you forgot the BIOS password or Windows password on your PC. In order to determine which type of password it is, you need to know the differences between a BIOS password and a Windows password.

BIOS Password:

BIOS (or UEFI) is non-volatile firmware used to perform hardware initialization before calling the boot loader to start the OS. BIOS has a setup utility which provides the ability to view and manage your computer’s hardware settings, such as changing the boot order or enabling CPU virtualization.

Through the BIOS Setup Utility, you can set up two different types of passwords:

• Setup password: The computer will prompt for this password only when you are trying to access the BIOS Setup Utility. This password is also called “Admin password” or “Supervisor password” which is used to prevent others from changing your BIOS settings.
• System Password: This will be prompted before the operating system can boot up. This password might also be called “User password” or “Power-on password” and it can stop someone powering up your computer.

If you forget any of these passwords, the reset process can be difficult or impossible. Depending on the motherboard of the computer in question, you can clear a lost BIOS password through jumper settings or removing the CMOS battery.

Windows Password:

Windows allows you to create separate accounts for different people to share a single PC. Each person can set a unique Windows password for their accounts to prevent unauthorized access.

If you forgot your Windows password and can’t log in to your PC, just boot your PC with PCUnlocker Live CD or USB and you can remove the password with ease.

Conclusion

BIOS password adds a hardware-level layer of security and locks the early stages of the startup process. After the BIOS passes the control to OS, you’ll see the Windows logo displayed on the screen. When your PC boots to the welcome/lock screen, you can click on the user name and sign in with a Windows password.

The first in a series of how to get into a system – all to easily

If you know who is/was the user or previous owner of the computer, you should try some common passwords such as their user’s name, company name and so on to see if you can get it. Unless you’re really into computer hardware hacking and can create a keyboard simulator to send your passwords brute-force style at wire speed, you’ll have to enter each password manually. It’s slow, but it can work, especially given the fact that most passwords are trivial.

There are a couple of other published tricks for getting around BIOS passwords on Toshiba and IBM Aptiva computers. If you have a Toshiba system, hold down the left shift key during boot. If you have an IBM Aptiva, the trick is to press both mouse buttons in quick succession during boot. You can also hold down one ore more keys on your keyboard during boot to try and overload your keyboard buffer. Odds are you’ll just end up getting a lot of angry beeps back from your computer, but it’s worth a try. You can also take a crack at repeatedly hitting the F1, F2, F10, F11, F12 or ESC key as well.

BIOS password hacking

Home: Introduction
Step 1: Guess BIOS passwords yourself
Step 2: Fiddle with the hardware
Step 3: Crack them with software
Step 4: Managing the BIOS password