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Cannot change options after clearing CMOS

Started by unknownvariable , May 18 2012 11:09 AM

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27 replies to this topic

#1 unknownvariable

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Posted 18 May 2012 - 11:09 AM

So my dad put a BIOS pass (not HDD) on my computer so it couldn't boot up, and I had to clear it because he forgot it and I didn't want to pay $100 and shipping to Taiwan to Acer.

I took apart my laptop, and removed the CR2032 for 5 mins, then put it back, and then I could boot up. However, I cannot change any boot options and cannot change boot order, which is critical because I need to boot from CD to install Windows (I'm on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS right now).

How can I fix this? I'm sure the battery is in all the way, and I even tried replacing it with another one to no avail. Acer's goddamn Indian tech support guys don't know enough English to tell what's wrong and keep telling me to send it in to do what I did already.

Specs:

Acer Aspire 5750-6866
i3-2350M
Intel HD 3000 Graphics
4GB RAM
500GB HDD
(edit) PheonixBIOS

Edited by unknownvariable, 18 May 2012 - 04:34 PM.

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#2 cryptodan

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Posted 18 May 2012 - 11:19 AM

What do you mean, you cannot change the options? Do you get any errors? Have you tried hitting F10 or F12 which is common for selecting the boot device?

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#3 unknownvariable

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Posted 18 May 2012 - 11:42 AM

All of the options are greyed out in the BIOS screen. I can't select anything except time and date -_-. I'm not stupid, I know how to hit F2. The F12 boot option is not enabled at defaults, and right now the BIOS is locked in to the default options. There are no errors, I plugged everything back in properly.

Edited by unknownvariable, 18 May 2012 - 11:44 AM.

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#4 cryptodan

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Posted 18 May 2012 - 12:11 PM

When you installed Ubuntu did you wipe the entire drive?

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#5 unknownvariable

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Posted 18 May 2012 - 12:12 PM

I installed Ubuntu because my Windows install had failed, but I did leave my main Windows C:\ partition (unbootable, but intact). (What happened is a long, sad story having to do with that stupid "System Reserved" partition.)

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#6 cryptodan

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Posted 18 May 2012 - 12:57 PM

So what happened with the system reserved partition?

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#7 James Litten

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Posted 18 May 2012 - 01:25 PM

Hi

You probably checked this already but does the clock in the BIOS show the correct time and date or did it change to an incorrect time when you took out and replaced the battery?

James

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#8 Guest_Xircal_*

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Posted 18 May 2012 - 01:53 PM

The System Partition is where the Windows Boot Loader is stored. Hopefully, you didn't delete that.

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#9 unknownvariable

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Posted 18 May 2012 - 02:23 PM

It's a long story (I had been using GRUB for some time anyways, and thought I could with the right steps to merge them) (unfortunately, it didn't work too well -_-).

The OS doesn't matter, I'm fine with Ubuntu. What I am concerned with is restoring my Windows/Ubuntu/Fedora triple-boot, because I can't install Windows if I can't change my boot order to boot from CD.

My clock is fine (again, the battery is good).

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#10 unknownvariable

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Posted 18 May 2012 - 02:27 PM

I have a separate empty 80GB primary NTFS partition set up, ready for Windows.

The other problem is, even if I did get a workaround (boot an iso from GRUB) (or burg, which I like better) to install Windows, I wouldn't be able to restore GRUB to the MBR.

Oh yeah, here's my partition layout

4GB GRUB2 Dedicated Partition
80GB Empty NTFS, ready for Windows 7
230GB Old Windows C:\, nonfunctional bus accessible through Linux
Extended Partition containing:
35GB Partition (maybe for Windows XP at a later date)
6GB Swap Partition
7GB Fedora Partition
21GB FAT Partition (Storage)
39 GB Ubuntu Partition
31GB Storage Partition

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#11 cryptodan

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Posted 18 May 2012 - 02:41 PM

That system partition could have contained the information required for you to change the BIOS Settings.

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#12 Guest_Xircal_*

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Posted 18 May 2012 - 02:50 PM

There are even free tools available which can be used to change the BIOS password.

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#13 James Litten

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Posted 18 May 2012 - 03:28 PM

My clock is fine (again, the battery is good).

Usually when you successfully reset the BIOS by removing the battery the time and date need to be reset because they revert back to the original start time. Maybe that's not the case with that system's BIOS but it also might mean that it was not reset like you think it was.

James

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#14 unknownvariable

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Posted 18 May 2012 - 04:33 PM

"System Reserved" has absolutely nothing to do with the BIOS. I did a fair bit of research into this [System Reserved, Windows bootloader] a while back, and besides that a BIOS isn't HDD-dependent (you can swap out at will).

The issue of the system time is interesting. The password did disappear when I (supposedly) cleared CMOS, but I don't think I had to change back the time. I know that Linux might auto-set its time clock, but I'm sure it couldn't change the BIOS clock's value.

All in all, this is very perplexing. I can most certainly deal with the Windows issue; that's a seperate thing. The problem is, I need to boot from CD to make it all happen. I tried taking out the HDD (it would then boot from CD because that's next in the default list) and then removing it, but as SATA and (I think) IDE are non-hotpluggable, any LiveCD (or Windows install disk) cannot see it.

Are these options set in stone?

(And yeah I know there are software ways to reset CMOS, but most of those are for slightly older desktops. As I have a new laptop that furthermore is a "little brother" of the 5750G, I knew that I could quite possibly corrupt the BIOS by trying.)

Oh yeah, it has PheonixBIOS. (I'll add that to my original post.)

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#15 Guest_Xircal_*

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Posted 19 May 2012 - 12:49 AM

"System Reserved" has absolutely nothing to do with the BIOS.

I'm afraid you're mistaken there. The System Reserved partition is used by machines which conform to UEFI amd can be used to recover the BIOS among other things.

This is probably why the BIOS settings are greyed out i.e. because you've deleted the medium where they were stored.

This article is well worth a read to expand your knowledge of the subject when you get time: The 30-year-long Reign of BIOS is Over