Do NOT repeat DO NOT ask us for any laptop password hacking info. We do NOT give this out, due to the high incidence of laptop theft.  If you are locked out of your laptop, contact the manufacturer, or take it, along with proof of purchase, to your nearest authorized service center.

In the past, Award has defined Award_SW as its default security password. However, this password is now widely known, due to Award's large customer base, so it has lost its original function of security protection.

To reduce the opportunity of security breaches, Award Software International Inc. has canceled this default value in BIOS code with a release date on or after December 19, 1996.

Since no default value is predefined for the password, Award OEM customers must use the Award MODBIN.EXE utility, version 4.50.75, to customize their own password prior to releasing products to end users

If you wish to attempt disabling the password yourself, you will need to erase CMOS. You should not do this unless you already have written down or printed out of all the BIOS Setup parameters, or if you are certain that restoring the Setup default values is sufficient for operating your system. Take these steps:

1. Clear the CMOS (remove the CMOS battery until POST displays a "CMOS checksum bad" or a similar message)
2. Re-install the CMOS battery
3. Run the BIOS Setup
4. Restore the correct BIOS Setup settings.

NOTE: it can take up to several days for the CMOS to go bad without a battery. This is caused by capacitance in the circuit. This charge can be safely discharged by using a 10k-ohm resistor, touched to the battery connectors for a few moments (while the battery is removed).