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can't get past password at setup screen

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I'm trying to get this computer to recognize the startup floppy disk, but it won't do it. It starts to boot up and then says something like "no operating system found". I know this because I'm trying to load windows 98. I tried going to the setupscreen to make it boot off the floppy drive before the hard drive, but it's password protected and I don't know the password. Any clues would really help.

10 replies

by dmiles

If you are referring to the BIOS password,you will need to open the computer and remove the CMOS battery,which is nickel plated and located near the cpu,be careful when removing,leave out for a few minutes and reinstall,this should eliminate the password detection.
Now you should be able to enter the configuration panel

by mdelyea

If you know the manufacturer of the mobo, you can download the manual and find the jumper that resets/clears the CMOS. If you don't have the manual, you can closely examine the mobo to see if you can find a jumper labelled CMOS CLEAR. You should note that IBM, Dell and Compaq all show the location of this jumper printed somewhere on the inside of the case. Of course, once you reset the CMOS, you will have to reset such things as time, date, boot devices, boot order etc.

by murphysbest

Is your computer accessing the floppy? I don't think it is. Enter the bios setup and enable the floppy in the boot sequence. Save the new settings and reboot! The system will boot from the floppy as long as it IS a startup disk.

by murphysbest

If you are on the track of following answer #2. Look for a large silk screen number identifing the motherboard. Use this and a search engine like google to find the manufacturer. If you can find it, read the documentation carefully just in case there are diferent model numbers (versions).

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