Toshiba Reset Tool!

This is a "feature" used by laptop manufacturers to make it less profitable for thieves to steal laptops. If someone other than the original owner can't get past a bott-up password, it becomes problematic for a thief to sell a stolen laptop.

Different vendors use different methods to reset passwords. Some, like Toshiba use a dongle-like connector. Others use machine language software routines.

Take the laptop to a Service CEnter and make sure you bring your proof of ownership/purchase. Support laptop vendors' efforts to make stealing laptops less profitable.

You are an "Authorized Toshiba Service Center" and you ordered/received and replaced a systemboard for this laptop.... and they will not give you the password? Something sounds a bit fishy here.

Generally you cannot order parts for a laptop, unless you are authorized and able to repair that particular model.

If this is on the up-and-up, call the place where you received this systemboard from and tell them that you are authorized, and that you have installed the systemboard, and that you need the password. (It might be set to the serial number of the unit that you are repairing (or the serial number of the unit the systemboard was ordered for)-- some manufacturers embed serial numbers into the newer systemboards). If they cannot provide it, then tell them that you need to return the systemboard because you cannot use it without the password. Find another parts source.

You may be a legitimate repair center, but unless you are an Authorized Toshiba Service Center, Toshiba is not going to share the magic of their reset tool. And this is one repair you won't be able to accomplish.

Sorry.

Some Toshiba notebooks allow to bypass BIOS by inserting a "key-disk" in the floppy drive while booting. To create a Toshiba Key-disk, format a floppy, then use a hex editor (Like Hex Workshop) to change the first 5 bytes of the second sector (right after the boot sector) to: 4B 45 59 00 00.
Once you have created the key-disk, put it into the notebook's drive and turn it on, then push the reset button and when asked for password, press enter. You will be asked to SET Password again. Press Y and enter. You'll enter the bios configuration where you can set a new password.

If the Toshiba cable works the way I believe it does, getting the pinout would be of no help.

What I am sure they have is a protected programmed logic chip inside the cable that tells the BIOS that it is okay to reset the password.

Many software companies still use similar 'hardware' keys to prevent users from running the software on more than the authorized number of systems.

Even if you had a cable, and could identify all the components, without the software code for the logic IC it would be useless.

Chas

Hi yes it is a dongle and it does not work on all toshibas or the one that is posted on the net does not, I am also in a 3rd party repair company and have found the dongle with pinouts on the net don't ask me where I can not remember.

Rich