5 Posts
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2537
Inspiron 3252, Issues with BIOS/CMOS Settings
I recently tried to install a BIOS update for my computer and but it would not let me install it. It required me to input an 'admin password' to validate the start of the BIOS installation. Problem is that it is asking for the BIOS admin password, not the system administrator password (Which would be my Microsoft password). So I investigate further on my own by going to the dell boot menu, which has all my BIOS settings. I soon realize that all my BIOS settings are locked by the admin password under the security tab. I tried a few of my passwords but none of them worked. After 3 tries it says "Admin password attempts failed 3 times. Contact Dell to recover the password with the error code above." 2 big problems with this. First of all, there is no error code displayed. Secondly, after exiting the BIOS menu, my login screen displays no text field for me to put my password in. It only shows the network icon, ease of access icon, and the shutdown icon in the corner of my screen. I assume this means my system is locked because the BIOS locked down my system. Is there any way to clear the BIOS admin password and release the system lockdown? Any help would be gladly appreciated and feel free to ask me questions about what I have done so far.
Lanwor
5 Posts
0
October 22nd, 2019 14:00
I actually bypassed the BIOS admin password by leaving the password jumper on pins 1-2. I left them in that position and turned on my computer and went into the BIOS menu. I was able to reset all BIOS settings back to their defaults thus removing the BIOS admin password. But I still have the problem of having no place to enter my password for my local computer account. So I'm not sure why I can't log in to my normal account anymore. However, I can get the password field to appear when I enter a safe boot. I am able to log in through a safe boot for some reason but this is a problem because you can't do squat in safe mode.
Lanwor
5 Posts
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October 22nd, 2019 17:00
I fixed the login issue by restarting in safe mode. I changed the boot mode to 'normal' in msconfig.exe and everything is well after I restarted. Thanks for all the help!
Lanwor
5 Posts
0
October 21st, 2019 19:00
Every time I did the jumper reset or the battery reset and turned on my computer it would say "CMOS checksum error". So I can't seem to clear the BIOS settings for some reason.
JOcean
7 Technologist
7 Technologist
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12K Posts
1
October 21st, 2019 19:00
Have you tried clearing the BIOS? You can do that with the jumper on the MB or by pulling the CMOS battery.
https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/04/sln284985/how-to-perform-a-bios-or-cmos-reset-and-or-clear-the-nvram-on-your-dell-system?lang=en
RoHe
10 Elder
10 Elder
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43.6K Posts
2
October 22nd, 2019 12:00
After you removed the motherboard battery, did you press/hold the power button on front of PC for ~30 sec, with PC unplugged from the wall?
Then reinstall the battery (and this may be a good time for a fresh battery).
RoHe
10 Elder
10 Elder
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43.6K Posts
1
October 22nd, 2019 15:00
But did you put that jumper back to its original position after you reset BIOS? You probably need to do that.
And are you sure the default BIOS settings are correct for your specific hardware?
RoHe
10 Elder
10 Elder
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43.6K Posts
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October 22nd, 2019 17:00
Never mind...I didn't see your last post until I posted a response here.
Glad you got it sorted...
Lanwor
5 Posts
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October 22nd, 2019 17:00
I put the jumper back to the original position after restoring default BIOS settings. Still, don't have a password field for windows login. I also successfully installed my BIOS update from Dell.