After upgrading aspire v3-571g UEFI, I can't access settings

dryopithecus
dryopithecus Member Posts: 4 New User
edited March 2023 in 2014 Archives

After the upgrade to the current UEFI firmware, when I try to access to settings the BIOS ask me for a password. I'm absolutely sure I have not set any password (I hate BIOS passwords). Now I need to start from a USB pendrive and I can't change the startup sequence. Any ideas? Thank you very much.

 

EDITED: I've read the post about how Acer can help on lost or forgotten passwords("there are very few if no options available from the end user side"), but in this case I've not created any password, as I said

Best Answer

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,477 Trailblazer
    Answer ✓

    If it were mine, I'd remove the battery and back cover. Locate the CMOS coin cell. There should be a nearby jumper to clear the bios password memory and reset to defaults. If you can't locate the jumper, try to remove the coin cell for a few hours.

     

    Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

Answers

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,477 Trailblazer

    Since you're "absolutely sure", have you simply tried to press the enter key when asked for the password?

     

    Jack E/NJ 

    Jack E/NJ

  • dryopithecus
    dryopithecus Member Posts: 4 New User

    Yes, of course. It was my first choice. Later, I tried the escape key. In both cases, no results. I've tried too the F12 key to enter directly in the boot sequence, even knowing that if the BIOS didn't let me enter in the main settings, surely neither in the boot sequence. In this case, simply ignored the key. I supose this option is disabled.

     

    And yes, I'm perfectly aware that "absolutely sure" can seem a subterfuge for no accepting I've lost or forgotten the password. But this is not the case. I know that creating a BIOS password is playing with fire and I've always avoided it. I use to test different OS in my computer with USB pendrives, and use to test recovery tools this way, too, so the last thing I'd like to do is putting myself in trouble. Besides, the Aspire is my home computer and the other only person at home is a six months child, so I don't need any password (and the child can not even walk yet, less change BIOS settings...).

     

    Thank you for your answer and forgive my bad english. I'm catalan and english is my third language. I hope it to be understandable, at least.

     

    PS: If it can help, before the upgrading the first item in the boot sequence was the USB option. Now is the harddisk. CD's don't work either, so.

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,477 Trailblazer
    Answer ✓

    If it were mine, I'd remove the battery and back cover. Locate the CMOS coin cell. There should be a nearby jumper to clear the bios password memory and reset to defaults. If you can't locate the jumper, try to remove the coin cell for a few hours.

     

    Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • dryopithecus
    dryopithecus Member Posts: 4 New User

    That's the usual solution I've found in the Internet, but scaries me to the death, because I'm no a hardware wizard at all. Besides, I had to fight a complete week finding the right UEFI settings for a usable dual boot system (Win8 and Linux Mint): disable secure boot, etc. It was a nightmare. Well, it seems I'll have to try it, of course after a backup. All this setings will be lost, too? Or only the password?

     

    Incidentally, after getting all right, Win8 erased twice my MBR (even without Internet connection!!), letting me without accessing Linux, and I had to restore it USB way. That's another reason to need changing the boot sequence.

     

    Thank you very much for your fast responses. Even more, on Sunday :-)

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,477 Trailblazer

    >>>All this setings will be lost, too? >>>

     

    Yes. They will be re-set to factory default. But before removing the entire cover, you might want to first check inside the memory module compartment for the bios jumper.

     

    After you get this password problem resolved, you might want to consider a virtual Linux. As I've indicated to others who've run into multiboot problems, I've been quite satisfied with running a SuSE version, Win98SE, WinXP as virtuals under one of VMWare's freeware players on my AO722. In fact, I can run and share them all at the same time through the network. My Linux stuff and some of my older WinDOS software and hardware that won't run correctly or at all in one of the newer Win environments, will run just fine inside a virtual. 

     

    Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • dryopithecus
    dryopithecus Member Posts: 4 New User

    A very good suggestion, but I only need to switch to Windows a day per month, for running only one program without Linux alternative, because my job. I run Linux since the '80s (Slackware with 16 floppies to install, a lot ok kernel compiling ;-) ) and suits perfectly my needs without need of any Windows program until now, so running it as a virtual OS under Windows has little sense. It would be like going back to the Stone Age again. I'll try your CMOS solution and try to redo the right BIOS settings, crossing my fingers.

     

    Thank you!

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,477 Trailblazer

    One more very unlikely idea I just thought of before you start tearing things apart. I once encountered a desktop bios that had apparently "burped" during a boot at some point in time. When the owner had a reason to make a boot-order change, he discovered that the bios now asked for a password when it never had done so before. Like you, he said the bios had never been set for a password. He also never tried to flash it. It apparently had decided to create a password all on its own. So we tried various company-specific and generic backdoor defaults without success. Having a soldered-in button, and no obvious bios MB jumpers, I was extremely reluctant to try to remove the cell or shorting it out. So on a whim, I entered the space character as a password with the ALT + numeric 255 code. And that in fact was the password that it had apparently created all by itself. Rather than tempt fate, we didn't try to change or remove the ALT 255 password. You may want to try it. And maybe a few other ALT + numeric codes that strikes your fancy. You might win a super lottery someday too! 8^)

     

    Good luck

     

    Jack E/NJ      

    Jack E/NJ