PC refuses to boot. Opened case, replaced CMOS battery. No change. Cleared CMOS using the dedicated jumper. No change. Is the motherboard damaged?

removing cmos battery doesnt work no matter how long you leave cmos battery out been there done that , you have to locate cmos jumper on motherboard , remove main battery & memory cards , peel back clearish foil on motherboard near where memory cards install , should see jumper points on motherboard , take bread tie touch jumper contact leave main battery out stand up like book plug in power adapter , and turn on only until boot screen then shut-off , install memory card , remove jumper and try starting laptop , if it hasnt cleared password , remove memory cards and try jumping it again

When you boot up to the log in screen type in administrator as user to log in if you cant log in

during the boot up process you will see on the screen for a short amount of time press a certain key to enter set up

Press and hold that key during the boot up process to enter BIOS scroll down to set user password or supervisor password you can change or remove your password from there

also

The most common way that most of us know on how to reset or clear the BIOS password is to physically remove the power from the computer by disconnecting the power plug and then removing a battery for 30 minutes from the motherboard. Another way is to reset the clear CMOS jumper on the motherboard itself. Both of the 2 methods mentioned works because most motherboards use a battery to sustain the BIOS/CMOS settings for the motherboards PROM chip. So by cutting off the battery power, the BIOS/CMOS settings will be erased.
hope this helps dont forget to vote!

Answer: If you encounter a password prompt at boot or the BIOS / CMOS setup is locked as shown below and you do not know the password you will need to clear the BIOS password using the suggestions listed below.

Generic BIOS / CMOS passwords

Try using generic CMOS passwords. A complete listing of these passwords can be found on document CH000451.
Use a BIOS password utility

There are utilities designed to help bypass CMOS passwords. An example of a great utility to decrypt / bypass BIOS passwords is the PC BIOS Security and Maintenance toolkit, which is available by clicking here.
Clear using jumper (recommended)

Precaution: When inside the computer please be sure you're aware of the potential damage that can be caused by ESD.

On the computer motherboard locate the BIOS clear / password jumper or dipswitch and change its position. This jumper is often labeled CLEAR, CLEAR CMOS, JCMOS1, CLR, CLRPWD, PASSWD, PASSWORD, PSWD or PWD as shown in the picture to the right. To change the jumper simply remove it from the two pins its currently on so that it covers the pin that is not covered. For example, in the picture to the right pins 1 and 2 are covered, you'd remove the jumper and put it on pins 2 and 3.

Once this jumper has been changed, turn on the computer and the password should be cleared. Once cleared, turn the computer off and return the jumper or dipswitch to its original position.

The location of the jumpers or dipswitches are dependent on the manufacturer of the computer and motherboard. However, below are some general ideas on where to find it. Remember that most motherboards could have dozens of different jumpers, make sure you're changing the CMOS jumper and not something else. If these general suggestions do not help refer to your motherboard / computer documentation or skip to the next step.

1. On the edge of the motherboard - Most jumpers are located on the side of the motherboard for easy accessibility, verify by looking at all visible edges of the motherboard.
2. By the CMOS battery - Some manufactures will place the jumper to clear the CMOS / BIOS password by the actual CMOS battery.
3. By the processor - Some manufactures will place the jumpers by the processor of the computer.
4. Under the keyboard or bottom of laptop - If you are working on a laptop computer the location of the dipswitch (almost never a jumper) can be under the keyboard or on the bottom of the laptop in a compartment such as the memory compartment.
5. Other visible location - While it is possible that the jumpers / dipswitches may not be in a visible location, most manufactures try to make things easier by placing the jumpers / dipswitches in another visible location.

Remove CMOS battery

Removing the CMOS battery like the one shown in the picture to the right will cause the system to loose all CMOS settings including the password. To do this locate and remove the CMOS battery on the motherboard for at least five-minutes. After this has been done put the battery back into the computer and turn it back on.
Jump the CMOS solder beads

Older computers and especially older laptops don't have jumpers or dipswitches and require the user to jump a pair of solder beads on a circuit board. The identification and location of these solder beads can vary and if not available in computer documentation is only obtainable through the computer manufacturer.

If you've identified the solder beads they can be jumped by placing a flat-head screwdriver over the two beads and leaving it on those beads while turning on the computer. Once the computer has booted turn off the computer and then remove the screwdriver.

PLEASE ACCEPTT

Not only the chip inside the motherboard can do it. All you have to do to DISABLE Jumper Setting near by Lithium CR2032 Battery or else in the motherboard by removing in a second (10 secs.) Then put back again and the BIOS were back into default setting.
Good luck!

Question: How to clear an unknown BIOS password.
Answer: If you have mistakenly forgot or lost your BIOS password or you receive a password at boot that you do not know, you will need to clear the BIOS password by one of the below methods.
Precaution: When inside the computer please be sure of the potential of ESD.

• Try using generic BIOS passwords. A complete listing of these passwords can be found on document CH000451.
• There are utilities designed to help bypass BIOS passwords. An example of a great utility to decrypt / bypass BIOS passwords is the PC BIOS Security and Maintenance toolkit, which is available by clicking here.
• On the computer motherboard locate the BIOS clear / password jumper or dipswitch and change its position. Once this jumper has been changed, turn on the computer and the password should be cleared. Once cleared, turn the computer off and return the jumper or dipswitch to its original position.

The location of the jumpers or dipswitches may vary; however, here are general locations where these jumpers / dipswitch may be located.

1. On the edge of the motherboard - Most jumpers are located on the side of the motherboard for easy accessibility, verify by looking at all visible edges of the motherboard.
2. By the CMOS battery - Some manufactures will place the jumper to clear the CMOS / BIOS password by the actual CMOS battery.
3. By the processor - Some manufactures will place the jumpers by the processor of the computer. However, note that in some cases these jumpers will be to change the processor and not the password.
4. Under the keyboard or bottom of laptop - If you are working on a laptop computer the location of the dipswitch (almost never a jumper) can be under the keyboard or on the bottom of the laptop in a compartment such as the memory compartment.
5. Other visible location - While it is possible that the jumpers / dipswitches may not be in a visible location, most manufactures try to make things easier by placing the jumpers / dipswitches in another visible location.

Additionally, when looking for the jumper / dipswitch the label of that switch can be anything; however, in most cases will be labeled CLEAR - CLEAR CMOS - JCMOS1 - CLR - CLRPWD - PASSWD - PASSWORD - PWD.

• On the computer motherboard locate and remove the CMOS battery for at least 10 minutes allowing the computer to lose its information. Note: this will not work on all computers.
• If your manufacturer has a bypass password this can be entered and allow you access to the BIOS and/or computer. Because of the security risk of a bypass password, generally only older computers will have this option. In addition, it is likely that this information will only be able to be obtained from the computer, motherboard or BIOS manufacturer.
• On the computer motherboard locate the CMOS solder beads and jump the solder beads to clear the password. The identification and location of these solder beads can vary and if not available in computer documentation is generally only obtainable through the computer manufacturer.

If one of the above solutions do not clear the password or you are unable to locate the jumpers or solder beads, it is recommended you contact the computer manufacturer or motherboard manufacturer for the steps on clearing the computer password.

Hello there :
if you first shut down the computer and remove the side panel and get to the cmos battery and remove it for 5 min than replace the battery and reboot the computer this will bypass the cmos password. than just go into bios and set your own password ok?
best regards mike

This information is intended for experienced users. It is not intended for basic users, hackers, or computer thieves. Please do not try any of following procedures if you are not familiar with computer hardware. I'll not be responsible for the use or misuse of this information, including personal injury, loss of data or hardware damage. So use it at your own risk.
A. By Using the Motherboard Jumper:
In most motherboards CMOS battery is soldered, which makes it difficult to remove the battery. In this case we use another method.
Almost all motherboards contain a jumper that can clear all CMOS settings along with the BIOS password. The location of this jumper varies depending upon the motherboard brand. You should read your motherboard manual to check its location. If you don't have the manual then look for the jumpers near the CMOS battery. Most of the manufacturer label the jumper as CLR, CLEAR, CLEAR CMOS, etc.
When you find the jumper, look carefully. There will be 3 pins and the jumper will be joining the center pin to either left or right pin. What you need to do, is remove the jumper and join the center pin to the opposite pin. e.g. if the jumper joins center pin to left pin, then remove it and join center pin to right pin. Now wait for a few seconds and then again remove the jumper and join the center pin to left pin.
Make sure to turn the PC off before opening the cabinet and resetting the jumper.

B. By Using Software:

I have found that BIOS/CMOS Password Recovery Tool is the most effective.:
BIOS/CMOS Password Recovery Tool is a program that works instantly to remove any lost or forgotten BIOS/CMOS password. Simply boot your PC to DOS and execute the program, and get access to forgotten BIOS/CMOS passwords in just seconds
BIOS/CMOS Password Recovery Tool Service: http://www.biospasswordrecovery.com/

Did you make sure that the new RAM was compatible with the motherboard? ...?

Some RAM manufacturers are not compatible with certain motherboard manufacturers....

if you are getting password in the booting of the pc then it is bios password plz check the link
http://www.tech-faq.com/reset-bios-password.shtml
if it is not then try to boot in the safe mode and change the password

Hi, To access or enter motherboard BIOS settings, on powerup either F2 or Del. If you just want to remove the password in your Dell Optiplex > The BIOS password may be cleared by removing the password jumper (PSWD) on the motherboard. This will also clear all CMOS settings: Open your casing, on your motherboard. find the CMOS password reset jumper (3-pin) on the motherboard; Remove the jumper from pins 1 and 2 and put it on pins 2 and 3 for about 5 seconds. Replace back the jumper on pins 1 and 2. Hope this be of help/idea. Good luck and kind regards.