Password Protected Booting - JDR Microsolutions GateKeeper - RESET PASSWORD!

[DaCiRo]

Few weeks ago I came across a JDR Microdevices GateKeeper card (8bit ISA). This cards allows you to set a booting password right after the RAM checksum.
The problem that I have is that after installing the card right at the time when I was setting my security password my computer froze!!! Now I am not able to know how far went into setting the password before it froze, and I can't get the card to boot my PC unless I find a way to reset the password. I tried replicating my last steps many times and I am not able to get the password that I set,...I think I must have also made a type in the process of setting up the password...

In the manual it indicates that if I lock my self out ( forget the password) and I need to reset the password I need to call JDR Microdevices, (last page of the manual picture I attached)... I did call them and they were quickly at replying that could not be of any help so Ia m turning into the Forum in the search for collecting wisdom.

Welcoming any ideas on how to reset the password (Clear it up) on these cards
Added pictures of the card and the manual

 

[kb2syd]

So let me get some clarification. Will the computer boot with the card removed? Are you prompted for your password when the computer starts when the card is installed?

I would try pulling the EEPROM and seeing what contents were in there. My guess is the password or at least a password hash will be present.

 

[glitch]

Wow, what a neat little card! It looks like it has an EEPROM, so I'm betting it writes the password into the EEPROM after you set it. You may be able to do a ROM dump, display it in ASCII, and see if you can locate part of the password.

 

[DaCiRo]

Yes, The computer boots up as it should without this card. It is only when the card it is installed that it requires the password to allow the normal booting sequence to continue.
The entry password screen comes right after the RAM check.
I can remove the EEPROM but ...how do I look at the ROM content inside. I guess i need an EEPROM reader of some sort?

 

[DaCiRo]

something like this?... If you have any further advice please feel free to share

 

[retrogear]

Just thinking out loud ...

A card which provides security but can be bypassed by simply removing the card implies that the computer case must be locked inhibiting access to the card.
Therefore, a means of resetting the password could also be available by simply gaining access to the card itself. How else would JDR provide a solution to a customer
resetting their password other than mailing the card to the company? I'm betting that jumpering something on the card and powering on would get to a prompt
to set a new password. There are 2 resistors sitting suspiciously accessible on the card. Obviously the reset solution would not be labeled on the card but the resistors
are silk screened in such a way that a customer could be instructed what to do on the phone. Hmmm .......

Larry G

 

[DaCiRo]

That's a good point.
What would be your best guess on what would JDR tell the customer to do. I can confirm that in the box nothing else but the card and the manual was provided, so I guess the way to rest the password must not be to complicated, might be in plain sight...yet I do not see it. Maybe is a master password?

I switched the chips GK-01 with GK-02 just to try an see.... but the computer would not boot at all doing so.

 

[retrogear]

It could also be setting a certain sequence on the dip switches. What ever is done would be w/o power and then power on.
I would guess try SW1-SW4 all OFF since that is undefined in the table. Not sure about 5 and 6 since all are defined and maybe they don't matter or all 1 through 6 OFF ?
Definitely try 1 to 4 all OFF and other combinations of 5 and 6

PS - sorry, missed the fact there are 8 switches

 

[kb2syd]

My guess is that it is a special key combination that bypasses the Supervisor password, or there is a super, super user setting. Like if you type in Xyzzy or some other obscure key sequence. I wouldn't go randomly swapping and shorting things. I don't know if the device you posted above would work since I have no idea what it does. You should try to find a device that says it is compatible with a 28C16 and read the contents.

 

[Stone]

Have you tries switches 7 & 8 yet? They're the ones you're not supposed to change.

 

[Chuck(G)]

Just thinking out loud ...

A card which provides security but can be bypassed by simply removing the card implies that the computer case must be locked inhibiting access to the card.
Therefore, a means of resetting the password could also be available by simply gaining access to the card itself. How else would JDR provide a solution to a customer
resetting their password other than mailing the card to the company? I'm betting that jumpering something on the card and powering on would get to a prompt
to set a new password. There are 2 resistors sitting suspiciously accessible on the card. Obviously the reset solution would not be labeled on the card but the resistors
are silk screened in such a way that a customer could be instructed what to do on the phone. Hmmm .......

Those two resistors are a voltage divider for the Intersil 8211CPA programmable voltage detector--I suspect that they have something to do with the on-board programming of the 28C16 EEPROM.

I suspect that JDR may have had a master password of some sort or that there's magic in the settings of switches 7 and 8. At any rate, if you have an EPROM programmer, you could certainly pull the 28C16 and save the contents, then start your tinkering.

If I didn't have a EPROM programmer handy, you might do a little hacking and bend pin 27 of the EPROM out from its socket, boot the system, then reconnect pin 27 to the socket with the system booted and use DEBUG to copy the EPROM contents from the memory area that you've configured the card for.

 

[retrogear]

yes leave the resistors alone. I missed the fact about secret switches 7 and 8. play with those ...

 

[DaCiRo]

Hi.
It has been a long day, and a rather disappointing one too. Not sure though but I thing the board is dead. I moved both switches 7 and 8 to OFF and then alternate ON/OFF between them in different power up cycles; (7-ON, 8-OFF), (7-OFF, 8-ON) .....after that the board never booted anymore.

> I tried every BIOS Memory and I/O combination listed in the manual and made no change.
> Moved the board to all 8 ISA slots and made no difference.
> Removed all the cards and left only the Gatekeeper card and the Video card = No booting either.
> Though the BIOS of the Video card (ATI) might be the problem so I tested the GateKeeper with an OTIVGA and a HeardLand VGA = No booting.
>....Removed the the GK-01, 02, and 03, one chip at a time. Note: Yesterday by doing the same thing (removing the GK-01 chip) the computer would not boot at all, today it booted straight into BASIC, by-passing the BIOS of the GateKeeper card.
....so it seems is it defunct! Kind of self-destructed itself or I managed to screw it up... quite possible because for some reason the XT BIOS ROM (62X0890-U19) also stopped working seems it is dead too!. I had to pull the BIOS ROM from my other XT PC to keep it running.

I am considering to buy the EEPROM device however these are not cheap at all ($80~$100), so if anyone wants to tinker with this card a bit and see it it can be fixed It would be greatly appreciative for the help, I will gladly ship it over.
Also...any idea where I can get me a new ROM for my XT (05/09/86 version 62X0890-U19) and do I need the matching U19 BIOS ROM or can these be from different years?.

Need to catch up with sleep....

 

[retrogear]

Wow sorry about that. I sure wouldn't think that changing dip switch settings would actually damage anything. The fact that your computer initially froze when trying to use the card indicates some kind of conflict or
problem already existed. I also have a hard time believing that a bios chip would suddenly fail like that. You may have an intermittent problem presenting itself as you work on it. My advice would be after your good nights sleep,
BEFORE you power the pc back on, put all cards back you had initially but leave out the JDR, put back the original ROM chip properly seated and try powering on again. Do you have a speaker connected? Good for listening for POST error codes. If it doesn't boot, try pressing in on the other socketed chips on your motherboard and try to boot again. If it boots, power off but WAIT a few minutes to insert your JDR card. Make sure all chips are properly seated in the correct sockets on the JDR and the switches to their initial settings then insert and try to boot. Whatever sequence you decide to test with, bear in mind that after switching off the power switch it takes time for all the DC power to actually discharge. Don't immediately change cards, chips, etc without waiting a few minutes. I know I become anxious and try to rapidly make changes to get it functioning again. I'm hoping after an overnight discharge that things will be as they were. Good luck.

Larry G

 

[modem7]

Wow sorry about that. I sure wouldn't think that changing dip switch settings would actually damage anything.

Me too. It's what I would have tried.

... quite possible because for some reason the XT BIOS ROM (62X0890-U19) also stopped working seems it is dead too!. I had to pull the BIOS ROM from my other XT PC to keep it running.

Also...any idea where I can get me a new ROM for my XT (05/09/86 version 62X0890-U19) ...

Are you seeking a genuine IBM-supplied ROM, or will a copy do?

If the latter, one of the providers at [here] can help. You would point them to the U19 image located in the 05/09/86 file at [here].

... and do I need the matching U19 BIOS ROM or can these be from different years?.

I do not think that anyone has tried cross-versioning U18 and U19. Even if they did, and things appeared to work, there would be the possibility of a subtle incompatibility between U18 code and U19 code.
Best to stay with a matching U18/U19 set.

 

[DaCiRo]

Thanks Retrogear,
You are right, something is wrong in my system +I am also not doing somethings right which explains the multiple failures that I am facing.
Will follow the steps that you mentioned and let you know. BTW, Is is actually possible that a BIOS ROM goes blank?. The other things I recently did was before the BIOS failure was to plug in an Intel InBoard 386 (which seems to work fine, but have not fully configured yet) and an 8bit high density controller (which I am not able to make work fully, will make a separate post on this).
When plugging these cards and the JDR that's when the BIOS seems to have gone bad (will confirm after redoing the steps mentioned above if it really has gone bad or not)

Hi Modem7,
I would be looking for both, the original and the spare non original ROMS (BIOS and BASIC imaged EPROMS),....as spares.
As for the original I found around some Motorola versions (Are these just as good as the AMI ones?).

 

[modem7]

As for the original I found around some Motorola versions (Are these just as good as the AMI ones?).

Motorola versus AMI Semiconductor? I do not know.

 

[DaCiRo]

Partial Good News!.
Followed Retrogear advice and the BIOS ROM is working (Thanks!), so back to normal in that department.
The JDR card however remains unresponsive. Continues being by-passed in both IBM XT systems; the one with the 82's BIOS and in the one with the recently recovered 86's BIOS. I did not go as far testing it in all ISA slots (just tried in a couple ISA in each PC) and all switches' setting as I am running hopeless.
Not sure what to do with this card.... Unless anyone wants to test it out and see I think I am going to park it in a bottom drawer.

 

[DaCiRo]

I am still interested tough in getting spare 86's BIOS/BASIC ROMs..... just in case I run into the same problem in the future.

 

[retrogear]

Yes adding other cards in addition to the JDR can definitely cause problems with bios address and port conflicts. I'm not familiar with those cards but you would need info on them to be able
to address the JDR to avoid conflict. That card fascinates me since part of my real job is data security. That card represents the field in it's early stages. My early years were hacking Apple II copy protection
just to prove it could be done. I was such a rebel ...