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IBM PS/2 password protection

F

Floppies_only

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2008
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Location
Washington, United States of America
Gang,

I'm contemplating the purchase of a PS/2 system and have just learned that at least some models have password protection built in. The seller is the typical performer of stupid ebay tricks and knows nothing about what he's selling so I'm sure I won't be able to get the password from him. Is there a way to defeat the password protection such as an option to low-level format the drive and then reset it offered by the reference disk? Also, the model is a 57 SLC and the CMOS battery is dead. Is it neccessary to have a floppy disk reference/utilities disk to configure the system, or can the BIOS handle that on it's own?

Another question is what type of monitor is used by this system?

Many thanks in advance - if I can get this one going I can balance my checkbook, write my book, and win at solitare consistantly all while getting that trickle of endorphins that comes from seeing Big Blue's logo as I work :)

Sean
 
Floppies_only said:
...I'm contemplating the purchase of a PS/2 system and have just learned that at least some models have password protection built in. The seller is the typical performer of stupid ebay tricks and knows nothing about what he's selling so I'm sure I won't be able to get the password from him. Is there a way to defeat the password protection such as an option to low-level format the drive and then reset it offered by the reference disk? Also, the model is a 57 SLC and the CMOS battery is dead. Is it neccessary to have a floppy disk reference/utilities disk to configure the system, or can the BIOS handle that on it's own?...
Click to expand...

Depending on the PS/2 model, there are different ways to clear password protection (if even present). For the later models like what you are getting, it has a standard "coin" cell battery like almost all modern PCs. Pull the battery, password gets removed (along with the configuration).

The 8557 should be able to have a "Convenience Partition" to configure it, but you can also run it from diskette: http://www.ibmmuseum.com/OhlandL/8557/8557SX-Planar.html. You planar will be identical, except with an IBM 386SLC-20 instead of the 386SX-20.
 
modem7 said:
The 'IBM Personal System/2 - Hardware Maintenance Manual - October 1994' manual contains password removal procedures for many PS/2 models.
The specific pages are the ones starting page 376 (document page number, not PDF page number).
The manual is at http://www.ibmmuseum.com/ohlandl/books/ps2-hmm.pdf
Click to expand...

Awesome. If you don't mind, I'd like to put that on a flash drive for future reference?

Sean
 
This thread reminds me of a time when PS/2's were new and we had just got some in our office. I shared an office with a gal and she forgot her pw to access her Model 70. I asked her for the key so we could open the case to reset the pw but she couldn't find the key. A buddy of mine was there and he promptly pulled out a slender screwdriver and stuck it thru the side ventilation slots and was able to short the pins on the mobo to reset the pw. You cannot believe the way this gal carried on about what a genius my buddy was and how he saved her. If she wasn't already married I'm pretty sure she would have professed her love for him and offered to have his children. This story comes up now and then between my buddy and I about how this gal thought he was such a genius for that. My buddy always reminds me that I was the one that taught him that trick in the first place!

At any rate, at least some models of PS/2's had the pw reset pins close enough to the ventilation slots so they could be reached with something like a slender screwdriver. This always struck me as a poor design since the pw could be reset so easily.
 
strollin said:
My buddy always reminds me that I was the one that taught him that trick in the first place!

At any rate, at least some models of PS/2's had the pw reset pins close enough to the ventilation slots so they could be reached with something like a slender screwdriver. This always struck me as a poor design since the pw could be reset so easily.
Click to expand...

Your buddy should have told her that he learned it from you. You are correct, that is a bad design. You'd think IBM would get stuff like that right.

Sean
 
Floppies_only said:
Your buddy should have told her that he learned it from you. You are correct, that is a bad design. You'd think IBM would get stuff like that right.

Sean
Click to expand...

Believe me, this was not the kind of gal that either of us wanted throwing herself at us! My buddy did me a favor by not telling her.
 
modem7 said:
I have no affiliation with www.ibmmuseum.com
Click to expand...

Well, why not? :)

The OP is fine to save away the reference...

To bring everyone up to speed, the (very undeveloped otherwise) domain is mine, and I have set aside space for Louis Ohland to use for what he and others (almost all on the comp.sys.ibm.ps2.hardware newsgroup) have done in documenting mostly IBM systems...

One of these days I´ll have the ability to put up more of my own content, and won´t just have the occassional quote on Louis´s pages...
 
Micom 2000 said:
Ahh. A hardcore PS/2 Mafia member. I imagine Louis is now the DON. (Strains of an Italian melody waft in the background). Scary people, but nice. Really, really. :^)
Click to expand...

I think Louis refers to himself more as the ¨God Emperor of Microchannel¨ (you have to know the guy to understand). Peter Wendt is still around too, so probably has the title of ¨Don¨. If anyone wants to know more, they´ll just have to study CSIPH postings (Google Groups is about the only way) of the last ten years.
 
Ah so now he's alligning himself with the Fremen of Dune. Always did to seem to have a bit sardonic view of reality. Definitely enjoyable posts tho. I haven't been on the newsgroups (specificly the the PS/2 Mecca) for years. I was under the impression that Peter had been ill and no longer playing his pivotal role. He's definitely the "godfather".

The Comp.IBM.PS/2 was my biblical source for many years and is the definitive source of info on the PS/2.

Lawrence
 
Micom 2000 said:
Ah so now he's alligning himself with the Fremen of Dune...
Click to expand...

Not that it would be a bad thing, Bi-La Kaifa!...

Plots within plots within plots...

Micom 2000 said:
...I was under the impression that Peter had been ill and no longer playing his pivotal role. He's definitely the "godfather"...
Click to expand...

It isn't Peter himself that is ill, but a family member...
 
Its called spam. You can report it just by clicking the little black triangle with the exclamation point and typing in spam (found at the botton of each post to the right of the "Blog this Post").
 
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