Installing Arch outside of a PC

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FatDroid

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I've just got a used ThinkPad, but it has a supervisor password set in the Bios that I can find no way of removing. I got it used from a PC shop local to me, there's nothing wrong with it at all aside from a few minor scratches on the outside of the shell and its quick enough to do pretty much anything I want to do on a laptop, so I can live with a password that has no effect on usage.

However I really didn't want Windows at all so I've removed that and I'm running Mint Cinnamon, I cannot install Arch as it has got secure boot enabled, and that's where the bios level supervisor password comes into it. Because of this password I cannot disable Secure boot, which means no Arch on here - at least as far as running arch install from USB through this PC.

Either this weekend or next I'll get a bigger SSD to throw in this...
Am I right in thinking that I could simply plug the new drive into my desktop, install Arch on the drive there, and then put that into this laptop? The only things I can think of that might be an issue doing it like that is how any kernel drivers - if they're even a thing - would communicate with the desktop hardware, and how they would then communicate with the laptop hardware.
Surely, it cant be impossible to do this but on the other hand Im not 100% expecting it to be as simple as I think it will be.

Thanks for reading.
 


If you remove the cmos better from the motherboard with the plug disconnect and discharge it for 30 seconds or so the BIOS should reset so also the BIOS password. Or is this Thinkpad a laptop? Also most desktop and laptops have a key which if you press you get a menu off of which device you want to boot, for my system that is F12 on your system it's probably a different key but it should allow you to boot from usb unless that option asks you for a password as well.
 
FatDroid said:
I've just got a used ThinkPad, but it has a supervisor password set in the Bios t
Click to expand...
You could try and purge the BIOS, make sure you have nothing connected to it, switch on when you get a screen, press and hold the power button down for 60 seconds. release and try a re-boot
 
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f33dm3bits said:
If you remove the cmos better from the motherboard with the plug disconnect and discharge it for 30 seconds or so the BIOS should reset so also the BIOS password. Or is this Thinkpad a laptop? Also most desktop and laptops have a key which if you press you get a menu off of which device you want to boot, for my system that is F12 on your system it's probably a different key but it should allow you to boot from usb unless that option asks you for a password as well.
Click to expand...
Hi, yeah the ThinkPad is a laptop, Ive found the key to access the screen that gives multiple boot devices, its how I got Mint installed in the first place coming from Windows.
Ive had the Cmos battery out along with the main battery too and left it in pieces for an hour before putting it back together again and all that did was reset the Bios time.
I didnt even know at that point that resetting the time in the OS would reset the time on the board, and I had this awful feeling that it would never have the correct bios time again, as even that is locked behind the supervisor password haha.
 
Did you try holding the power button down while the power cord was disconnected to discharge the entire laptop?
 
f33dm3bits said:
Did you try holding the power button down while the power cord was disconnected to discharge the entire laptop?
Click to expand...
No, I know that you should do this to discharge electrical things in general, but I assumed that leaving it with no form of battery connected at all for so long would do the trick.

I'll try this a bit later on, I need this laptop at the minute but Ill give it a go tomorrow. What a moron I will feel should this work.
 
xlbooyahlx said:
Double posted
Click to expand...
This is not double posted, the first post is asking how I can remove a supervisor password from the Bios & this is asking if I can install Arch on a new drive before I put it in the system, this is the way I'd have to do it because there is a supervisor password
 
FatDroid said:
This is not double posted, the first post is asking how I can remove a supervisor password from the Bios & this is asking if I can install Arch on a new drive before I put it in the system, this is the way I'd have to do it because there is a supervisor password
Click to expand...
:rolleyes:
 
FatDroid said:
Thanks for the link! Unfortunately for me I've read this article along with half a million others and the battery removal/backdoor password methods don't work for this particular model, and I really don't want to short the board out either - its just my luck thas something will go wrong or I'll slip and impale the entire board haha
Click to expand...
Maybe you can contact Lenovo and ask them?
 
Now this is totally disheartening, I don't know what your model is, but this is Lenovo's answer to the same question
""
2020-02-04 01:31:20

Re: Thinkpad T590 Bios Password Reset?​

Hi,

You're not going to like this but I'm sure you've already figured this out by the many similar posts in the forum: your options are to get the password(s) from the previous owner or replace the motherboards.
Discussion of defeating security measures is not permitted, so I'm locking this thread.
Good luck to you,""

I think the last line is rather patronising from an international company
 
f33dm3bits said:
Maybe you can contact Lenovo and ask them?
Click to expand...
Its starting to look like my only option, I'm not holding much hope for much from them as their website states that they don't do this plus its out of warranty, but of course I wont know until I try.
I'll send off an email, and see what gets said. whenever I get a response I'll update this thread and then if anybody else happens to be looking for the same if they come across this it might be of some help to them.
 
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Brickwizard said:
OK had a bit of a dig round, and mat have found a way out. Depending on if the bios has a backdoor.

How to Unlock BIOS (UEFI) Password on Lenovo ThinkPad Laptop

www.cocosenor.com www.cocosenor.com
Click to expand...
Thank you very much for this, the help is appreciated. Ive already been through that site though and I can the methods mentioned don't work on here. There is no backdoor through the security on this board, Ive tried the CMOS battery method and I really don't want to be shorting the board on purpose, should anything go wrong doing that I cant afford to replace it.
I'm going to have to go to Lenovo I think, its looking like my only option right now.

If this doesnt work, Ill have to make do with it as it is. In all honesty the password being there isnt that bad. I still got away from Windows, theres nothing in Bios that needs changing, and the only true issue is when the CMOS eventually needs replacing. Resetting the boards time could be probelmatic but Im told this time and the OS time are linked anyway, and if thats true then there really is no issue. Still, would be nice to know there are no passwords on it.
 
FatDroid said:
Im told this time and the OS time are linked anyway,
Click to expand...
in time/date settings, make sure use system time is enabled, your machine will take its timings from the international clock
 
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