Password-B-Gone (off topic)

[Robert Goodale]

<<OFF TOPIC>>

A question for the more "digitally minded".  In an effort to exploit the 
never ending waste of the university I picked up a number of computers 
today.  I rescued them just a scant few moments from being crushed and 
deposited in a recycling dumpster.  When I came home and sorted through 
it I found both some trash and some treasure.  The trash was real trash 
but the treasure are fully functional computers and monitors.  It is 
truly amazing how universities chant their liberal "save the earth and 
environment" crap and tell the public how their budget is never enough 
and at the same time crush perfectly good and usable computer 
hardware... and other amazing things.  This of course is another story.

Anyway I have some identical Dell computers.  I got one up and running 
with no effort at all, just plugged it in and hooked it up to a 
perfectly good discarded monitor.  Windows 98 popped up beautifully and 
I proceeded to clean the system.  Unfortunately it isn't always this 
easy.  Some computers have a password at start up, (before windows 
boots).  Of course I have no way of knowing what the passwords are so I 
am stuck.  My question is:  Does anyone know how to purge a BIOS 
password?  I know I could temporarily remove the bios battery but that 
would also delete all the other BIOS data.

Any ideas?  Thanks in advance.


Rob Goodale, RPT
Las Vegas, NV