Fast Firefox

This tricks will improve the speed & load time of firefox. And you will be able to surf faster.
Type about:config in the address bar, Then look for the following entries, and make the corresponding changes.

1. network.http.max-connections-per-server =32

2. network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-proxy =16

3. network.http.max-connections = 64

4. network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server = 10

5. network.http.pipelining = true

6. network.http.pipelining.maxrequests = 200

7. network.http.request.max-start-delay = 0

8. network.http.proxy.pipelining = true

9. network.http.proxy.version = 1.0

.

Converting FAT to NTFS

If you have any FAT or FAT32 partitions, these can be converted to NTFS using the Convert.exe command line utility. To convert a partition to NTFS, open a command prompt. Type in “convert drive-letter: /fs:ntfs” (without the quotes) to convert
“drive-letter” to NTFS. For example, if you want to convert drive F to NTFS, you would type in “convert f: /fs:ntfs”. Convert your FAT or FAT32 drives to the NTFS file system If you wish to see the details of the conversion process, turn on verbose mode using the /v switch. Note that this is a one-way conversion: you cannot undo the conversion once it has been done. Also, data loss is unlikely when you convert a FAT volume to NTFS, but it’s still a good idea to take a backup before you convert.

Clear Your Memory Without Restarting

If you run a windows computer you’ll know like many others than after a while your system will in doubt start running slow. Most people will restart their computer to remove and idle processes. But if there’s a simpler way, why restart every time windows decides it doesn’t like you today?

1. Right click on an empty spot on your desktop and select New - Shortcut.

2. Type %windir%\system32\rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks in the box.

3. Click Next.

4. Give your shortcut a nice name like “Clear Memory”.

5. Click Finish and you’re done.

Now whenever your computer starts running slow click this shortcut to clear out your memory and get your computer running at a normal pace again

Basic Computer Security

This is going to be a basic guide to computer security for home users including the use of applications and common sense Its not foolproof but no security is and if ive missed anything then add it in!

First is first, understand the threats.

Some people, understandably, think that adware, spyware, worms and virusses are the same and this can lead to bad security so first we have to know what each is and what they do.

Adware is basically a small program that sits on your computer and brings adverts to you usually as popups in a web browser, they are very very annoying but usually a low risk threat as they normally do nothing but give you adverts.

Spyware is a program that spies on you and your computer, you might think so what? but a lot of the time they send detailed logs of anything you do to the maker of the program and this will almost always have usernames and passwords to email accounts, website accounts and sometimes to banking accounts and even contain credit card details, obviously thats not good!

Worms are a little like earthworms, well except they travel through computer networks and they contain a "warhead" if you like which is usually another program which will get saved onto your computer, then the worm will carry on its merry way through the network saving this program to everything it finds, the program wuill probably be a virus, spyware or adware so these worms can do a lot of damage to a network! and they dont need a person telling them what to do, they already know what to do!

A virus is similar to a biological virus that attacks an animal by invading and hijacking its cells. A computer virus will get onto a computer and once there it will find a program you already have, possibly an internet browser, once found the virus inserts itself into the programmed code of the browser and whenever that internet browser is used the virus will also start, the virus cannot start on its own so it needs to "infect" another program. They are capable of basically anything, including creating any of the above programs and taking control of the computer and deleting data.

Of course the programs i mentioned can always come together, eg you could have a worm that saves a virus to a computer containing adware and spyware!

Now we know what these things are we can hopefully try to stop them getting onto our computers.

There are a lot of programs on the market saying they will make you safe, which in most cases they will do but the thing to understand is every day, probably every hour a new virus is created, we might never hear about it because it might not do much damage but that doesnt mean its not there ready to hit you and the reason i mention this is that unlike humans computers cant actually think, the way that a program like norton anti-virus works is by comparison. Every day or few days it gets sent a big list and it will look at every program and compare it to this list, now the question is, if the list is sent at 10am and a new virus is made at 11am what happens? Well the anti virus checks this virus but doesnt find it on the list so lets it through and thats where the problem starts. The only way you can do anything about this is by making sure you update your AntiVirus and other security programs as soon as possible every time. It might sound difficult but its really not, no matter what program you use there will be an option of how long to wait before updating and you should set this to the shortest time possible to make sure you are as safe as you can be.

The most basic programs any computer should have are a firewall and antivirus, many programs are a combination of both, which is usefull and easy to manage. You can also get anti-spyware and anti-adware which of course combat adware and spyware, again some programs do include these also.

Some people might think that by having just a firewall they are safe, but they arent, a firewall can only TRY to stop something entering the computer, once its in, the firewall is usless and not a single firewall will stop everything (unless you tell it not to let anything in of course but then you cant use the internet or a network!) And some people think a good anti-virus will keep them safe but it cannot stop anything entering the computer, it can only find it once its in and has probably done damage and again it probably wont find EVERY adware/spyware/virus there is. So you can see the problem and probably you can see the best solution is to have both, An antivirus including anti-spyware and anti-adware and also a firewall and keep them all updated to the max!

Prevention and cure are only two thirds of this tutorial though because at some point something will get in and do damage, its a certainty, how much damage might vary from your home page changing to your computer not starting up at all. When something like that happens you have to have a plan.

The best plan is to have several backups, not just one. you should make one shortly after you get the machine, then another once you have installed all the applications you want and then every few months. In windows XP there is the handy "system restore" which has saved me a lot of hassle but it doesnt always work so you cant rely on it especialy if the computer is really damamge and does not start up. So you should always have backups on removable disks, nowadays a DVD is the best solution as cds could take up at the least 3Cds possibly up to 7 or 8 if you have a lot of games or music on the computer. The dvds should all be labbelled according to the date they were done and stored safely. But before you whack a DVD in and copy your hard drive to it you must know that this wont work. You will need the installation disks of the operating system you have installed for re-installing the operating system and a small program to load the backups onto the computer. There are several programs that will do this including Norton ghost and several freeware equivalents for unix/linux windows and i presume, mac. They will usually come on a disk and this disk will boot your computer into a special mode where you can easilly use the backup disks, and it will guide you through this process. the most important thing is to continually save all work and special data onto 2 or 3 DIFFERENT disks, such as a flash disk the hard drive and a CD/DVD this will make it very hard for you to loose it.

but also remember that if you do have any virusses etc.. on your computer these will be backed up also so you should do a full system wide anti-virus anti-adware and anti-spyware scan before the backup to minimise this threat.Always remember at some point you will get one of these programs but its definately not the end of the world as everyone gets it and as a home user you have less to worry about, simply follow the steps and you shouldnt be too badly affected, but spare a thought for network technicians dealing with 500 computers all being attacked at the same time! Poor fellows!

Automatic Window Refresh

Normally, there is a small delay after some information changesbefore it reflects in the GUI. If you need to see the informationright away, you would need to press [F5]. The following will enablethe system to do faster updates.Navigate to:HLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\UpdateFor faster updates, change the DWORD value calledUpdateMode to 0. The default is 1.A reboot will be required for the changes to take effect. Notethat there is a likelihood of conflict if this setting is applied withsystem policies running: the UpdateMode value is used by systempolicies to Disable, Automatically or Manually check for a con-nection to the NETLOGON share of a domain controller. Changeit back to the default if you are running system policies or areconnected to a domain controller.

IncreasingInternet Bandwith up 20%

Microsoft reserves 20% of your available bandwidth for their own purposes like Windows Updates and interrogating your PC etc

To get it back:

Click Start then Run and type ” gpedit.msc” without quotes.This opens the group policy editor. Then go to:
Local Computer Policy /Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates / Network / QOS Packet Scheduler/ Limit Reservable Bandwidth.
Double click on Limit Reservable bandwidth. It will say it is not configured, but the truth is under the ‘Explain’ tab i.e.”By default, the Packet Scheduler limits the system to 20 percent of the bandwidth of a connection, but you can use this setting to override the default.”
So the trick is to ENABLE reservable bandwidth, then set it to ZERO. This will allow the system to reserve nothing, rather than the default 20%.It works on Win 2000 as well.

Shut Down XP Fast

If Ur Computer Takes Too Long to Shutdown - Here is what to do - For XP
Isn't it really annoying when your computer takes too much time to turn off?

Heres a great tip to turn ur pc off soooo quick u dont need a software at all! Its a tip, so do as it says:

Click: Start
Then Click: Run (In Start Menu)
There Type: Regedit

So as u can see the registery editor find the Path
Path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
click on the desktop and find the keys: HungApp TimeOut
Double Click on it
Change The Current Value To:4000
its current value maybe :5000 or 20000

okay well done now lets move to the next step
go to the path: HKEY_LOCAL_MECHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\
now, after that, find the at the left side find : WaitToKillServiceTimeOut
now edit this n change its value to: 4000

OK here u have done it now
exit the registery editor and shut down ur pc for a check n see what happens
Good luck!!

22 ways of speeding Up xp

1.) To decrease a system's boot time and increase system performance, use the money you save by not buying defragmentation software -- the built-in Windows defragmenter works just fine -- and instead equip the computer with an Ultra-133 or Serial ATA hard drive with 8-MB cache buffer.

2.) If a PC has less than 512 MB of RAM, add more memory. This is a relatively inexpensive and easy upgrade that can dramatically improve system performance.

3.) Ensure that Windows XP is utilizing the NTFS file system. If you're not sure, here's how to check: First, double-click the My Computer icon, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Next, examine the File System type; if it says FAT32, then back-up any important data. Next, click Start, click Run, type CMD, and then click OK. At the prompt, type CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS and press the Enter key. This process may take a while; it's important that the computer be uninterrupted and virus-free. The file system used by the bootable drive will be either FAT32 or NTFS. I highly recommend NTFS for its superior security, reliability, and efficiency with larger disk drives.

4.) Disable file indexing. The indexing service extracts information from documents and other files on the hard drive and creates a "searchable keyword index." As you can imagine, this process can be quite taxing on any system.

The idea is that the user can search for a word, phrase, or property inside a document, should they have hundreds or thousands of documents and not know the file name of the document they want. Windows XP's built-in search functionality can still perform these kinds of searches without the Indexing service. It just takes longer. The OS has to open each file at the time of the request to help find what the user is looking for.

Most people never need this feature of search. Those who do are typically in a large corporate environment where thousands of documents are located on at least one server. But if you're a typical system builder, most of your clients are small and medium businesses. And if your clients have no need for this search feature, I recommend disabling it.

Here's how: First, double-click the My Computer icon. Next, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Uncheck "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching." Next, apply changes to "C: subfolders and files," and click OK. If a warning or error message appears (such as "Access is denied"), click the Ignore All button.

5.) Update the PC's video and motherboard chipset drivers. Also, update and configure the BIOS. For more information on how to configure your BIOS properly, see this article on my site.

6.) Empty the Windows Prefetch folder every three months or so. Windows XP can "prefetch" portions of data and applications that are used frequently. This makes processes appear to load faster when called upon by the user. That's fine. But over time, the prefetch folder may become overloaded with references to files and applications no longer in use. When that happens, Windows XP is wasting time, and slowing system performance, by pre-loading them. Nothing critical is in this folder, and the entire contents are safe to delete.

7.) Once a month, run a disk cleanup. Here's how: Double-click the My Computer icon. Then right-click on the C: drive and select Properties. Click the Disk Cleanup button -- it's just to the right of the Capacity pie graph -- and delete all temporary files.

8.) In your Device Manager, double-click on the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device, and ensure that DMA is enabled for each drive you have connected to the Primary and Secondary controller. Do this by double-clicking on Primary IDE Channel. Then click the Advanced Settings tab. Ensure the Transfer Mode is set to "DMA if available" for both Device 0 and Device 1. Then repeat this process with the Secondary IDE Channel.

9.) Upgrade the cabling. As hard-drive technology improves, the cabling requirements to achieve these performance boosts have become more stringent. Be sure to use 80-wire Ultra-133 cables on all of your IDE devices with the connectors properly assigned to the matching Master/Slave/Motherboard sockets. A single device must be at the end of the cable; connecting a single drive to the middle connector on a ribbon cable will cause signaling problems. With Ultra DMA hard drives, these signaling problems will prevent the drive from performing at its maximum potential. Also, because these cables inherently support "cable select," the location of each drive on the cable is important. For these reasons, the cable is designed so drive positioning is explicitly clear.

10.) Remove all spyware from the computer. Use free programs such as AdAware by Lavasoft or SpyBot Search & Destroy. Once these programs are installed, be sure to check for and download any updates before starting your search. Anything either program finds can be safely removed. Any free software that requires spyware to run will no longer function once the spyware portion has been removed; if your customer really wants the program even though it contains spyware, simply reinstall it. For more information on removing Spyware visit this Web Pro News page.

11.) Remove any unnecessary programs and/or items from Windows Startup routine using the MSCONFIG utility. Here's how: First, click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG, and click OK. Click the StartUp tab, then uncheck any items you don't want to start when Windows starts. Unsure what some items are? Visit the WinTasks Process Library. It contains known system processes, applications, as well as spyware references and explanations. Or quickly identify them by searching for the filenames using Google or another Web search engine.

12.) Remove any unnecessary or unused programs from the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel.

13.) Turn off any and all unnecessary animations, and disable active desktop. In fact, for optimal performance, turn off all animations. Windows XP offers many different settings in this area. Here's how to do it: First click on the System icon in the Control Panel. Next, click on the Advanced tab. Select the Settings button located under Performance. Feel free to play around with the options offered here, as nothing you can change will alter the reliability of the computer -- only its responsiveness.

14.) If your customer is an advanced user who is comfortable editing their registry, try some of the performance registry tweaks offered at Tweak XP.

15.) Visit Mcft's Windows update site regularly, and download all updates labeled Critical. Download any optional updates at your discretion.

16.) Update the customer's anti-virus software on a weekly, even daily, basis. Make sure they have only one anti-virus software package installed. Mixing anti-virus software is a sure way to spell disaster for performance and reliability.

17.) Make sure the customer has fewer than 500 type fonts installed on their computer. The more fonts they have, the slower the system will become. While Windows XP handles fonts much more efficiently than did the previous versions of Windows, too many fonts -- that is, anything over 500 -- will noticeably tax the system.

18.) Do not partition the hard drive. Windows XP's NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition, and a reformat is never necessary to reinstall an operating system. The same excuses people offer for using partitions apply to using a folder instead. For example, instead of putting all your data on the D: drive, put it in a folder called "D drive." You'll achieve the same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without the degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won't be limited by the size of the partition; instead, it will be limited by the size of the entire hard drive. This means you won't need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consuming and also can result in lost data.

19.) Check the system's RAM to ensure it is operating properly. I recommend using a free program called MemTest86. The download will make a bootable CD or diskette (your choice), which will run 10 extensive tests on the PC's memory automatically after you boot to the disk you created. Allow all tests to run until at least three passes of the 10 tests are completed. If the program encounters any errors, turn off and unplug the computer, remove a stick of memory (assuming you have more than one), and run the test again. Remember, bad memory cannot be repaired, but only replaced.

20.) If the PC has a CD or DVD recorder, check the drive manufacturer's Web site for updated firmware. In some cases you'll be able to upgrade the recorder to a faster speed. Best of all, it's free.

21.) Disable unnecessary services. Windows XP loads a lot of services that your customer most likely does not need. To determine which services you can disable for your client, visit the Black Viper site for Windows XP configurations.

22.) If you're sick of a single Windows Explorer window crashing and then taking the rest of your OS down with it, then follow this tip: open My Computer, click on Tools, then Folder Options. Now click on the View tab. Scroll down to "Launch folder windows in a separate process," and enable this option. You'll have to reboot your machine for this option to take effect.

Shut Down XP Fast

If Ur Computer Takes Too Long to Shutdown - Here is what to do - For XP
Isn't it really annoying when your computer takes too much time to turn off?

Heres a great tip to turn ur pc off soooo quick u dont need a software at all! Its a tip, so do as it says:

Click: Start
Then Click: Run (In Start Menu)
There Type: Regedit

So as u can see the registery editor find the Path
Path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
click on the desktop and find the keys: HungApp TimeOut
Double Click on it
Change The Current Value To:4000
its current value maybe :5000 or 20000

okay well done now lets move to the next step
go to the path: HKEY_LOCAL_MECHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\
now, after that, find the at the left side find : WaitToKillServiceTimeOut
now edit this n change its value to: 4000

OK here u have done it now
exit the registery editor and shut down ur pc for a check n see what happens
Good luck!!

MASTER RUN COMMANDS

You can Access these commands from run option in the start menu or just press window key+r(WIndow key is Generally between Alt & ctrl key on the keyboard) & there you go to unleash these commands...
For sure these are gonna give you more Professional look & Ofcourse will make you more Swift Exclamation

Accessibility Controls "access.cpl"
Add Hardware Wizard "hdwwiz.cpl"
Add/Remove Programs "ppwiz.cpl "
Administrative Tools "control admintools"
Automatic Updates "wuaucpl.cp"
Bluetooth Transfer Wizard "fsquirt"
Calculator "calc"
Certificate Manager "certmgr.msc"
Character Map "charmap"
Check Disk Utility "chkdsk"
Clipboard Viewer "clipbrd"
Command Prompt "cmd"
Component Services "dcomcnfg"
Computer Management "compmgmt.msc"
Date and Time Properties "timedate.cpl"
DDE Shares "ddeshare"
Device Manager "devmgmt.msc"
Direct X Control Panel (If Installed)* "directx.cpl"
Direct X Troubleshooter "dxdiag"
Disk Cleanup Utility "cleanmgr"
Disk Defragment "dfrg.msc"
Disk Management "diskmgmt.msc"
Disk Partition Manager "diskpart"
Display Properties "control desktop"
Display Properties "desk.cpl"
Display Properties (w/Appearance Tab Preselected) "control color"
Dr. Watson System Troubleshooting Utility "drwtsn32"
Driver Verifier Utility "verifier"
Event Viewer "eventvwr.msc"
File Signature Verification Tool "sigverif"
Findfast "findfast.cpl"
Folders Properties "control folders"
Fonts "control fonts"
Fonts Folder "fonts"
Free Cell Card Game "freecell"
Game Controllers "joy.cpl"
Group Policy Editor (XP Prof) "gpedit.msc"
Hearts Card Game "mshearts"
Iexpress Wizard "iexpress"
Indexing Service "ciadv.msc"
Internet Properties "inetcpl.cpl"
IP Configuration (Display Connection Configuration) "ipconfig /all"
IP Configuration (Display DNS Cache Contents) "ipconfig /displaydns"
IP Configuration (Delete DNS Cache Contents) "ipconfig /flushdns"
IP Configuration (Release All Connections) "ipconfig /release"
IP Configuration (Renew All Connections) "ipconfig /renew"
IP Configuration (Refreshes DHCP & Re-Registers DNS) "ipconfig /registerdns"
IP Configuration (Display DHCP Class ID) "ipconfig /showclassid"
IP Configuration (Modifies DHCP Class ID) "ipconfig /setclassid"
Java Control Panel (If Installed) "jpicpl32.cpl"
Java Control Panel (If Installed) "javaws"
Keyboard Properties "control keyboard"
Local Security Settings "secpol.msc"
Local Users and Groups "lusrmgr.msc"
Logs You Out Of W*NDOW$ "logoff"
Mic*ft Chat "winchat"
Minesweeper Game "winmine"
Mouse Properties "control mouse"
Mouse Properties "main.cpl"
Network Connections "control netconnections"
Network Connections "ncpa.cpl"
Network Setup Wizard "netsetup.cpl"
Notepad "notepad"
Nview Desktop Manager (If Installed) "nvtuicpl.cpl"
Object Packager "packager"
ODBC Data Source Administrator "odbccp32.cpl"
On Screen Keyboard "osk"
Opens AC3 Filter (If Installed) "ac3filter.cpl"
Password Properties "password.cpl"
Performance Monitor "perfmon.msc"
Performance Monitor "perfmon"
Phone and Modem Options "telephon.cpl"
Power Configuration "powercfg.cpl"
Printers and Faxes "control printers"
Printers Folder "printers"
Private Character Editor "eudcedit"
Quicktime (If Installed) "QuickTime.cpl"
Regional Settings "intl.cpl"
Registry Editor "regedit"
Registry Editor "regedit32"
Remote Desktop "mstsc"
Removable Storage "ntmsmgr.msc"
Removable Storage Operator Requests "ntmsoprq.msc"
Resultant Set of Policy (XP Prof) "rsop.msc"
Scanners and Cameras "sticpl.cpl"
Scheduled Tasks "control schedtasks"
Security Center "wscui.cpl"
Services "services.msc"
Shared Folders "fsmgmt.msc"
Shuts Down W*NDOW$ "shutdown"
Sounds and Audio "mmsys.cpl"
Spider Solitare Card Game "spider"
SQL Client Configuration "cliconfg"
System Configuration Editor "sysedit"
System Configuration Utility "sconfig"
System File Checker Utility (Scan Immediately) "sfc /scannow"
System File Checker Utility (Scan Once At Next Boot) "sfc /scanonce"
System File Checker Utility (Scan On Every Boot) "sfc /scanboot"
System File Checker Utility (Return to Default Setting) "sfc /revert"
System File Checker Utility (Purge File Cache) "sfc /purgecache"
System File Checker Utility (Set Cache Size to size x) "sfc /cachesize=x"
System Properties "sysdm.cpl"
Task Manager "taskmgr"
Telnet Client "telnet"
User Account Management "nusrmgr.cpl"
Utility Manager "utilman"
W*NDOW$ Firewall "firewall.cpl"
W*NDOW$ Magnifier "magnify"
W*NDOW$ Management Infrastructure "wmimgmt.msc"
W*NDOW$ System Security Tool "syskey"
W*NDOW$ Update Launches "wupdmgr"
W*NDOW$ XP Tour Wizard "tourstart"
Wordpad "write"

How do I reset a BIOS password?

The best method to reset a BIOS password depends on what BIOS the computer has. Common BIOS’s include AMI, Award, IBM and Phoenix. Numerous other BIOS’s do exist, but these are the most common.

Some BIOS’s allow you to require a password be entered before the system will boot. Some BIOS’s allow you to require a password to be entered before the BIOS setup may be accessed.

The general categories of solutions to reset a BIOS password are:

• Using a Backdoor BIOS Password
• Resetting the BIOS Password using Software
• Resetting the BIOS Password using Hardware
• Vendor Specific Solutions for resetting the BIOS Password

Using a Backdoor BIOS Password

Some BIOS manufacturers implement a backdoor password. The backdoor password is a BIOS password that works, no matter what the user sets the BIOS password to. These passwords are typically used for testing and maintenance. Manufacturers typically change the backdoor BIOS passwords from time to time.

AMI Backdoor BIOS Passwords

Reported AMI backdoor BIOS passwords include A.M.I., AAAMMMIII, AMI?SW , AMI_SW, BIOS, CONDO, HEWITT RAND, LKWPETER, MI, and PASSWORD.

Award Backdoor BIOS Passwords

One reported Award backdoor BIOS password is eight spaces. Other reported Award backdoor BIOS passwords include 01322222, 589589, 589721, 595595, 598598 , ALFAROME, ALLY, ALLy, aLLY, aLLy, aPAf, award, AWARD PW, AWARD SW, AWARD?SW, AWARD_PW, AWARD_SW, AWKWARD, awkward, BIOSTAR, CONCAT, CONDO, Condo, condo, d8on, djonet, HLT, J256, J262, j262, j322, j332, J64, KDD, LKWPETER, Lkwpeter, PINT, pint, SER, SKY_FOX, SYXZ, syxz, TTPTHA, ZAAAADA, ZAAADA, ZBAAACA, and ZJAAADC.

Phoenix Backdoor BIOS Passwords

Reported Phoenix BIOS backdoor passwords include BIOS, CMOS, phoenix, and PHOENIX.

Backdoor BIOS Passwords from Other Manufacturers

Remember that what you see listed may not be the actual backdoor BIOS password, this BIOS password may simply have the same checksum as the real backdoor BIOS password. For Award BIOS, this checksum is stored at F000:EC60.

Resetting the BIOS Password using Software

Every system must store the BIOS password information somewhere. If you are able to access the machine after it has been booted successfully, you may be able to view the BIOS password. You must know the memory address where the BIOS password is stored, and the format in which the BIOS password is stored. Or, you must have a program that knows these things.

You can write your own program to read the BIOS password from the CMOS memory on a PC by writing the address of the byte of CMOS memory that you wish to read in port 0×370, and then reading the contents of port 0×371.

!BIOS will recover the BIOS password for most common BIOS versions, including IBM, American Megatrends Inc, Award and Phoenix.

CmosPwd will recover the BIOS password for the following BIOS versions:

• ACER/IBM BIOS
• AMI BIOS
• AMI WinBIOS 2.5
• Award 4.5x/4.6x/6.0
• Compaq (1992)
• Compaq (New version)
• IBM (PS/2, Activa, Thinkpad)
• Packard Bell
• Phoenix 1.00.09.AC0 (1994), a486 1.03, 1.04, 1.10 A03, 4.05 rev 1.02.943, 4.06 rev 1.13.1107
• Phoenix 4 release 6 (User)
• Gateway Solo - Phoenix 4.0 release 6
• Toshiba
• Zenith AMI