How to bootstrap Windows 8 install to a USB drive? (or reset BIOS password for a Gateway ne56r41u)

Question

I have to reinstall Windows 8 onto a drive for a laptop, however the user has set a BIOS password and cannot remember the password, neither can I find a way to reset this UEFI password. Consequently I cannot boot to any CD/DVD or USB drive on this device. I am therefore left to my only option it seems: Start Windows 8 installation and get the installation process to the point of where it reboots and finalizes setup.

What options exist to get Windows 8 installed onto a drive so that when I insert the drive back into its original computer it will finalize setup and work properly?

Answer 1

An interesting approach that I discovered works for this particular unit (and probably any laptop that does not have a BIOS password reset jumper) is to do the following to reset the BIOS password:

1. unplug and remove the battery
2. press the power button several times to be sure that all power is drained on the capacitors, etc.
3. remove the battery on the motherboard and then insert two pennies in its place
4. allow it to sit for a while (I inserted them and walked away for an hour or so).

When you put it back together the UEFI BIOS password should be reset!

Answer 2

Even if you install windows on a secondary drive using another computer with the exact same or incredibly similar hardware, the problem of the password protected BIOS is still going to keep you from booting into Windows on the original machine.

Sometimes the only way to remove a BIOS password is to reflash the BIOS. But even then the password may still be there. There may be an internal utility or application that can strip out the password, but you usually have to be a manufacturer certified support technician to get access to it (or find it in the bowels of the internet).