So some time ago I set up a BIOS “User” password and and “Admin” password on a laptop.

For those who doesn’t know. A BIOS “User” password is prompted every time you boot a computer using that motherboard, and the “Admin” password is prompted when you attempt to enter the BIOS settings

If you have both set up, either password is accepted on boot, but only the “Admin” password is accepted for getting into the BIOS Settings.

I’ve just had both of these set up because I’m weird and paranoid (before you say “encryption”, yes the disk is also encrypted), and I got into a habit of just using the Admin password for boot.

But now I think its unnecessary and annoying now and doesn’t seem to do much since the disk is also encrypted, so I tried to remove the “User” password in the BIOS settings, but I forgot the User password. Inputing the Admin password is rejected as “incorrect password”, but its accepted when you try to change to Admin password. Wtf lol. The Laptops I had before this one, allows the Admin to reset the User Password, wtf is this new change? Admin cannot reset User Password? Make zero sense lol. So I guess I’m just stuck with this unchangeable setting? Triggers my OCD so much that there’s a setting now I can’t toggle on/off.

I mean it’s still perfectly usable as long as I keep the Admin password enabled and not mess with that, so this is the definition of mildly infuriating, just very samll annoyance I’m stuck with.

It’s an Asus Zenbook btw if you’re wondering.

  • floo@retrolemmy.comEnglish
    59·
    13 hours ago

    Did you try typing in the user password instead of the admin password when it asks for a password?

    It probably wants you to authenticate as that user in order to delete the password requirement for it. The admin account probably doesn’t let you alter any of the settings for a different user. User space management with bios is often limited.

    • cantthinkofausername@sh.itjust.worksOPEnglish
      10·
      13 hours ago

      Again, the problem is, I forgot the User password. I didn’t try too hard commiting that to memory because I just assumed (like with previous laptops) that I can reset it if I forget.

      I can get to the BIOS Menu but it has 3 lines, one asks for “Current Password” and then the other two is “new password” and “confirm new password”. It doesn’t recognize the admin password as a valid password, but it does recognize it if I try to change the admin passwors instead. I tried removing the Admin password, and did it, but the User password is still in place, so I just quickly re-added the admin password back in so I don’t lock myself out when I reboot.

      Not sure if this is a “modern laptop” thing, or if its only Asus that does that. I had HP and Dell before, and they just let you reset the user password with he admin one.

      • floo@retrolemmy.comEnglish
        310·
        12 hours ago

        I’m very sorry, I missed the part when you said you didn’t know the user password. My bad!

        It sounds like the way that the user space is managed in your bios won’t permit any other alternatives other than the possibility of deleting the user account using the administrator account? Is that possible?

        You’re not gonna be able to reset that password unless you know it. That’s kind of the point of the password. Unfortunately, it seems that your bios does not allow for you to change the user password without knowing the old one, but it may let you delete the account altogether and re-create it with a new password. That however, may cause a bunch of other problems that I can’t really predict without knowing a lot more information.

        Don’t try doing this until we talked about this a bit more.