Compacq n800c power on password

[latitude12]

Hi, I have a Compaq n800c laptop which doesn't always ask for the power on password.

The laptop was used by a user for quite sometime and has now left. I got the laptop to rebuild with Ghost and when I turned it on to start copy data off it, I didn't even think about the fact that it didn't ask me for a power on password as we always have these on company laptops. I copied all data as necessary, rebooted and proceeded to re-Ghost the laptop. I had been into the BIOS to set boot options but didn't go anywhere near the power on password.

The next reboot then asked for the power on password which I thought was very strange. I was nearly ready to pull the thing to pieces to remove the battery but had a couple of days off. When I got back I found that a colleague had remembered that the password was something different for this user and I can now get access to the OS.

But I've rebooted it numerous times and it never asks for the password now. I changed it to our usual company password and rebooted several times and it still doesn't ask for the password.

Has anyone seen this before, or have any ideas why it's doing it?

Thanks in advance

 

[funkytunaa]

Gremlins?

 

[latitude12]

Weird stuff! I found out that it only asks for the Power On password when doing a cold boot. It doesn't ask for it when selecting Restart from within Windows. In saying that, it was definitely off when I turned it on for the first time to rebuild and it didn't ask then. It's working now and I know what the password is.