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Desktop Board Features
21
BIOS Security Passwords
The BIOS includes security features that restrict whether the BIOS Setup program can
be accessed and who can boot the computer. A supervisor password and a user
password can be set for the BIOS Setup and for booting the computer, with the
following restrictions:
• The supervisor password gives unrestricted access to view and change all Setup
options. If only the supervisor password is set, pressing <Enter> at the password
prompt of Setup gives the user restricted access to Setup.
• If both the supervisor and user passwords are set, you must enter either the
supervisor password or the user password to access Setup. Setup options are then
available for viewing and changing depending on whether the supervisor or user
password was entered.
• Setting a user password restricts who can boot the computer. The password
prompt is displayed before the computer is booted. If only the supervisor
password is set, the computer boots without asking for a password. If both
passwords are set, you can enter either password to boot the computer.
For instructions on resetting the password, go to Clearing Passwords on page 60.
Hard Disk Drive Passwords
The board’s Hard Disk Drive Password Security feature blocks read and write accesses
to the hard disk drive until the correct password is entered. Hard disk drive passwords
are set in BIOS Setup and are prompted for during the POST. For convenient support
of ACPI S3 resume, the system BIOS automatically unlocks drives on resume from S3.
The User hard disk drive password, when set, will be required upon each power cycle
until the Master Key or User hard disk drive password is entered.
The Master Key hard disk drive password, when set, will not lock the hard disk drive.
The Master Key hard disk drive password is an unlock override that can be used in the
event that the User hard disk drive password has been forgotten. Only the installation
of the User hard disk drive password will cause a hard disk drive to be locked upon a
system power cycle.
Table 4 shows the effects of setting the
hard disk drive passwords.
Table 4. Master Key and User Hard Disk Drive Password Functions
Password Set Password During Boot
Neither None
Master only None
User only User only
Master and User Master or User