Is it a good idea to use a boot password for laptops?

MarkBargain

I just thought I'd ask if many of you use boot passwords on your home PCs and laptops, and whether you consider them a good idea. I understand these are more secure than Windows 7 passwords, but the risk if you lose/forget the password it is virtually impossible to access the machine (which is sort of the point). I think it is easy to set a boot password, just need to type carefully! Shall I do it...???

tonynw

i wouldnt if the bios goes faulty you could have a scrap laptop

tonynw

[Deleted User]

We use both at work, and encrypted hard disks

chunter

Bios passwords on laptops are messy and I know some can be reset by removing the battery and cmos battery for a period of time, but it does mean a certain amount of disassembly.
http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread41786.html

The main reason I assume is for accidental locking eg one othe children going into the bios and messing around.

I have a linux disk which resets a windows 7 password in less than a minute.

Hammyman

tonynw wrote: »

i wouldnt if the bios goes faulty you could have a scrap laptop

tonynw

You'd have an equally scrap laptop without a password if the BIOS went faulty. FWIW I've seen a sum total of ZERO BIOSes go faulty in the 21 years I've been building PCs. Usually the problem occurs when a BIOS update goes wrong.

Hammyman

chunter wrote: »

Bios passwords on laptops are messy and I know some can be reset by removing the battery and cmos battery for a period of time

Not any time in the last half decade...

John_Gray

tonynw wrote: »

i wouldnt if the bios goes faulty you could have a scrap laptop

Out of interest, have you ever heard of a BIOS going faulty? I haven't, ever since the first IBM PC in 1982.

PS Should have read further down the posts for Hammyman's reply!

RobTang

John_Gray wrote: »

Out of interest, have you ever heard of a BIOS going faulty? I haven't, ever since the first IBM PC in 1982.

PS Should have read further down the posts for Hammyman's reply!

There have been a few bios viruses around in the past purely designed to cripple systems, although it needs to be a targeted attack so its not very common.


Personally I think bios boot passwords are a total waste of time, too inconvenient for too little benefits.

Iconic

So is using something like Truecrypt at start up considered a better alternative?

mr_fishbulb

MarkBargain wrote: »

I just thought I'd ask if many of you use boot passwords on your home PCs and laptops, and whether you consider them a good idea. I understand these are more secure than Windows 7 passwords, but the risk if you lose/forget the password it is virtually impossible to access the machine (which is sort of the point). I think it is easy to set a boot password, just need to type carefully! Shall I do it...???

Depends what you mean by boot password.

If it's just set in the the BIOS, then it's close to useless at protecting your information. All it does it stop the machine from booting without the password. It doesn't encrypt any of the information on the hard drive, so if someone took the machine and put the hardrive in another PC, they could see everything.

However if it's a password as part of a Full Disk Encryption solution (like TrueCrypt mentioned above), then this does offer protection if someone steals your machine.

mart59

You have been given all the advice here.

Just ask yourself what you need a password for and pick the best option for you.

I would stay away from a bios password on any laptop.

PC Bios pasword can be reset, but laptop sometimes have to go back to the Brand you bought it from Dell or whoever.