[rustybolt]

There is a trick that work for some (most?) models in the T-series: if you short the pins of some chip with the right timing, you can bypass the password check. See, for example: https://amp.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/b7jbqq/reset_bios...

[numpad0]

I believe you force BIOS to think that it had been lucky but checksums don’t match and EEPROM save is corrupt, then load default and let password go.

Works for straightforward ones like most Lenovo, but not for weirdos like Toshiba. Sometimes I see lots of Toshiba office laptops with locked BIOS waiting to be recycled as the result.

[DanBC]

Older Toshibas have pins near the RAM that can be shorted to clear the passwords. There's a big list here: https://biosbypass.com/how-to-clear-toshiba-bios-password/

[tonyedgecombe]

I seem to remember the last model that works on is the T420, after that you are out of luck.