HP ProDesk 400 G6 mini - BIOS Password attempt to remove it

[beBoss]

Hi,

as noobie to this please excuse my lack of experience.

I am trying to remove a BIOS password from this machine:
HP ProDesk 400 G6 Mini

but so far I still have no success.
I bought CH341 programmer and decided to give it a try.

The programmer came with 8 pin cables and connectors or whatever everything else is called so I had to buy a new 16 pin cable because the chip which I think is the BIOS is with 16 pins..



I connected everything and downloaded AsProgrammer and NeoProgrammer then installed drivers for them. Tried both and still couldn't read the BIOS.

My first try was without the cmos battery both software were showing no connection. I put the battery and no difference.

Then I started to change the cable positions, to rotate ch341 sides then the side of the bios chip, played around thinking maybe doesn't do a good connection even if it looked solid, so tried multiple times.

Tried different usb ports. And the last thing I tried was to try different drivers for the AsProgrammer “pak” version.

Now there is hopefully a step in the right direction because doesn't show no connection error anymore but it's stuck on “check settings “ and few lines showing ID(9f)(unknown).
What I assume with my lack of knowledge is that it reads the chip but doesn't recognise it?

The last thing I did i was happy for about a minute that I did it was to manually select the chip, then clicked to read it and after it read the chip, everything was empty "FFFFFF"



So.. Any advices?

Also should I do any modifications to the ch341 programmer? I see there are few pins and a jumper on 1&2 ?



Thanks in advance!

[beBoss]

Anyone?

[rogfanther]

First : do not rotate cable and/or connections to the programmer´s socket, or you may burn the chip, the programmer or boty. Check the pinouts, and see if things are connected correctly.

Then try with any other bios chip, to determine if your setup is working correctly. If with a chip out of the board ( connected only to the programmer ) things work, then maybe you will need to dessolder the chip from the notebook board to flash it.

[beBoss]

Hi again,

I bought the 1.7 version of the CH341 programmer. After 2-3 hours of manually connecting the cables and checking against the chip scheme, I finally managed to read the BIOS—or at least I think I did. It seems like the connection with the clip is a bit unreliable, which was probably causing most of the issues. Some pins might not have been working properly either.

Anyway, here is the BIOS. Could you please clear it for me? I'm having trouble with RCUnlocker. It won't run and gives an error about missing DLLs, specifically "vcruntime140.dll not found." I installed the latest vc_redist.x64, but it still doesn't work.

Attached is the bin file. I would really appreciate it if you could unlock it for me.

This week when have time will post more information how I did it if this will help to somebody else.

One more question. How to find the password and decrypt it, is there info somewhere what they use? Any tips and hints?

Thank you!

Serial No: 8CC1270DH6
Product No: 47L40EA#ABZ

[hoaca388]

Hi again,

I bought the 1.7 version of the CH341 programmer. After 2-3 hours of manually connecting the cables and checking against the chip scheme, I finally managed to read the BIOS—or at least I think I did. It seems like the connection with the clip is a bit unreliable, which was probably causing most of the issues. Some pins might not have been working properly either.

Anyway, here is the BIOS. Could you please clear it for me? I'm having trouble with RCUnlocker. It won't run and gives an error about missing DLLs, specifically "vcruntime140.dll not found." I installed the latest vc_redist.x64, but it still doesn't work.

Attached is the bin file. I would really appreciate it if you could unlock it for me.

This week when have time will post more information how I did it if this will help to somebody else.

One more question. How to find the password and decrypt it, is there info somewhere what they use? Any tips and hints?

Thank you!

Serial No: 8CC1270DH6
Product No: 47L40EA#ABZ

File is corrupted , read chip again.

[beBoss]

Hmm. Is it possible to be corrupted because of the archive?
Also I don't have in the list of IC the same chip: GD25B256DFIG

I am reading it as:

GD25LQ256C-1.8v with AsProgrammer 3.15 -> 32.0 MB
GD25LQ256C-1.8v with AsProgrammer 2.0.4 -> 32.0 MB
GD25Q256 with NeoProgrammer 2.2.0.10 -> 32.0 MB
GD25B512ME with NeoProgrammer 2.2.0.10 ->64.0 MB

here are the files:

https://ufile.io/f/6brqt

edit: forgot to mention, I am using
Ch341A Programmer V1.7 1.8V Level Shift with the default settings for 3.3V

[hoaca388]

Hmm. Is it possible to be corrupted because of the archive?
Also I don't have in the list of IC the same chip: GD25B256DFIG

I am reading it as:



here are the files:

https://ufile.io/f/6brqt

edit: forgot to mention, I am using
Ch341A Programmer V1.7 1.8V Level Shift with the default settings for 3.3V

The files in your archive are all crap.
Please look up the Datasheet to see how many vol your chip has.

[beBoss]

The files in your archive are all crap.
Please look up the Datasheet to see how many vol your chip has.

What is that supposed to mean, I am not sure what I have to look for and find in the datasheet if I have the correct one at all.
Here is what I found:

https://www.elm-tech.com/ja/products/spi-flash-memory/gd25b256d/gd25b256d.pdf

[rex98]

What is that supposed to mean, I am not sure what I have to look for and find in the datasheet if I have the correct one at all.
Here is what I found:

https://www.elm-tech.com/ja/products/spi-flash-memory/gd25b256d/gd25b256d.pdf

just remove the bios chip using hot air 350c put in adapter and read in your programmer. do not use f*cking wires.

[beBoss]

Okay quick update, I rewired the cables with the Ch341A and the chip so should be okay or at least no the same results as the previous because now the positions are different.

• BIOS Chip Pin 2 (VCC) -> CH341a Programmer Pin 8 (VCC)
• BIOS Chip Pin 10 (VSS) -> CH341a Programmer Pin 4 (VSS)
• BIOS Chip Pin 7 (CS#) -> CH341a Programmer Pin 1 (CS)
• BIOS Chip Pin 8 (SO / IO1) -> CH341a Programmer Pin 2 (MISO)
• BIOS Chip Pin 15 (SI / IO0) -> CH341a Programmer Pin 5 (MOSI)
• BIOS Chip Pin 16 (SCLK) -> CH341a Programmer Pin 6 (SCK)
• BIOS Chip Pin 9 (IO2) -> CH341a Programmer Pin 3 (WP)
• BIOS Chip Pin 1 (IO3) -> CH341a Programmer Pin 7 (HOLD)

I will upload only the GD25Q256 because is the closes one in NeoProgrammer. I hope this one works.

Will attach an archive and a link just to make sure my archiver doesn't corrupt the file.

Serial No: 8CC1270DH6
Product No: 47L40EA#ABZ

Thanks in advanced and hope this time I am a bit closer...

[hoaca388]

Okay quick update, I rewired the cables with the Ch341A and the chip so should be okay or at least no the same results as the previous because now the positions are different.


I will upload only the GD25Q256 because is the closes one in NeoProgrammer. I hope this one works.

Will attach an archive and a link just to make sure my archiver doesn't corrupt the file.

Serial No: 8CC1270DH6
Product No: 47L40EA#ABZ

Thanks in advanced and hope this time I am a bit closer...

It's still the same.

[beBoss]

okay thanks for your time.

Maybe I should give up, i don't see where the problem is... But definitely won't buy a heat gun and open a service for fixing chips..

I thought would be a bit easier. Got two different ch341 and bunch of adapters cables etc for nothing.

Just a quick one, how do you know something is wrong with the bin file? So I can check as well and eventually if I continue trying to know when i got the valid one?

[hoaca388]

okay thanks for your time.

Maybe I should give up, i don't see where the problem is... But definitely won't buy a heat gun and open a service for fixing chips..

I thought would be a bit easier. Got two different ch341 and bunch of adapters cables etc for nothing.

Just a quick one, how do you know something is wrong with the bin file? So I can check as well and eventually if I continue trying to know when i got the valid one?

Look at the picture

[beBoss]

I see now, thanks 🙏🏼

[beBoss]

Hi again, I bought new clips, cables, etc., and I'm trying again. Can you quickly check the BIOS dump if I am getting close? Now I started to have more information close to your screenshot. I tried to use RCUnlocker, but because it's 32MB, it cannot unlock it. Can you try for me if the BIOS dump is okay now? And if eventually it's not, can you point me again where the problem could be, please? I feel that now things are better, and I do my best to ensure everything is connected correctly, but who knows...

edit: I added two more files, dumps from asprogrammer v3 and v2, interesting all software read differently, and the dubs is different. v2 is with the most information I think...

edit 2: maybe the bios on the chip is corrupt and it's not because I am doing something wrong? Can you actually provide me with fresh bios so I can try to write it directly and see if it's going to work?

Here is the serial for this chip/pc:
SERIAL N: 8CC1412D34
PRODUCT N: 47L40EA#ABZ

[hoaca388]

Hi again, I bought new clips, cables, etc., and I'm trying again. Can you quickly check the BIOS dump if I am getting close? Now I started to have more information close to your screenshot. I tried to use RCUnlocker, but because it's 32MB, it cannot unlock it. Can you try for me if the BIOS dump is okay now? And if eventually it's not, can you point me again where the problem could be, please? I feel that now things are better, and I do my best to ensure everything is connected correctly, but who knows...

edit: I added two more files, dumps from asprogrammer v3 and v2, interesting all software read differently, and the dubs is different. v2 is with the most information I think...

edit 2: maybe the bios on the chip is corrupt and it's not because I am doing something wrong? Can you actually provide me with fresh bios so I can try to write it directly and see if it's going to work?

Here is the serial for this chip/pc:
SERIAL N: 8CC1412D34
PRODUCT N: 47L40EA#ABZ

All 3 files are not ok.

[beBoss]

Yeah, I made so many tries, and all the time, different dumps from different software. I even tried with the black version, and the CH341 reads differently for each software and from the green version.
Will try now with the other two (I have two more PCs) with different chips, not MX25L256 but with GD25Q256. Hope I can dump at least them. Thanks again; will post later. But once again, do you mind providing an unlocked version so I can try and flash it and see if it runs?
Honestly, I don't understand how it reads the chip, but something is wrong. Also, when the CH341 is plugged in, the PC power button blinks white and red (don't know the order and times each). Is that normal? The battery is out, and the power supply; only power comes from the CH341. The green version, when reading, the LED is green and sometimes flashes.

[hoaca388]

Yeah, I made so many tries, and all the time, different dumps from different software. I even tried with the black version, and the CH341 reads differently for each software and from the green version.
Will try now with the other two (I have two more PCs) with different chips, not MX25L256 but with GD25Q256. Hope I can dump at least them. Thanks again; will post later. But once again, do you mind providing an unlocked version so I can try and flash it and see if it runs?
Honestly, I don't understand how it reads the chip, but something is wrong. Also, when the CH341 is plugged in, the PC power button blinks white and red (don't know the order and times each). Is that normal? The battery is out, and the power supply; only power comes from the CH341. The green version, when reading, the LED is green and sometimes flashes.

Have you removed the CMOS battery ?

[beBoss]

Have you removed the CMOS battery ?

Yes.

[ronald30]

Hello,

I have 2 BIOS locked HP PC's from an auction
I dumped the BIOS and tried unlocking but the RCUnlocker procedures failed because it's a 32mb bios
Could someone please unlock the bios dump for both PCs?

Thank you

PC1:
HP ProDesk 400 G6 DM
Serial number: 8CC0473C90
Product number: 9AG50AV

PC2:
HP ProDesk 400 G6 DM
Serial number: 8CC0473CG6
Product number: 9AG50AV