my laptop: acer aspire 6930z
wants a password -8characters(during system start) and its not the normal windows password! i also f2 during start but there it also wants the password.
when i entered a wrong pw for 3 times then it says: system disabled ...?????
on my pc i set a pw for empowering technology but thats not the one he wants! before i set that pw everything was ok. i searched the web for master passwords and i also tried all of them.

phil acer problem, June 2009

Go google $10 bios password unlock.
You might get lucky and recover your bios password for almost free!!

rahimhd, March 2011

I agree with the previous answer. It sounds like your problem is a BIOS password. To set or change this you need to go into the BIOS (usually by pressing F2 as the computer starts) then look in the security section. But you will not be able to remove the current password if you don't know what it is!!! If you did not set it yourself then either somebody with access to your computer has played an unpleasant practical joke on you or it has set itself as a result of some electrical glitch. This latter phenomenon is certainly a known problem on some laptop models. If you don't know the password then you will have to send your machine back to Acer with proof of ownership. This will not necessarily be an expensive fix.

Alan_B, June 2009

It sounds like the password that is set in a security chip on the motherboard. They are designed to turn stolen laptops into scrap.

That being the case, I would call the Laptop manufacturer. They will need proof of ownership and ID and I reckon that a fix will not be cheap.

T, June 2009

correction.... when i entered a wrong pw for 3 times it says: system disabled 07890

phil acer problem, June 2009