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Locking Your Bios - Step 1 of 3
If you find this step beyond your capabilities, do not despair. For now, just proceed to Step 2. You can always do Step 1 later.
The CE program is designed to be extremely difficult to disable or bypass. The technology used to prevent tampering and circumvention is from the strongest we have seen. However, by definition, any software protection cannot prevent someone with physical access to the computer from circumventing the entire Operating System (ie. Windows or Mac).
To ensure the most complete protection possible, we strongly suggest completing the following additional steps:
BIOS is short for Basic Input/Output System. When you turn on your computer, there is a small set of computer instructions called the BIOS that is accessed before anything else. This is entirely separate from the Operating System that a computer uses, eg Windows XP, etc.
As your computer starts up, before the "Windows" screen begins, there is an option to enter the "settings" or "configuration" of the BIOS. Usually it is entered by pressing F8 or one of the "F" keys. Look on the bottom of the screen right at start up to see what key you should press.
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Enter the BIOS settings.
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Once you have entered the BIOS settings, you will need to disable ALL boot options (CD, Removable Media etc.), except for the Hard Drive (HD). Please do this step with care, and if you are unsure, ask someone more technically knowledgeable.
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Next, you need to set an administrator password, so that no one else can change back these settings. Exactly how to do this will vary based on your computer model, but the option is there in the settings.
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When you are finished, Save Settings and Exit. The computer will restart.
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If all is well, if you now try step one, you will be prompted for a password.
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The BIOS password can be relatively easily reset by manipulation of the physical hardware. As such, we strongly recommend putting a physical lock on the computer CPU case. Some computers have a lock ring built in. Otherwise, you can purchase a screw-lock. These locks cost between 2 and 5 dollars. You can find some here.
Hide the key.
Laptops should ideally be locked up when not supervised.
Proceed to next step. (Step 2: Restrict Additional Usernames)»»»
