Reformatt Computer Services

23/09/2026

Do you have a PC with a forgotten BIOS password?

This is often set by businesses to prevent modification to the settings contained in the UEFI/BIOS. This is also known as the firmware, and is what starts the computer before it launches into an operating system like Windows. Some 2nd hand systems, which are often out of lease business machines, have these enabled. Or it might be that you set it up, and later forgot what it was.

This password prevents you from changing any settings in the UEFI/BIOS. If an upgrade is attempted, this might result in the system not being able to boot at all and the PC becomes next to useless.

The manufacturer (HP, Lenovo, Dell etc) will often tell you they cannot help and they will need to exchange the computers motherboard.

Well, not so! There is a helpful online community actively helping to keep these machines out of landfill! I can remove these BIOS passwords for a fraction of the cost of a replacement motherboard.

This usually requires some hardware reading/writing of the BIOS chip on the motherboard (or in some cases, the embedded controller).

I offer this to both other computer repair shops or end users. Give me a call on 0422 867 943 if you need this service.

20/07/2026

15/07/2026

One of the most common problems I hear about with Macbooks (other than the screen isn't working) is spilling liquid into the keyboard.

In some cases, the owner will claim the MAC 'works fine' except the keyboard now doesn't work. They get an outrageous repair quote from Apple and just use an external keyboard instead. Runs fine for years that way on MAC OS Monterey, until they then get a prompt to upgrade their OS. They do the upgrade, it completes, only to find that their external keyboard no longer works. They cannot login of course, and Touch ID if configured, will not work till you are logged in with a password. Again, cannot be done without a working internal keyboard.

This is because Apple have introduced for MAC OS Ventura or later, a new setting under Privacy and Security/Accessories. This prevents the USB-C ports from being used for anything other than charging till authorised. This is to prevent access by 3rd parties for hacking purposes etc. Unfortunately this also means a external keyboard no longer is enabled either!

Note this setting is only applicable for Apple Silicon MAC's (M1, M2 etc), and not older Intel machines prior to 2020.

By default, the Accessories option is set to 'Ask for new accessories'. Anything external, even a keyboard, must first be approved by you through a prompt in the OS. But you can only do this AFTER logging in. Which you cannot do if the internal keyboard is not working.

Other than having a Bluetooth keyboard configured prior to the update, I don't know of any other means to get around this. Comments are welcome if you have a workaround.

The only options are to either get the internal keyboard replaced (not that easy) or roll back the MAC to Monterey in Recovery Mode. Apple don't allow rollbacks with existing user data, so you have to wipe the MAC first before installing Monterey. If you don't have a backup, you would have to mount the machine in Target Disk mode or migrate it to another MAC via a Thunderbolt cable.
Personally I change this setting to 'Always Allow'. It is something to be aware of before hitting the upgrade option on a MAC with a bad keyboard.

I attach an Apple support article detailing the setting.

On Mac laptops with Apple silicon, you may need to approve new accessories before they can connect.

11/05/2026

Windows 11 comes installed with a lot of unnecessary Apps that take up system space, and in some cases are simply a nuisance. Copilot and Teams are some examples of what is called Bloatware. Stuff you didn't ask for or don't need that just clutters up your system.

A new free tool automates the process and simply removes the bloat. You just have to launch it from Terminal (right click on your Start menu or Windows key + X, select Terminal) and copy and paste in this command.

& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm "https://debloat.raphi.re/")))

This will download the script from the Developers Github page and run it. It will automatically remove all of Microsofts crap. Great tool.

Developers link:

https://github.com/raphire/win11debloat

A simple, lightweight PowerShell script that allows you to remove pre-installed apps, disable telemetry, as well as perform various other changes to declutter and customize your Windows experience....

24/03/2026

I get many phone calls about replacing HDMI ports on gaming consoles (mostly PS5). I hadn't pulled any apart in ages, so bought a PS5 myself in order to work out what's involved. Wasn't going to experiment on a customers machine.

There are many screws! But what was quite amazing was the amount of dust that had clogged the heatsinks on this unit. It was quite amazing this thing hadn't died considering how choked it was. This is worse usually when the owners have pets! The hair gets sucked in and combined with dust entirely clogs it up.

Replacement of the port is straightforward if you have the skills with hot air. The most time consuming aspect with these machines is getting the main board out, clearing out the dust and removing all the heatsink components from the board. The other issue is the liquid metal on the APU oxidising and creating a spot where there is poor heat transfer. This needs attention prior to reassembly.

Anyway am now offering HDMI replacements on the PS5 consoles.

12/03/2026

I was contacted this week by a customer who had taken their Lenovo Ideapad laptop to another shop for a screen lid replacement due to a broken hinge. Long story short, the laptop display went very dim the day after they got it back (no backlight). The shop tried another screen and cable, could not resolve the problem and returned it to the customer as being a no fix. They cannot perform motherboard repairs so was out of their scope.

So luckily, the customer sought me out to see if I could fix the motherboard. He'd done some research and testing, and asked if I could replace the screen fuse FG2. Yes I could, however fuses don't fail for no reason and it would likely blow again.

So the laptop was brought to me (in pieces might I add). I reassembled it all, replaced the missing screws, and found the +19V power rail to the screen was shorted to ground within the LCD cable itself. Hence the fuse FG2 did it's job and blew. Replacement of this fuse (3 amps 0402 size) is relatively easy for board repairers. For reference, this machine has a NM-D701 motherboard fitted.

So LCD cable and fuse replacement was able to resolve the missing backlight. A relatively straightforward repair that was done with the week, the longest time was waiting for the new LCD cable to arrive from a local supplier. This customer had been waiting since the beginning of January only to be told 2 months later it wasn't fixable.

I was told the shop was waiting for a screen for 4 weeks, and another 4 weeks for a cable? This can be the case if you are going through official resellers like EMPR as they rarely have any stock and lead time is 4-6 weeks. These parts, while genuine, often are significantly more expensive and take forever to get. So we often use other local suppliers, or from Chinese traders on Aliexpress for harder to get parts. This often makes a repair viable price wise and usually less time to get them, even from China, than the official parts supplier.

So if you are told by someone your laptop isn't repairable, at least ask someone like me for a 2nd opinion before you throw it out. You might be pleasantly surprised!

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19/01/2026

2026 is looking to be a rough year for those in the Computer industry and other industries connected to it, such as Smartphones and Tablets.

RAM and SSD prices are through the roof due to manufacturers prioritising high bandwidth memory (HBM) over conventional DRAM. Large orders and higher buy prices from AI data centres means the poor old consumer is going to miss out. Take this video from a repairer who was reselling business laptops for resale. The suppliers are removing the RAM and SSD's as these are now worth more than the laptop itself.

The scale of what is happening in the AI space has now pushed companies like Apple into 2nd place with fabs like TSMC in Taiwan. In fact, TSMC's revenue is now coming primarily from the AI space, and not Apple. So Apple's influence in being able to dictate prices is somewhat diminished - prices for their products will inevitably rise. For those that don't follow, most of the worlds processors for smartphones, video cards and computers come from TSMC. The AI revolution is having a pronounced effect on many things in the electronics space, and as supplies run out, you will see prices increase dramatically.

The scale of what is being built for AI is absolutely insane. Google Colossus 2 for what Musk is building in Tennessee. They have their own power station that they recommissioned just to run it.

My goal was always to fight the "disposable tech" trend by flooding the market with reliable, repairable used business-class laptops. But because of the deva...

15/01/2026

WTF is going on with Microsoft and Windows? What used to be a great operating system is turning to s**t. Some are now dubbing them Microslop. They've now proclaimed that Windows will be an 'Agentic OS' - in other words WIndows is progressively being replaced by AI features and advertising.

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of this AI crap being shoved down my throat. I think this is Microsoft's way of dethroning Google by supplanting their search engine. If you ask the Copilot AI now to look for something, it will use Bing instead of Google. But judging by this video, Copilot has the least market share out of all the AI search engines.

We all thought years ago that Nokia was unassailable as the king of the mobile phones. But they got arrogant and totally dismissed the iPhone at the time. Now where are they?

Microsoft currently make more money out of the corporate dealings like Azure and subscriptions. Regular consumers now are at the bottom and now they only care about selling your data, shoving ads in your face and stealing your searches from Google and transferring it to Bing. We're being treated like battery hens.

Microsoft need to change course or we're back to the bad old days of Windows 8!

Windows seems to be on a downward trajectory. With Microsoft trying to force as much AI into as possible, what will the future of the operating system look ...

15/01/2026

I guess only the true computer nerds out there will find this funny...

BTW, Scott Adams (the author of Dilbert) just passed away. We have his comics to remember him by. RIP.