Looks like your machine CMOS setup is password protected. CMOS NVRAM in these machines save settings as you can see in the errors, but security locks are stored in an extra small EEPROM which doesn't get erased across reboots or battery failures. The errors come from CMOS automated routines can't save the default values even if you have new CMOS battery, because the routines are security locked by these passwords stored in EEPROM. You first need unlock your machine to make new CMOS settings, or let the automated routines create defaults and save them to the CMOS NVRAM.

In some Thinkpads there was a jumper pad on the motherboard which you short to clear the startup password.
https://thinkpads.com/support/hmm/hmm_pdf/38zhmm.pdf - see page 6

However, the supervisor password is harder to clear. For that era of TPs, a forgotten supervisor password would require a full motherboard replacement if serviced by IBM - http://ps-2.kev009.com/pcpartnerinfo/ctstips/e676.htm

From what you've described, and since you're seeing the CMOS battery errors, it shouldn't be a Power On Password - that one's easy to solve by clearing the CMOS (remove CMOS battery). There's also a supervisor password which is stored securely on an EEPROM inside the laptop which you can't just clear, like hyoenmadan mentioned. I've had to do this with some older thinkpads - I think a Thinkpad X21 and an X30, it's common with the ex corporate ones or just in general, laptops were valuable back then. Your one is valuable now in a sense, there certainly aren't many Thinkpad 380Z laptops around these days.

You can fix it by making up a serial port to i2c reader, soldering it carefully onto the EEPROM, using the free software on allservice.ro to read the EEPROM, then clear the password.
It requires some relatively fine soldering skills but if you've got soldering flux and some soldering wick to clean up bridges you should be fine.

There's other methods like shorting that eeprom but that'll cause a checksum error like this guy did, maybe that can work too: http://www.os2museum.com/wp/cracking-a-thinkpad-755c/

But it doesn't take many more steps to clear it the proper way with the ibmpass utility that allservice provide. See this thread for details: https://www.allservice.ro/forum/viewtopic.php?t=47
It works similarly to a password recovery method from another website, though that one was paid for and is now mostly gone from the Internet. The information on Joe in Australia's website is very useful for figuring out the exact procedure to read out the EEPROM safely, which you can mesh up fairly easily with the free allservice method.
You can find that here: https://web.archive.org/web/20040803124543/ht … rd_recovery.htm
Notice that it has a dedicated page for the 380Z - note that that uses a 24C01 eeprom instead of the 24RF08, but the software for that is also included in the allservice 24rf08 reader software.

Because it needs a real serial port, use an older laptop with a serial port if you've got another around. I used my Thinkpad 240Z's Windows XP install to do it last time I had to 😀

hyoenmadan wrote on 2021-07-21, 19:43:

Looks like your machine CMOS setup is password protected. CMOS NVRAM in these machines save settings as you can see in the errors, but security locks are stored in an extra small EEPROM which doesn't get erased across reboots or battery failures. The errors come from CMOS automated routines can't save the default values even if you have new CMOS battery, because the routines are security locked by these passwords stored in EEPROM. You first need unlock your machine to make new CMOS settings, or let the automated routines create defaults and save them to the CMOS NVRAM.

Hello 😀

Okay i understand what you explain, how do i proceed to "unlock" the laptop?

JidaiGeki wrote on 2021-07-21, 20:20:

In some Thinkpads there was a jumper pad on the motherboard which you short to clear the startup password.
https://thinkpads.com/support/hmm/hmm_pdf/38zhmm.pdf - see page 6

However, the supervisor password is harder to clear. For that era of TPs, a forgotten supervisor password would require a full motherboard replacement if serviced by IBM - http://ps-2.kev009.com/pcpartnerinfo/ctstips/e676.htm

Ok i see, and is those motherboad "easy" to find those days?

Is it worth repairing you think?

Thermalwrong wrote on 2021-07-21, 22:19:

From what you've described, and since you're seeing the CMOS battery errors, it shouldn't be a Power On Password - that one's ea […]
Show full quote

From what you've described, and since you're seeing the CMOS battery errors, it shouldn't be a Power On Password - that one's easy to solve by clearing the CMOS (remove CMOS battery). There's also a supervisor password which is stored securely on an EEPROM inside the laptop which you can't just clear, like hyoenmadan mentioned. I've had to do this with some older thinkpads - I think a Thinkpad X21 and an X30, it's common with the ex corporate ones or just in general, laptops were valuable back then. Your one is valuable now in a sense, there certainly aren't many Thinkpad 380Z laptops around these days.

You can fix it by making up a serial port to i2c reader, soldering it carefully onto the EEPROM, using the free software on allservice.ro to read the EEPROM, then clear the password.
It requires some relatively fine soldering skills but if you've got soldering flux and some soldering wick to clean up bridges you should be fine.

There's other methods like shorting that eeprom but that'll cause a checksum error like this guy did, maybe that can work too: http://www.os2museum.com/wp/cracking-a-thinkpad-755c/

But it doesn't take many more steps to clear it the proper way with the ibmpass utility that allservice provide. See this thread for details: https://www.allservice.ro/forum/viewtopic.php?t=47
It works similarly to a password recovery method from another website, though that one was paid for and is now mostly gone from the Internet. The information on Joe in Australia's website is very useful for figuring out the exact procedure to read out the EEPROM safely, which you can mesh up fairly easily with the free allservice method.
You can find that here: https://web.archive.org/web/20040803124543/ht … rd_recovery.htm
Notice that it has a dedicated page for the 380Z - note that that uses a 24C01 eeprom instead of the 24RF08, but the software for that is also included in the allservice 24rf08 reader software.

Because it needs a real serial port, use an older laptop with a serial port if you've got another around. I used my Thinkpad 240Z's Windows XP install to do it last time I had to 😀

Yes that's true, i've seen lot of 380XD but almost no 380Z (i've seen two on youtube and just one for sale), from what i've read, they were one of the latest models from this era to come by after they changed direction with their laptops.

Anyway, please do you have more informations about that soldering tricks? 😀

For the alternative methods, i've read the guy's page and it really seems critical to execute! Althought he is doing this hack on a 755C model, do you think it's the same inside as mine?

Thanks for the last reference, it seems like a HUUUGE job to do i think (at least for me) i don't think i'll have the time and skills to achieve that properly :s

Do you think it is possible to find a new Motherboard to switch this one with?

Hey I've been away from the forum for a bit. See the guide in the archive.org link. You'd need to build an i2c reader or have an eeprom reader like the TL866. The latter is my preferred method these days but it would require desoldering the little 24c01.

If you can find another motherboard, look on ebay or just search around on google for the IBM part code which is in either the service manual or somewhere on your board. Probably a few got dismantled over the years so they might be available but I didn't see much for the 380XD when I looked, hence my comment.

It is a pretty big job, I got lucky on the last laptop I had to do this with because the pins required were exposed on the docking connector. Sadly that's not the case for older laptops like the 380XD.
Regarding the shorting pins on the EEPROM to cause a checksum error which might get you into the bios, I Think that also clears out the boards serial number and could lock you out just as much as the password does right now. But it worked with the 755C, however that's from 1994, the way your 1997 380XD laptop handles checksum errors might be differerent.

Oh! also, your pictures of the laptop are really good, that thing's in great condition for its age and I hope you get it working 😀

Thermalwrong wrote on 2021-07-29, 20:54:

Hey I've been away from the forum for a bit. See the guide in the archive.org link. You'd need to build an i2c reader or have an […]
Show full quote

Hey I've been away from the forum for a bit. See the guide in the archive.org link. You'd need to build an i2c reader or have an eeprom reader like the TL866. The latter is my preferred method these days but it would require desoldering the little 24c01.

If you can find another motherboard, look on ebay or just search around on google for the IBM part code which is in either the service manual or somewhere on your board. Probably a few got dismantled over the years so they might be available but I didn't see much for the 380XD when I looked, hence my comment.

It is a pretty big job, I got lucky on the last laptop I had to do this with because the pins required were exposed on the docking connector. Sadly that's not the case for older laptops like the 380XD.
Regarding the shorting pins on the EEPROM to cause a checksum error which might get you into the bios, I Think that also clears out the boards serial number and could lock you out just as much as the password does right now. But it worked with the 755C, however that's from 1994, the way your 1997 380XD laptop handles checksum errors might be differerent.

I mean only the bare motherboard is like 120$ + , i could get a "brand new one" for half the price.

Oh! also, your pictures of the laptop are really good, that thing's in great condition for its age and I hope you get it working 😀

HEllo 😀
Okay, could you tell me more about those two options please? Where is it possible to buy it ? (if it's even possible haha)

Do you think it worth buying a working one without password for 80$ ? I found one that is working just the owner lost WIndows XP session password, but i think i could just format it and reinstall Windows 95 on top right?
Also it seems that the PS2 port is not working or not activated in the BIOS i don't know.

Verax wrote on 2021-07-31, 16:06:

HEllo :) Okay, could you tell me more about those two options please? Where is it possible to buy it ? (if it's even possible h […]
Show full quote

Thermalwrong wrote on 2021-07-29, 20:54:

Hey I've been away from the forum for a bit. See the guide in the archive.org link. You'd need to build an i2c reader or have an […]
Show full quote

Hey I've been away from the forum for a bit. See the guide in the archive.org link. You'd need to build an i2c reader or have an eeprom reader like the TL866. The latter is my preferred method these days but it would require desoldering the little 24c01.

If you can find another motherboard, look on ebay or just search around on google for the IBM part code which is in either the service manual or somewhere on your board. Probably a few got dismantled over the years so they might be available but I didn't see much for the 380XD when I looked, hence my comment.

It is a pretty big job, I got lucky on the last laptop I had to do this with because the pins required were exposed on the docking connector. Sadly that's not the case for older laptops like the 380XD.
Regarding the shorting pins on the EEPROM to cause a checksum error which might get you into the bios, I Think that also clears out the boards serial number and could lock you out just as much as the password does right now. But it worked with the 755C, however that's from 1994, the way your 1997 380XD laptop handles checksum errors might be differerent.

I mean only the bare motherboard is like 120$ + , i could get a "brand new one" for half the price.

Oh! also, your pictures of the laptop are really good, that thing's in great condition for its age and I hope you get it working 😀

HEllo 😀
Okay, could you tell me more about those two options please? Where is it possible to buy it ? (if it's even possible haha)

Do you think it worth buying a working one without password for 80$ ? I found one that is working just the owner lost WIndows XP session password, but i think i could just format it and reinstall Windows 95 on top right?
Also it seems that the PS2 port is not working or not activated in the BIOS i don't know.

I think the $80 option looks good. If anything goes wrong in shipping you already have a very nice condition laptop to swap parts around. You can use a serial mouse, or even a USB one if the PS2 port doesn't work. If you want to run older Windows, you might also be satisfied with a 380E (Pentium 150) or other 380 model, as long as you upgrade the memory and maybe storage as well, but the 380Z had a bigger screen (13" v 12").

Buying the individual motherboard/sytem board for the 380Z is only feasible if it comes up for sale - the part number is 10L1157, it's in the Hardware Maintenance Manual I linked to in my first post. There aren't any listings I could find on eBay US, UK or France so it is probably quite hard to find. And if you find it, it could possibly also be password locked!

The password recovery methods require you to be able to de-solder the chip containing the password, connect the chip to the serial cable and then retrieve the password. The other method on OS/2 Museum is to solder wires to the chip to short out two pins. If you aren't comfortable soldering to the chip on your system board then it's unlikely you'll be able to get the motherboard unlocked unless you send it to a repair shop or have someone else do it for you.

Finally, there is a forum for Thinkpad-specific questions, forum.thinkpads.com - they also have a trading section, although that tends to move a bit slowly. Hope you can find a solution and get a nice working Thinkpad soon! 😀