BIOS unlocking is not only the configuration but also firmware control. Users may replace the standard
BIOS firmware with a custom BIOS firmware or with an open-source alternative such as coreboot or Open BIOS, which erases vendor restrictions and adds contemporary feature sets unavailable in the stock UEFI interfaces.
This custom firmware may be used to better boot times, Linux compatibility, and remove unneeded DRM modules
or telemetry present in OEM builds. This degree of personalization is priceless in privacy-and performance-oriented systems.
Security features are also included in this basket. A BIOS that is unlocked puts the user in control of technologies like TPM (Trusted Platform Module) and Secure Boot. These features are relevant to enterprise security compliance, but there are valid use cases: like installing alternative operating systems or doing hardware-level forensic work, that require disabling TPM or Secure Boot.
BIOS unlocking also permits you to activate Intel VT-x or AMD-V virtualization assist, which is essential in case you are operating virtual machines or sandbox environments. Such capabilities are frequently locked on retail units and can just be enabled using high-level BIOS options.
Unlocking your BIOS allows you to correct the firmware settings of your system to your specific use case, be it improving privacy, virtualization or experimenting with open-source firmware.
Risks & Safety Precautions
There are great benefits of unlocking your BIOS, yet it also carries some dire consequences. When you zero-out firmware, circumvent a password lock, or adjust low-level power properties, you are working with the deepest software layer of your device. Any incorrect action here may cause the instability of the system, its irreparable damage, or loss of data. So, by the time you decrypt your BIOS, it is mandatory to grasp the involved risks and have an effective safety strategy.
Bricking and Recovery Planning of Systems
The underlying riskiest issue with BIOS unlocking is bricking the system-making it unbootable, typically
because of a failed flash or corrupt firmware, or incorrect setting. This may happen when you do firmware updates,
or flash a custom BIOS, or even when changing some low level settings such as CPU or memory management.
As a workaround to this potential risk, more sophisticated users and IT
professionals may give preference to systems that have dual BIOS systems, to act as a backup in the event
of primary BIOS failure. On some systems, there are also BIOS recovery modes, entered by pressing special key combinations or by hardware jumpers. Such an example, Dell systems commonly have CMOS jumper reset procedures which you can use to clear BIOS passwords or to restore factory settings.
One way, detailed on the official Dell documentation and repeated on such websites as SpUnlock.com and BIOSBug.com, is to temporarily disable a jumper or battery to clear CMOS memory.
It Is common practice to recommend professionals who use BIOS unlock tools supplied by SpUnlock.com to first write
down all the current settings, make a backup of the critical firmware settings and to prepare a bootable recovery
USB drive before proceeding with any changes. When a flash or unlock fails, these recovery tools may be all that stands between a slight delay and a non-functional system.
