What is Motherboard “Tattooing” and what does it mean for your motherboard?

You may have heard the term “tattooing” applied to motherboards, and wondered what the term means. A motherboard tattoo is a code that is imprinted on a specific motherboard that locks it to a specific disc, such as a diagnostic or recovery disc that is packaged with the machine. This process is a sort of copy protection that keeps users from using the recovery disc of one machine to install the operating system and other tools onto an unauthorized machine.

The “tattoo” is generally a bit of code programmed into the BIOS of the laptop system boards. When a user attempts to boot from the disc, the BIOS compares the code to the one on the disc, and if the codes don’t match, the system will not boot from the disc. This is common with many HP laptop system boards.

While this system is generally a fairly reasonable way to keep discs from being used on unauthorized systems, it also creates a serious problem for some users who have lost their original disc. Since the system is also tied directly to the disc, a user who has lost their original disc may not have any way to boot a troubled system without the recovery disc, since the system will not boot from an unauthorized disc. In many cases, the solution is to reprogram the BIOS to accept a new disc, which may require sending the computer to the manufacturer for a laptop repair and reprogramming of the chip.

If you have a recovery disc that will not boot with your computer, or you have lost the recovery disc that came with your computer and have no way to boot or repair it, you should contact the manufacturer. The manufacturer may have some options for helping you to repair or recover your system and get it back to a working state. If the problem requires a replacement part, visit our homepage to view parts for your specific model.