A Toughbook FZ-G2 BIOS password has no reset switch, but the original password can usually be recovered from the tablet’s own firmware, as long as the tablet still starts Windows. You save a read-only copy of the BIOS ROM with a small AMI utility and send me that file. The password is read out of it. Nothing is flashed, and the tablet never leaves your desk.
The FZ-G2: a current tablet, not old surplus
Panasonic sells it as the Toughbook G2, and FZ-G2 is the model number on the rear label. It arrived in 2021 to replace the FZ-G1. It is a 10.1-inch fully rugged Windows tablet that becomes a 2-in-1 when you clip on the optional keyboard base. It fits most G1 vehicle docks, so many fleets simply swapped one for the other.
There have been three marks so far:
- Mk1: 10th-generation Intel Core i5 or i7 with vPro.
- Mk2: 12th-generation Intel Core.
- Mk3: Intel Core Ultra.
Because the G2 is still in production, a locked one rarely comes from a bulk clear-out. More often it ended a lease, moved from one contractor to another, or was sold on as a refurb. The fleet set a supervisor password on day one, and it stayed behind when the tablet changed hands.
Why a Toughbook FZ-G2 BIOS password survives everything you try
The battery unlatches by hand. The SSD slides out of a quick-release bay. The expansion areas take swappable modules such as a barcode reader, a serial port or a smart card reader. None of those parts holds the lock.
The supervisor password lives in a flash chip soldered to the motherboard, next to the UEFI firmware. That chip needs no power to remember. So these all fail:
- A battery pull. Leave the pack out for a weekend and the prompt is still waiting.
- A fresh SSD. The quick-release bay makes this a ten-second job, and it changes nothing in Setup.
- Removing or swapping an expansion module. Those carry ports and readers, not firmware settings.
- Reset this PC or a clean install. Windows gets rewritten. The firmware does not.
Skip the Windows reset in particular. A working Windows is the one thing you need for the recovery.
Which lock do you have?
Locked Setup, working Windows
This is the common case. With the keyboard base attached, press F2 at the Panasonic logo. On a bare tablet, touch the top-left corner of the screen during the logo, or plug in a USB keyboard. The password prompt appears, and Setup stays shut.
Windows still loads, so the tablet works. However, you cannot change the boot order, re-enable a camera, GPS or modem that the last owner turned off, or adjust Secure Boot and TPM options. This case is recoverable, because the extraction tool runs inside Windows.
Locked at power-on
If the tablet demands the password before anything loads, Windows never starts. The tool has nowhere to run, and so the software route cannot be done.
Locked Setup and an empty drive
Some refurbished G2s arrive with a wiped SSD and a boot order you cannot change. Here the quick-release bay helps. An SSD that already has 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 installed will often start from the internal slot. It is not guaranteed, so message me before you buy a drive for it.
Windows 10 or Windows 11: picking the tool folder
The ROM is saved with AMI’s AFUWIN utility, and the right build depends on your Windows version. The G2 keeps this simple: every unit is 64-bit, and none shipped with Windows 7 or 8.
- Mk1 tablets were mostly sold with Windows 10 Pro, and later Mk1 stock came with Windows 11 Pro. Unlike the G1, the Mk1’s processor is on Microsoft’s Windows 11 list. As a result, many have been upgraded since Windows 10 support ended in October 2025.
- Mk2 and Mk3 tablets are Windows 11 Pro machines.
Do not guess from the mark. Run winver, or open Settings > System > About. Then start with the AMI-Windows-11 folder. If it will not save, fall back to AMI-Windows-10. The tool only reads the chip, so a failed attempt costs you nothing. The ROM extraction guide walks through each step.
A known snag on the G2: Panasonic ships it as a Secured-core PC, and Windows features such as Memory integrity may block the small driver that AFUWIN loads. If you see a driver error, copy the exact wording and send it to me before you change any security settings.
How the recovery works
- Message me with the model, the mark if you know it, and your Windows version. I reply with a link to the tools folder.
- Put the tablet on AC power and sign in as an administrator.
- Run AFUWIN as administrator and choose Save. Never choose Flash.
- Rename the saved file after yourself, for example
John_Smith.rom, and send it to me. - I review the ROM first. You pay only if I confirm that the password can be recovered.
- I recover the original password from your file and mail you a printed Recovery Report.
Panasonic still releases firmware for the G2, so please hold off on BIOS updates while your file is with me. Once you have the password, you can change or clear it yourself in Setup. The full sequence is on the How It Works page, and the Toughbook BIOS password recovery service page covers the service as a whole.
Message me before you buy
Contact comes first, and payment comes later. Message me through eBay before you buy, or use the contact page. Tell me you need a Toughbook FZ-G2 BIOS password recovered, and say which Windows the tablet runs. Then send the ROM, named after yourself. I check the file first, and you only purchase once I confirm recovery is possible.
If you are the original purchaser and the tablet is still under warranty, Panasonic’s own service channel may also be an option, although it means shipping the unit away.
Related pages: the FZ-40 is the G2’s laptop sibling, the 7-inch FZ-M1 is the smaller tablet in the range, and the supported Toughbook models list covers the rest of the range. The pricing and what you get page explains what arrives with the report.
Owner-authorized systems only. I only work on Toughbooks that you own or are authorized in writing to service. A leased or agency-owned G2 needs that authorization from its owner, and I may ask for proof of ownership.
Panasonic and Toughbook are trademarks of Panasonic Holdings Corporation. This is an independent service, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Panasonic.
Download the ROM-BIOS backup tool
Save a firmware backup on Windows x64. The public edition does not include password-hash extraction.