Thinkpads Forum

I have a password protected drive from a T40. I got the machine from some guy who only remembered one password, and that is only user. He doesn't remember setting any other password. eitherway I have used it happily for a while.


I am thinking about using this drive as a backup through a USB interface?! I can't remove the password but I figured it is a nice thing to have anyways!

The USB donglo refuses to work with the drive with password! and if it is plugged in to a PC/the ThinkPad when being booted, the host PC will freeze. Should I assume my drive controller does not recognise that and therefore I can't do this?

Does any USB storage thing work with the password protected drives?!

I have a password protected drive from a T40. I got the machine from some guy who only remembered one password, and that is only user.

Typical situation, and "lotsa luck". About the only real chance you have it to hook the passworded HDD up to a non-passworded system and let the system set the supervisor password (identical to that in the HDD), then crack the supervisor password. That solves both problems (supervisor and HDD password). Otherwise you can throw the HDD away - or use one of the (generally expensive) services available to remove the HDD password.

Incidentally, I'm aware that password problems are "no-no's" here, but I don't agree with that policy and will be questioning it in a separate posting.

You need to put the hard drive in a Thinkpad, go into the BIOS and supply the supervisor password to remove the password before it will work in a USB enclosure.

Discussing password problems is OK but discussing how to crack passwords is not OK. We don't want to become a reference for thieves to unlock stolen goods.

Discussing password problems is OK but discussing how to crack passwords is not OK. We don't want to become a reference for thieves to unlock stolen goods.

Or for unlucky owners who want to access their property without paying an arm and a leg for the privilege either, it would seem. OK, I've had my say in another thread and won't continue here.

As I explained I got the machine from someone and he is confident there was no password other than the one he gave me.

I was reading the hard drive data sheet and realised to set user password you need to set Master password and chances are the dealer or someone else set the master for this guy and he never knew.

So what I have is the user password that I could change but as you know I can't remove(STUPID SYSTEM) and the harddrive is essentially useless in anything but this machine.

I was hoping the USB casing could work with this and hopefully if I have it plugged in when starting up it would ask for password and then later let me use the drive as backup. Because this is slower than my backup drive and is also more tired and I would have liked it retired from daily duties, I guess now I have to use it until it dies.