how to remove a known thinkpad hdd password using a desktop?

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irus · #1 Post by **irus** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 4:29 am

Hi,

My t42 died recently due to a bga chip issue or a power circuit issue and i decided to buy a new desktop instead. This has Windows 7 installed on it and i'm now trying to access thinkpads hard disk on this. The thinkpad had a supervisor password and a hard disk password both of which i remember, but there is no place to input the password. The thinkpad HDD is now in a usb enclosure. Without a thinkpad how do i remove this password now?

The motherboard of the new desktop has only SATA ports (Intel DG45ID). will making the thinkpad HDD a primary hdd via a SATA to IDE/PATA 2.5" HDD converter cable bring up the password prompt?

#2 Post by **Harryc** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 5:08 am

Mod edit - I deleted your duplicate thread. We do not allow cross posting on the forums. - Harryc

irus · #3 Post by **irus** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 6:09 am

thanks harry! hoping for some insight on this issue from members esp RealBlackstuff

#4 Post by **BillMorrow** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 10:35 am

can you borrow another thinkpad of similar vintage and use it to unlock your HDD..?
since you are in new delhi there might be another forum member who has one close by..

other options are send the drive to someone you trust to unlock it or remove the data..
not very good options, though..

#5 Post by **richk** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 11:39 am

There are tools that let you enter the password on a desktop, but the drive must be connected to an IDE channel, not a SATA->PATA bridge, unless it is like the one on a T43 that uses the standard address of the primary IDE channel. Please note that the desktop option won't work if you had passphrase set on the T42

irus · #6 Post by **irus** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 12:02 pm

BillMorrow wrote:can you borrow another thinkpad of similar vintage and use it to unlock your HDD..?
since you are in new delhi there might be another forum member who has one close by..

other options are send the drive to someone you trust to unlock it or remove the data..
not very good options, though..

i tried going to a second hand market of laptops and those guys are very uptight about allowing to touch the laptops. i did manage access to one t43 but its bios was old/unfamiliar atleast not 3.23 which i had. couldnt find a passphrase option on that. though thehard disk did boot into the OS.

i tried getting it unlocked at the same market (nehruplaceithub.com, nehruplaceonline.com) and the guy gave up after 1 hour.

before all this i tried the ibm HQ in the city and they don't remove passwords! nor did they have a t42 lying around! chee!! not worth it to go back they take $30 each time just to say hi!

irus · #7 Post by **irus** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 12:13 pm

richk wrote:There are tools that let you enter the password on a desktop, but the drive must be connected to an IDE channel, not a SATA->PATA bridge, unless it is like the one on a T43 that uses the standard address of the primary IDE channel. Please note that the desktop option won't work if you had passphrase set on the T42

it is a passphrase! so the desktop thing wont work? My T-Pad was 2373-P44 from singapore i'll try the second hand market again, can you tell me what all thinkpad models will be able to remove the password for this? i've seen R51 and R52 and T20's and T43 with really old bios lying around which didnt even accept the passphrase length of 16 chracters. it stopped at 8. so incase i request one of the guys there i should be sure the model will accept 16 character passphrase?

Indians are quite useless when it comes to helping each other. I saw a t42 lying right behind one of the reseller's chair and when i told him what the purpose of my visit was. he said we dont store thinkpads! Ah and whats that behind you? Oh that doesnt work! What if i pay you $50 for accessing it for 20 minutes? No no! Lazy buggers!

#8 Post by **richk** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 12:30 pm

Anything T41/R50 or later will support passphrase. I would offer to clear it if you sent drive and password, but it's a long way (and expensive) from India to San Francisco.

irus · #9 Post by **irus** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 12:52 pm

richk wrote:Anything T41/R50 or later will support passphrase. I would offer to clear it if you sent drive and password, but it's a long way (and expensive) from India to San Francisco.

Thanks Rich! it cud be reasonale depending on the carrier tho ill try and locate one of those models before troubling you !

#10 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 2:44 pm

Slight limitation: only T42/T43/R50/R51/R52 would work.
T60/R60/X60/Z60 and higher have SATA disks, so your PATA disk wouldn't fit.

#11 Post by **richk** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 5:30 pm

I should have mentioned that on T60 and later you would need to do it in an ultrabay adapter

irus · #12 Post by **irus** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 5:07 am

thanks RealblackStuff and Rich! i'll try an locate an R51/R52 which shouldn't be very difficult tomorrow as Sunday's a holiday at the market! will update with what happens

how to remove a known thinkpad hdd password using a desktop?

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