Using ATAPWD or MHDD to remove hard drive password

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Logos · #1 Post by **Logos** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 4:06 pm

I need to remove the password on a hard drive previously used in a T43. I know the hard drive password.

However both ATAPWD and MHDD failed to unlock the drive, as if I typed the password wrong. Why? Does the Thinkpad hash, encrypt, or in other way mingle, the password before sending to the hard drive?

#2 Post by **rkawakami** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 5:00 pm

Welcome to thinkpads.com!

If you do know the password, then if the drive is installed in a T43 it should work. The only thing I can think of that may prevent it from working is if a different keyboard layout was used.

Logos · #3 Post by **Logos** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 6:12 pm

Yes, it works perfectly if I put it back in a T43. But I want the password removed so that it can work with other computers or in a USB enclosure.

The T43 BIOS doesn't allow me to remove the hard drive password without entering a Master Password, which I don't have.

Lukas · #4 Post by **Lukas** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 6:41 pm

there is no possibility to unlock hdd master password, without knowing it without integration in hdd hardware, whan u type ata lock in google, u will find a lot about topic.i know, because i had few of them some time ago, but i didnt manage to unlock them.

Logos · #5 Post by **Logos** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 12:44 am

It's not possible to unlock the drive by using the (known) user password only?

#6 Post by **carbon_unit** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 5:40 am

No, that is what the Master password is for. User password is only for access.

egibbs · #7 Post by **egibbs** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 6:53 am

Keep in mind is that Passwords and Passphrases have different rules as far as recognition of special characters, capitalization, length, etc. A Passphrase created in Passphrase mode will not necessarily work in Password mode.

Ed Gibbs

zverg · #8 Post by **zverg** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 10:57 am

I just removed the hard drive password on my old 80GB fujitsu yesterday..

here's how I did it:
- remove hard drive from T42
- insert into Dell Latitude D620 extra drive bay
- when prompted, enter hard drive password.
- enter BIOS setup, and on the hard drive password page set the new password to be blank.

This could possibly work from the T42 as well, but you'll need the master bios password to get that far. If you can use another laptop you should be able to remove the password (needing to know just the hard drive password)

Logos · #9 Post by **Logos** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 12:25 pm

Hey zverg, you are right.

I have managed to unlock the hard drive using another laptop, in this case, an Asus Z70Va.

This is strange because ATAPWD and MHDD should've been able to do the same thing (I was running these programs from a desktop, using a 3.5" -> 2.5" IDE convertor).

Thanks!

Using ATAPWD or MHDD to remove hard drive password

Using ATAPWD or MHDD to remove hard drive password

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