Password Protected HDD's

hi,

i work in a school and we have about 20 laptop hdd's that have been password protected by our "genius" kids :mad: and we were wondering how you guys clear the password so they can be used as spares in the future.

thanks guys

passworded as in encrypted or something else?

no as in it is password protected so we can not use the laptop until it is cleared. any ideas??

That sounds like a bios password then rather than a hard drive password?

no its a HDD password, we just like to know if there is any software or method out there to clear the HDD pass. thanks but it is not a bios password.

Laptop BIOS passwords can be difficult to clear as you cant get to the jumper on the motherboard to reset it. Depending on make and model it may require a trip back to the manufacture.

Try googling your make and model

If it's a hard drive password at what point does this password requirement arrive does it appear as part of the GUI or prior to OS loading?

I know HP laptops have a HDD password option in their Security Manager, which is a front-end for the BIOS. If you haven't set this up yourself (i.e. password protected the settings) before releasing the laptops anyone can fiddle with it. You can only reset a lost password by answering three security questions, which you most likely never set up in the first place if you released non-BIOS protected laptops to pupils :doh:

its an acer aspire 3690. it is prior to OS loading as the OS is stored on the HDD, is it not?

as soon as it clears the Acer "powering on" screen it demands the HDD password.

if it is a dell you can ring tech support and they will give you a master reset code

I've got round most BIOS passwords, apart from Sony. HDD passwords are tricky, they use a part of the drive that's not normally read. I have had one unlocked remotely over the net, it cost me less than a tenner.

hi thanks everyone so far,

UPDATE: The HDD is a Hitachi Travelstar 5K160

A quick Google search suggests you can contact Acer support who will help you unlock the HDD.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kili

Laptop BIOS passwords can be difficult to clear as you cant get to the jumper on the motherboard to reset it. Depending on make and model it may require a trip back to the manufacture.

Try googling your make and model

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There's an old 'debug' code that used to work for that :D Wonder if it still works actually....*runs off to find an old laptop*

I used these people to unlock the hard drive i had.

HDD Unlock - Overview