Password protected laptop HDDs?
in [Hardware]
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From: ~misfit~ on 2 Jul 2010 20:18 Somewhere on teh intarwebs mbegz(a)noaddress.com wrote: > Few years ago I inherited a laptop with the same problem. In googling > I found out a company who unlock for a price (some � for 40GB or so, > not very expensive). You do not have to send the HD to them, you > connect to their cite and they do it from there. Depending on the > size of the HD, couple of hours or more. > > Unfortunately I have forgotten their name etc. Google it and might > find them. Thanks, that's basically what the site that Paul limked to offer to do (they keep the password database / cracking software on site, just let you connect to it) but they're charging US$50 per drive (or five for $190). As much as I like to avoid waste for that sort of money I can get new HDDs, significantly larger and faster than these Tosh 120GBs. Shame, I really do detest waste. -- Cheers, Shaun. "When we dream.... that's just our brains defragmenting" G Jackson. > On Thu, 1 Jul 2010 22:28:14 +1200, "~misfit~" > <sore_n_happy(a)nospamyahoo.com.au> wrote: > >> Somewhere on teh intarwebs Grinder wrote: >>> On 7/1/2010 12:10 AM, ~misfit~ wrote: >>>> Somewhere on teh intarwebs ShadowTek wrote: >>>>> On 2010-07-01, ~misfit~<sore_n_happy(a)nospamyahoo.com.au> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>> However, when I dropped them in a SATA-USB dock and went to run >>>>>> my HDD scrubbing >>>>>> / over-writing software I got a message that the HDD was password >>>>>> protected. >>>>> >>>>> Are you simply trying to overwrite the files on the filesystem? >>>>> >>>>> If the filesystem is encrypted, all you can do is reformat the >>>>> disk. >>>> >>>> No, the lock-out is seemingly in the HDDs firmware, I can't even >>>> access them to reformat them. >>> >>> I've run into this situation a few times in xbox (original) modding >>> forums, as that console would hardware lock the drive based upon a >>> password encoded in a chip on the motherboard. In the half-dozen >>> resolutions I participated in, we were able to retrieve the hd key >>> from the xbox, or use a known password from the process that had >>> last modded the system. >>> >>> However, there were two claims as to how to unlock a drive where you >>> truly did not know the password: >>> >>> 1) Flash the firmware. Apparently, on some HDs, flashing the >>> firmware would also wipe out the existing key. I have not >>> personally confirmed that this has ever worked. >>> >>> 2) Use a backdoor password from the manufacturer. Some >>> manufacturers apparently realized the inherent fatality in lost >>> passwords, and wrote in one that would always be recognized. I >>> have not personally confirms that this has ever worked. >>> >>> Good luck to you, and please report your finding as this is >>> something where my interest far exceeds my education. >> >> Ok, thanks for the input. As mentioned extensive Google searches >> haven't come up with anything yet but my Google-fu isn't as good as >> it could be. I'll be sure to post if I find a fix.
From: Paul on 3 Jul 2010 02:41 ~misfit~ wrote: > Somewhere on teh intarwebs mbegz(a)noaddress.com wrote: >> Few years ago I inherited a laptop with the same problem. In googling >> I found out a company who unlock for a price (some � for 40GB or so, >> not very expensive). You do not have to send the HD to them, you >> connect to their cite and they do it from there. Depending on the >> size of the HD, couple of hours or more. >> >> Unfortunately I have forgotten their name etc. Google it and might >> find them. > > Thanks, that's basically what the site that Paul limked to offer to do (they > keep the password database / cracking software on site, just let you connect > to it) but they're charging US$50 per drive (or five for $190). > > As much as I like to avoid waste for that sort of money I can get new HDDs, > significantly larger and faster than these Tosh 120GBs. > > Shame, I really do detest waste. If they're setting all their drives with a Master password, they can be doing the erasing themselves, with the Secure Erase program. And then they can do whatever they want with the passwords, like disable them before giving the drives away. If they're comfortable giving you the master password, then you could do the erasing. The Master password has two settings, in terms of capabilities, and one of those options is more suited to "giving away" the Master password. If the Master password is set to "Maximum", then the Master password is only useful for erasing the drives. If the Master password is set to "High", then the Master password can be used for "snooping" by the management. For example, having the Master password set to "High" would be useful for rescuing employees who forget the value of the User password. Whereas, the "Maximum" mode, means the IT department cannot rescue employees from that situation, and basically all the IT department could do, is offer to erase the drive and start over again. If I was running the IT department, I'd have to use the "high" option, keep the Master password secret, and in that way, maintain the ability to examine any drive when required to do so. That would mean losing less employee work, due to using passwords. Paul
From: ~misfit~ on 3 Jul 2010 09:06
Somewhere on teh intarwebs Paul wrote: > ~misfit~ wrote: >> Somewhere on teh intarwebs mbegz(a)noaddress.com wrote: >>> Few years ago I inherited a laptop with the same problem. In >>> googling I found out a company who unlock for a price (some � for >>> 40GB or so, not very expensive). You do not have to send the HD to >>> them, you connect to their cite and they do it from there. Depending on >>> the size of the HD, couple of hours or more. >>> >>> Unfortunately I have forgotten their name etc. Google it and might >>> find them. >> >> Thanks, that's basically what the site that Paul limked to offer to >> do (they keep the password database / cracking software on site, >> just let you connect to it) but they're charging US$50 per drive (or >> five for $190). As much as I like to avoid waste for that sort of money I >> can get >> new HDDs, significantly larger and faster than these Tosh 120GBs. >> >> Shame, I really do detest waste. > > If they're setting all their drives with a Master password, they can > be doing the erasing themselves, with the Secure Erase program. And > then they can do whatever they want with the passwords, like disable > them before giving the drives away. If they're comfortable giving you > the master password, then you could do the erasing. > > The Master password has two settings, in terms of capabilities, and > one of those options is more suited to "giving away" the Master > password. If the Master password is set to "Maximum", then the Master > password > is only useful for erasing the drives. If the Master password is set > to "High", then the Master password can be used for "snooping" by the > management. For example, having the Master password set to "High" > would be useful for rescuing employees who forget the value of the > User password. Whereas, the "Maximum" mode, means the IT department > cannot rescue employees from that situation, and basically all the IT > department could do, is offer to erase the drive and start over > again. If I was running the IT department, I'd have to use the "high" > option, keep the Master password secret, and in that way, maintain the > ability to examine any drive when required > to do so. That would mean losing less employee work, due to using > passwords. Ahh, OK. They're not about to give me the password though. The guy who gave me the HDDs couldn't even get it I reckon. Their prefered option is catastrophic destruction of the HDDs and then the rest of the machines are sold on to re-marketers. The guy who I know is fairly low down the chain and knows that a) I'm fairly broke but hardware is my hobby and b) that if I give him my word that, if I can get into the HDDs I'll wipe them without accessing the data then I'll keep it. (I have a couple 'data destruction' utilities, DoD approved even! It seems likely that the whole excercise has been a waste of time though. I've followed the links you gave me and frankly it seems like too much trouble for some three year old 120GB HDDs that really aren't worth much second-hand anyway. Like I said, I just hate waste. Thanks for your time though Paul, appreciated. -- Shaun. "When we dream.... that's just our brains defragmenting" G Jackson. |