Hard drive Gateway solo 2500 notebook

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rich
  • Start date Start date
Adam Leinss said:
Interesting. I looked up some more information and sure enough,
password protection is part of the ATA spec (3 and later).
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Seems the verdict is
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Oh?! Where? Who's?
that the password is in the EEPROM chip on the disk
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Not likely.
Exchanging the EC assembly would let you get to the data and return
the drive to value. And some datarecovery companies wouldn't offer
their services to remove drive passwords by rewriting the servo tracks.
 
J.Clarke said:
Don't know if it's generically true but I understand that all IBM drives
have a master password that can be used to erase the drive but not to read it.
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Not very likely.
In order to be able to set the password (e.g. by an administrator) that pass-
word shouldn't already have been set and actually keep one from using it.
Presumably the same is true for other drive vendors--to find
out and find out how to use it you'd need to make a tech support call to
the drive manufacturer and if they can help you at all they'll probably
want some evidence that the machine was not stolen.

The gotcha is that I understand that the master password can be changed,
although it usually is not.
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You can only change it when you know the previous one.
 
Folkert Rienstra said:
Not very likely.
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It is in fact the way its normally done. Read the ATA standard, stupid.
In order to be able to set the password (e.g. by an administrator) that
password shouldn't already have been set and actually keep one from using it.
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Irrelevant cryptic waffle. Presumably just another juvenile attempt at a troll.
You can only change it when you know the previous one.
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Irrelevant.
 
Rod:
Tried all suggestions. If I had Linus or Free BSD installed I might be able
to do it. However, ATAPWD and HDUNLOCK both require the default master
password in order to clear the user password. I could not find the default
master password for a Toshiba hard disk. Seagate is easy because it is
Seagate. I couldn't even do a complete erase of the disk without the master
password. I guess the only solution at this point is to pick up a new drive.
The google URL that you gave me was very helpful. Thanks.
 
Rich said:
Rod:
Tried all suggestions. If I had Linus or Free BSD installed I might be able
to do it. However, ATAPWD and HDUNLOCK both require the default master
password in order to clear the user password. I could not find the default
master password for a Toshiba hard disk.
Click to expand...
Seagate is easy because it is Seagate.
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So, all thiefs of the world, if you go out nicking laptops,
make sure you pick only those brands that use Seagate.
 
Tried all suggestions. If I had Linus or Free BSD installed I might
be able to do it. However, ATAPWD and HDUNLOCK both require
the default master password in order to clear the user password.
I could not find the default master password for a Toshiba hard
disk. Seagate is easy because it is Seagate.
Click to expand...

Did you try asking Toshiba ?
I couldn't even do a complete erase of the disk without the master
password. I guess the only solution at this point is to pick up a new
drive. The google URL that you gave me was very helpful. Thanks.
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Yeah, its one hell of a resource.

http://209.167.114.38/support/TechSupport/TSBs/ALL/-TSB000795.htm
mentions a Toshiba drive master password utility.

http://www.google.com/search?q=tosh...r=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&as_qdr=all&start=10&sa=N
turns up quite a few hits.
 
Folkert Rienstra said:
Growing up is such a bitch, isn't it child?
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Well, never had many problems with it actually. Anyway that's behind me.
Being a certified jurk like you must be tougher as it isn't a phase that
goes by, you're certified for life.
 
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