Hard drive locked

[TorontoRepair]

Hi,

I have a wester digital hard drive that has a hardware lock on it (not windows password). Some data recovery programs do not recognize it but those that do request a password. Obviously the password is lost and I haven't found a way to reset it because it is the highest level of password lock on the hard drive.

Any ideas???

 

[Fred_G]

I would contact WD, and see if they can help you with the password problem.

E

 

[TorontoRepair]

Hard drive lock

WD is not very helpfull on this subject, they say that the HDD may be damaged. So far the only option that I have is to low level format a portion of the drive hoping that the lock is placed on that particular portion. But this is a very dangerous thing to do, so I am still searching for other options.

TorontoRepair

 

[Bryce W]

If you know the power-on password:

The procedure to remove a hard disk password depends on whether or not it is set to the same password as the power-on password.

When the hard disk password is set the same as the power-on password:
Remove the password by following the procedure below. This operation removes both the hard disk password and the power on password.

You must remove your password at the password prompt that appears when you turn on the computer. To remove the password, at the prompt: Enter your current password, press the Spacebar and then press Enter.

When the hard disk password and the power-on password are different, or a power-on password has not been
set:
1. Turn off the computer and wait at least 5 seconds: then turn it on.
2. If you have set the power-on password, type it; then press Enter.
3. When the hard disk password prompt appears, type your current password, press the Spacebar, and then press Enter.


Or, if you are feeling crazy:
http://www.driverforum.com/harddrive3/1642.html

 

[TorontoRepair]

hard drive master password lock

Thank you Knuckles10 but I do not have any passwords.

I have tried a few passwords on the hard drive but I guess that it locked itself with a master password (I entered too many times the user password). By the way, so far the best tool I have found is Victoria 4.3 (Russian freeware!).

Please let me know if you find something else, and I will keep you posted on my progress.

 

[Bryce W]

What did Victoria 4.3 do?
Most sources I have found online say that if the harddrive password is lost, the data is essentially gone. :/

 

[TorontoRepair]

hard drive master password lock

Victoria 4.3 was allowing me to reset the HDD user password.

Unfortunately at the time I found this software I had already submitted too many wrong User level password (to the HDD), so it had upgraded itself to a Master level password (which cannot be reseted with this software).

Technically speaking, the data is not gone, just that the hard drive does not allow you to read any other sectors (but you can write!).