HD clone password read drive

[pcpete]

I just came across a bad hard drive with a known HD password. This got me thinking. Are there Windows or Linux utilities that will unlock a drive to allow viewing the contents? Does ddrescue have an option to enter the password to allow cloning?

 

[Larry Sabo]

To access the contents (user data), you would have to use a firmware repair tool that enables removing passwords. Depending on what's wrong with the drive, that and recovering the user data might or might not be an easy job. It's something you would have to have a data recovery specialist assess.

 

[pcpete]

To keep the conversation simple, on a healthy drive is there a way to unlock a password protected drive with either linux or Windows. A perfect example would be a computer with a failed mother board with a healthy hard drive which needs to be accessed(you know the password); a utility that allows you to enter the password would be ideal.

 

[Larry Sabo]

I don't know if putting a healthy drive into a laptop of the same model and using the security features of the BIOS to clear the password would work, but I suspect it would. I'm not aware of software that would let you do it, other than firmware repair software. You can search through HDDOracle.com for such software but buying and using it is not straightforward. I have firmware repair tools that do it, but they are not what you are after.

 

[DataMedics]

If its a WD drive then it's generally pretty simple because there's a master password. Here's a how to to unlock using Hiren's boot cd: https://mayurmgaikwad.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/unlock-western-digital-hdd-using-master-password/

 

[pcpete]

I think we may be talking about different things. I already know the password; other than unlocking it with the original computer are there programs that will unlock it using the known password on a different machine?

 

[Ed_Zipper]

We just blow out the password. I have never given a thought to saving the pword. Linux will disregard any and all Windows or Norton permissions. Just my 4 cents.

 

[pcpete]

We just blow out the password. I have never given a thought to saving the pword. Linux will disregard any and all Windows or Norton permissions. Just my 4 cents.

I don't think that would apply to an internal hard drive password which I think is saved on the SA section of the hard drive.

 

[DataMedics]

Perhaps it would help if you explained what you're trying to accomplish. E.G. connect the drive to another computer and read/write data to the drive, make sure that no one else can access the drive, etc.

 

[pcpete]

I wanted to know if you can unlock a drive using a known password on another computer with the goal of reading data or using the drive.

 

[Markverhyden]

I wanted to know if you can unlock a drive using a known password on another computer.

The little experience I have indicates that the "another computer" needs to be the same make and model as this is part of the BIOS/Firmware.

 

[pcpete]

I was assuming since a hard drive password follows standard ATA specifications that are not manufacturer specific it would be trivial for the right person to write a utility to do this.

 

[Markverhyden]

I was assuming since a hard drive password follows standard ATA specifications that are not manufacturer specific it would be trivial for the right person to write a utility to do this.

If it was trivial it would not be secure and that is the purpose of the exercise.

 

[pcpete]

Trivial and secure are not mutually exclusive in this scenario. It is not trival to crack or read an unknow HD password, but a mechanism to enter a known password may be trivial. As an example: an encrypted hard drive is trivial to decrypt with the know encryption method along with the correct password, but it is not trivial to break the encryption.

 

[Markverhyden]

Trivial and secure are not mutually exclusive in this scenario. It is not trival to crack or read an unknow HD password, but a mechanism to enter a known password may be trivial. As an example: an encrypted hard drive is trivial to decrypt with the know encryption method along with the correct password, but it is not trivial to break the encryption.

Ahhh.... Got it. Kind of missed that point along the way.

 

[pcpete]

hdparm has an option to do this. It did not sound stable enough. I would be hesitant to use it on anything important

hdparm --security-unlock PWD
Unlock the drive, using password PWD. Password is given as an ASCII string and is padded with NULs to reach 32 bytes. The applicable drive password is selected with the --user-master switch. No other flags are permitted on the command line with this one. THIS FEATURE IS EXPERIMENTAL AND NOT WELL TESTED. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

 

[Markverhyden]

I've read several times over the years that using hdparm on a drive on anything other than native interface, such as USB 2 SATA, will brick the drive. Not with every command but the warning was very emphatic.

 

[lcoughey]

A lot of the time, the system BIOS will encrypt the password when writing it to the drive. So, even if you know the password, it wouldn't be helpful without passing it through the BIOS. The only other option is with very expensive data recovery tools that can gain access to the service tracks on the drive and remove/disable the password, without losing the data.