removing hard disk password lock on IBM laptop

sswats · 12 Oct 2009 at 16:48

An old IBM X41 laptop has password set by the BIOS on the hard drive (ie not a windows password)

Is there any way to get this password removed?
There's no data so the drive can be wiped clean if necessary.

Its a 1.8" IDE which is annoying and expensive to get hold of, so that isn't really an option. Although i've read that i risk locking another hard drive if i put it into the laptop without remivng this password first.

Outcast · 12 Oct 2009 at 16:52

Ophcrack

wardster · 12 Oct 2009 at 17:14

Doesn't OPHCRACK only works for windows passwords.

How about flashing the bios?

JonJ678 · 12 Oct 2009 at 17:16

Updating the bios may resolve the issue. Failing that, reset the bios to defaults (you'll probably have to take out/short a battery for a while, or possibly even short two of the pins on the chip). It's fortunate that you don't want the data on the drive back.

If Ophcrack works then fair play. Given it brute forces windows passwords I can't see it doing very well. Not sure any software is going to help here, brute forcing a drive encryption password will take considerable patience.

eLbot · 12 Oct 2009 at 20:06

Are you absolutely certain that this is a HDD lock rather than a Supervisor/ Power on password preventing boot?

Can you confirm that the computer displays a cylinder to the left of the padlock on the password prompt rather than a square? I can direct you on how to pull the password off the cmos if it’s the latter, if however it is a HDD lock I’m not much use.

sswats · 13 Oct 2009 at 10:58

There was a password on the bios too so i couldn't access BIOS settings. A friend managed to remove that so i now can access that, but couldn't fix this one.

But there is a cylinder to the left of the padlock.

It won't even boot up from any CD unless i remove the hard drive totally.

J.B · 13 Oct 2009 at 11:08

IBM passwords are notoriously hard to circumvent, Im surprised you managed to get the BIOS password off. I remember a few years ago trying to get rid of one involved soldering a couple of pins on the BIOS chip to a COM port and running this special program!

Aod · 13 Oct 2009 at 15:38

IBM specifically say that if you set, and then forget the HDD password, your data is gone

replacing the HDD should work though, because i think the passwording is on the HDD itself, not the BIOS.
there are LOADS of 1.8" IDE HDD's on ebay for very reasonable prices.

Auraomega · 13 Oct 2009 at 15:55

Well, back when I worked at a rather shady warehouse that worked with PCs, we had a number of IBM laptops come in, many of which had passwords on their BIOS and HDD, one of the guys had a tool which he used to remove the passwords, the tool was simply a paperclip bent in a certain way to short out a couple of pins (could be done without taking it apart too), I'm not sure how it worked, but it did.

I managed to remove my password on my laptop in the same theoretical way, I didn't want it removing but it did anyway (and reset the BIOS at the same time), all I did was slot in my DVD drive during operating and the laptop reset and password was gone.

As far as I'm aware this is the same method as used on PCs, however laptops are designed to not show which pins to short.