Re: "The other half of the hash (to decode) was back in the original
laptop. Preventing someone from getting at it, especially by stealing
the drive, is just what that security is for; i.e., unless the drive is
in the original laptop that hashed up the drive's contents AND you know
the password, you will never get at the decoded contents of the drive."

I don't think that's correct. This isn't windows, this is an IDE
password. The implementation of that is supposed to prevent access, on
ANY computer, without the password. But as far as I know, it is NOT
supposed to tie the drive to the computer ... the correct password
should work on any computer. Otherwise, as has happened here, if the
computer motherboard dies, then the drive is lost, and that is beyond
secure, it is "data endangering". And I don't think that's how it works.


Vanguard wrote:
> <groupware@rocketmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1170496986.767710.158150@a34g2000cwb.googlegr oups.com...
>> Hi,
>>
>> My laptop has died and I have taken out the hard drive and connected
>> it to a USB connector.
>>
>> Windows recognised the hard drive and it apears in Device Manager but
>> does not map a drive or apper in the Disk Management wndow.
>>
>> I then remembered I had set a password for the drive.
>>
>> Question 1 - Is there any way to enter a HDD passowrd via a USB/IDE
>> connection
>>
>> I then put my Hard Drive into another laptop (a HP Compaq NC4010) and
>> as good as gold the Bios requested the HDDDrive Bay Password.
>>
>> I entered the password but no go ?
>>
>> Question 2 - The computer that the Hard Drive comes from uses a US
>> layout keyboard and the one i am trying to use it in now is a UK
>> layout. I use a ~ (tilde) in my password which is in a different spot
>> on these keyboards (although I have tried the various corresponding
>> key locations) but it continually rejcts my password.
>
>
> You mention the 2nd but failed laptop where you tried using the password
> but never bothered to mention the ORIGINAL laptop that was used to hash
> your hard drive's contents. The other half of the hash (to decode) was
> back in the original laptop. Preventing someone from getting at it,
> especially by stealing the drive, is just what that security is for;
> i.e., unless the drive is in the original laptop that hashed up the
> drive's contents AND you know the password, you will never get at the
> decoded contents of the drive. That's why you need to do backups (which
> aren't hashed or you specify the password which is a software-based
> password that you can use regardless of to where you restore the
> password-protected backup).
>
> I you don't have the original laptop to reinsert the hard drive, you'll
> have to call the maker of the original laptop to see if they provide a
> backdoor password, but I doubt it (although I have seen some lists
> floating around of possible backdoor passwords). If you don't have
> possession of the original laptop and it is usable, start looking for a
> service bureau to do the recovery. Otherwise, you are stuck with
> partitioning and formatting the drive to wipe it out, and use the
> password, if wanted, for the new laptop that does whole-disk encryption.
> Hardware-based security became available starting back with the ATA-3
> specification.
>
> http://www.pwcrack.com/bios.shtml
> http://www.rockbox.org/lock.html
> http://www.driverforum.com/harddrive3/1642.html (but sounds very hazardous)
> http://www.eevidencelabs.com/article..._Forensics.pdf
>
> http://www.velocityreviews.com/forum...-password.html
>
>
>