Member Avatar for jwreno

I'm new here, and have a question I'm ready to throw thiis machine out the door.

First off I'm a 60yr old disabled lady who has done some work on computers before, and I have never run into this problem... So I'm completely Stumped..
Purchased a Dell Latitude C810 on E-Bay. Machine was just what I wanted, it had evrything except a OS, no big deal.. thats easy enough... Well when the machine arrived it not only had no OS, the Hard drive was Dead. so of course it had no CD Rom drive that would work either since thats a Optical Drive... Anyways no problem bought a Hard Drive Went to put it in and Now here is my problem..

When you boot the machine it goes into a screen which says Hard Drive Password Locked enter password. Well of course I don't have this password... with the new drive in I can't even go into Bios/Cmos. take it out and F2 works fine but thats not what I need.. anyways spent 3 hrs on live chat with Dell, and needless to say got nowhere.. they gave me a master password for the machine.. but of course it didn't work..
Now here is the ptoblem..

We have tried to reset the bios now several times.. Have taken machine apart to take out battery to try to clear cmos.. that hasen't work either.. I have several good programs to crack the Cmos but don't have anyway to run them since nothing is being reconized to run.. even the A drive won't boot..
How do I get this Hard Drive to work...???????

Please someone out there has to know how to get the cmos/bios cleared off so I can get this machine to run...
Don't say get ahold of the seller,, tried that one also.. no go.. he is willing to send me a barebone machine in place of this one which I don't want.. I want this one to run.. and I can't afford to take it into a repair shop... I have very limited income and have already spent what I could afford to purchase this machine...

Please Please someone help.. :angry:

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by sittas87

Dani AI

Generated

A few focused points that clarify what this thread is showing and a safe troubleshooting path for a Dell Latitude C810 reporting a hard‑drive password at boot (as and describe)—and a reminder that ’s request for the drive model is relevant.

A locked "Hard Drive Password" prompt normally means the drive itself is using ATA security, not that the BIOS/CMOS battery holds the secret. Removing the coin cell or powering down the laptop will typically not clear an ATA HDD password because that lock lives on the disk firmware. BIOS/setup passwords are different and can sometimes be cleared by CMOS reset; ATA (hard‑disk) passwords require the correct password or manufacturer/service intervention.

Practical diagnostic/workflow (do these in order):

  1. Record the exact pre‑boot message. Wording shows whether it is a "Hard Drive" lock or a "System/Setup" password.
  2. Remove any installed drive, boot and enter Setup (F2). Inspect Security menus for any configured passwords and for "Hard Disk Password" entries. If a hard‑disk password is present in Setup, try to clear it there while the disk is absent.
  3. With the locked drive present, avoid USB enclosures: USB–IDE bridges usually do not pass ATA security commands. If testing on a desktop, use a direct IDE/SATA connection that supports ATA commands.
  4. If the drive is ATA‑locked and the password is unknown, contact Dell support or the drive manufacturer with proof of ownership and the machine service tag; authorized service can advise on unlock/replacement options.
  5. If data is not required, replacing the drive with a new blank disk after confirming the BIOS has no active HDD password is the simplest route.
  6. If data must be recovered, use a reputable data‑recovery or authorized service—DIY unlock attempts and unofficial "master password" tools can permanently disable a drive.

Note: shorting random pins or using unverified crack tools risks hardware damage or data loss. The drive model (as asked for) changes which manufacturer tools or service paths are available.

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Member Avatar for U No Hoo

Did you ever get your issue resolved... I have a Latitude C810 that wouldn't recognize the hard drive. I cleared the CMOS and rebooted to find that nothing will POST and it comes up with the date and time need corrected but when I push F2 or Delete, nothing happens.

Member Avatar for jwreno

NO I haven't got it fixed.. and i know what you mean.. I can clear the cmos also.. and the only thing I can do is change the date and time back to the right one.. but nothing else if it won't let you change them back to the right date.. you will need to page over to the password area and they have a password in it.. you need to change it and then change the password for the configuration also.. but thats not going to solve your problem just get the date reset.... Good Luck.. If I ever figure it out will let you know..\


Jan

Member Avatar for sittas87

hey
k.im going to need the name of your hard drive to see if i can get a tool for the hdd

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