Member Avatar for tolly

i have a ergo laptop with a 40 gb fuji hard drive in it
when i tern it on it asks for a hard drive password
it is in a school one of the puiples has locked thhe hard drive
is there anyway i can get on to the hard drive
i have tried password but still cant get on to it
is there anyway i can get on to it

  • 7 Contributors
  • 9 Replies
  • 223 Views
  • 2 Years Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by alc6379

Dani AI

Generated

This looks like a drive-level (ATA/hardware) or BIOS hard‑disk password rather than a Windows/user account password. A true “hard drive password” prompt appears before the OS loads and is enforced by the drive or the firmware — tools that reset Windows passwords or boot from a Live CD usually cannot remove it.

Useful next steps:

  1. Confirm ownership and chain of custody — because this is a school device, contact the school IT/asset custodian first. If the school owns the laptop they must authorize any recovery.
  2. Document the fault — take a clear photo of the exact prompt and note model/serial numbers on the laptop and drive. These details are what support teams will ask for.
  3. Contact the vendor(s) with proof of ownership — the laptop OEM and the hard‑drive manufacturer (authorized service centers or the school’s support contract) can tell you whether an authorized unlock or a drive replacement is possible and what it will cost.
  4. If data is essential, engage a reputable data‑recovery lab that handles ATA‑locked drives. If data is not required, replacing the drive and reimaging the laptop is usually the fastest, lowest‑cost fix.

Important cautions: guessing passwords, fiddling with jumpers, or using unverified “unlock” utilities can permanently render data unrecoverable or void warranties. Also beware of online services that claim instant unlocks — many are scams or require that you ship the drive to a lab.

Context for earlier replies: was right that the owner/IT should be involved; ’s Live‑CD and OS password tools help when the problem is a Windows/user account, but they don’t remove a hardware/ATA lock; ’s jumper idea is risky and unlikely to clear a firmware password; ’s suggestion to involve the manufacturer is the most practical route when ownership can be proven.

Recommended Answers

All 9 Replies

Member Avatar for Serunson

Find the person who did it and force the password out of them.
OR
Take it to a tech store, and get an expert to fix the problem.

Member Avatar for tolly

we do not know who did it or i would i herd there is sometimes a backdoor password when the hard drive is locked is this true this has happend before we contacted ergo and they just said buy anouther hard drive im sure there must be a way of geting on to it

Member Avatar for atplerry

Nice one all you need to do is try to force the guy who did that or try the following
go to the laptop tech try to tell them the problem if it is not fixed then go to the board of the system remove all the jumper on the board and on the hard disk and fix it again

Member Avatar for rowdy1

Try Google


Or you could use

For NTFS drives:

For Fat32 drives your best bet is to grab a Live Linux CD iso off the net and use it to recover the info from the drive then just reformat.
Try Slax, Mepis, Knoppix, or Ubuntu.

You will need to know how to download and burn an ISO (.iso)
good luck

Member Avatar for tolly

cheers ill try it thanks

Member Avatar for tolly

if anyone has any more ideas on how to remove the password plz dont hesitate to reply or email me direct on <email snipped>

Edited by ~s.o.s~ because: Email snipped, keep it on site
Member Avatar for Bijay Thapa

how i removed the password from harddrive...i have used to many tools but i can't so if u have an idea given me then it will be done.. i wait for ur mail....

Member Avatar for Soliu

i also want to know how to remove the HDD passward

Member Avatar for alc6379

Many times you're just out of luck. If you know the manufacturer of the drive, you might be able to email the manufacturer's support group to get a utility to unlock the drive from DOS.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.