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We have an Acer 3860 laptop and can't remember the recovery password. I found this info and am not sure how to implement it. Can anyone help??? TIA

Acer e-recovery passwords
Acer has a nice built in backup/recovery tool. Only drawback: you need to define a password when making your first backup, and by the time you do a restore, you sure have forgotten it.

Luckily, the password is stored in plain text on a hidden partition in the following file: /TOOLS/AIMDRS.DAT
The hidden partition can easily be mounted with any linux live cd.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Stefano Mtangoo

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already spotted that the OEM recovery area holds the key, and correctly pointed toward using a Live environment. The procedure below shows a safe, read-only way to inspect that partition from a Linux live session, plus common gotchas to watch for.

Boot a live Linux session (choose "Try" rather than install). Locate the recovery partition with a disk tool, then mount it read-only and search for small config or data files that contain human-readable text. Recommended commands (replace /dev/sdXN and /mnt/recovery with the correct device and mount point):

sudo lsblk -o NAME,FSTYPE,SIZE,LABEL,MOUNTPOINT
sudo blkid

sudo mkdir /mnt/recovery
sudo mount -o ro /dev/sdXN /mnt/recovery

sudo find /mnt/recovery -type f \( -iname '*.dat' -o -iname '*.ini' -o -iname '*.txt' \) -print
sudo strings /mnt/recovery/path/to/candidate-file | less

Do the work read-only to avoid corrupting the OEM area. If the partition does not appear in the tools, check with GParted or the partition table utilities; some vendors hide the partition flag but do not encrypt it. If mount fails because the partition is encrypted (BitLocker or full-disk encryption), this method will not reveal the password.

Make a forensic image before modifying anything if there is any doubt:

sudo dd if=/dev/sdXN of=~/recovery-part.img bs=4M status=progress

Keep in mind: using these steps is for machines you own or administer. If the recovery mechanism is needed and the partition cannot be read or is encrypted, contact the vendor for official recovery media or support. For general how-to on running a Live session and inspecting partitions, see the Ubuntu live-session guide and the GParted Live page for partition inspection (, GParted Live).

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Member Avatar for turtle463

Thanks so much! I understand how it works much better now and am giving it a try. I'll get back with the results after I use it.

Member Avatar for Stefano Mtangoo

you are welcome! Have any question? Don't hesitate to ask

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