Has anyone tried this program? I went to get it and it's gone now.
I'm in a similar situation now with a drive I just got from eBay real cheap. I know it can be cracked but need some help with it. Anyone had any luck yet?
Has anyone tried this program? I went to get it and it's gone now.
I'm in a similar situation now with a drive I just got from eBay real cheap. I know it can be cracked but need some help with it. Anyone had any luck yet?
Can someone please help me, I am a new user i just signed up to this site 5 minutes ago, and the people here seem to know what their really talking about, I am a computer technician but I can't figure this one out at all. I am haveing the same exact problem as everyone here, I have an Dell Inspiron 2650 and it's asking me for an HDD Password which I forgot while i went on vacation. I noticed a few people commenting about buying a enw HD, and in doing so that will solve the problem. But it doesnt makes any sense to me, I understand how basically the password is set on the HD, but when in the Bios under the Security section, theres lines that state:
Supervisor Password Is: Clear
Set Supervisor Password [Enter]
Password on boot: [Disabled]
HDD Password Is: Locked
Set Hard Disk Password [Enter]
It seems as if this password problem everyones haveing is within the bios, I don't understand how a new HD could change this issue if it's set within the Bios
I tried change the password for the HD but it requires the old one that i do not have.
If anyone could please comment on anything here I would greatly appreciate it, buying a HD is not a problem at all to me but I dont want to buy one and it not work.
I don't have any experience with this, but the previous posts seems to indicate that the HDD password is, unlike the BIOS password, stored on the hard drive itself. It seems ryko was able to solve the problem with a new hard drive, so that's the best I can suggest for you as well. Maybe pull apart the old one and make some nice coasters with the platters
The HD password is stored on a chip elsewhere on the motherboard. That is why changing a HD will not work. The data is stored in a chip, and in most newer Dell laptops, it is not in the main CMOS or BIOS chip.
On some Dell laptops, you can clear this password by removing the CMOS battery from the motherboard temporarily. You may have to keep it out for up to 30 mins. However, most newer laptops store the password on a special chip that is outside the CMOS. Removing the battey does not help you. It can be done by actually physically locating the correct chip on the motherboard, and shorting it out. Then you need to actually reset all the info in the BIOS.
If you are the original owner of this laptop, there is an EASIER WAY. What you need to do is to call your Dell Support centre. Give them the Dell service tag number, and then tell them the info you just told us. They should be able to give you the BIOS password.
HOWEVER...This is a common problem with STOLEN Dell laptops. The laptop gets stolen, and the thief tries to change the hard drive because they cannot re-install everything without the Dell Setup CD. Once they install the new hard drive, they see this error message. Then they sell the laptop to an unsuspecting customer, usually on Ebay. The customer gets this message. They call Dell. Dell says, sure, no problem, can you please give me the name and address and phone number of the original owner (so they can transfer the ownership records to your name.) The new owner cannot do this, all they have is an Ebay username and maybe an e-mail address. And Dell says, Sorry, can't help you.
Unless of course Dell has been contacted by the original owner, and notified that the laptop has been stolen. In that case, Dell says, oh, thanks for recovering the laptop for us, we'll send the police over to pick that up from you....
So...if you are not the original owner...where did you get it? Did you buy it on Ebay, or secondhand from someone? Of course, there is also the possibility that you stole the laptop...I hope not, but it is possible. Especially since, if you hard drive crashed, all you had to do was call Dell and they would replace it for you. Or if you were the original owner, all you had to do was call Dell about the password problem, and they would have helped you....And if your hard drive did crash, you could just use your Dell Setup CD to reinstall everything...if you have it.
For that reason, I'm not going to point you to the website that shows you, step by step, how to short out the security chip. But if you google hard enough, it's out there.
Now, note that last line: if you google hard enough, it's out there. Well, guess what? It's not anymore. I just checked the reference site that I used, and they have been shutdown by their webhost, Tripod. And those of you who have read this entire thread may note that there was a Tripod link earlier in this thread, and if you are astute enough, you may put 2 + 2 together.... The correct site was referenced earlier in this thread, almost a year ago....but that site no longer exists.
So, if you look hard enough, you may come across another site which has the same info. We will likely not host this information here, because it does aid criminals in breaking into and/or selling stolen laptops. I am not saying that any user here has done anything illegal. However:
If you have bought a Dell laptop secondhand, or through eBay, then you need to understand that you MUST get that HD password from the owner, and you SHOULD have the seller contact Dell to transfer ownership. If the person you bought the laptop from cannot give you that password, or will not contact Dell to transfer ownership, then you very likely have bought a stolen laptop.
I have an Dell Inspiron 2650 and it's asking me for an HDD Password which I forgot while i went on vacation.
If that is indeed the case, and you are the original owner of the laptop, or you have properly transferred ownership of the laptop, then all you need to do is contact Dell, give them the serial number, and they should be able to help you rest it.
Dexter...
0
BlackHawkBible music connoisseurThere's no place like 127.0.0.1Icrontian
edited March 2005
wrote:
If you have bought a Dell laptop secondhand, or through eBay, then you need to understand that you MUST get that HD password from the owner, and you SHOULD have the seller contact Dell to transfer ownership. If the person you bought the laptop from cannot give you that password, or will not contact Dell to transfer ownership, then you very likely have bought a stolen laptop.
The above should be your main solution if you legally bought your laptop. If you're still having problems, I suggest you contact Dell's technical support. In addition, I shall close/delete any further threads about hdd password recovery.
Comments
Has anyone tried this program? I went to get it and it's gone now.
I'm in a similar situation now with a drive I just got from eBay real cheap. I know it can be cracked but need some help with it. Anyone had any luck yet?
See my replies in this thread:
http://www.short-media.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27650
It won't necessarily help you, but it will explain to you exactly what this problem is, and why you should never by a used laptop cheap on eBay...
Dexter...
Supervisor Password Is: Clear
Set Supervisor Password [Enter]
Password on boot: [Disabled]
HDD Password Is: Locked
Set Hard Disk Password [Enter]
It seems as if this password problem everyones haveing is within the bios, I don't understand how a new HD could change this issue if it's set within the Bios
I tried change the password for the HD but it requires the old one that i do not have.
If anyone could please comment on anything here I would greatly appreciate it, buying a HD is not a problem at all to me but I dont want to buy one and it not work.
Thanks A Bunch
If you scroll up, you will see a post that says "see my replies in this thread: http://www.short-media.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27650 "
For simplicity, for the benefit of everyone who reads this, I will quote myself:
Now, note that last line: if you google hard enough, it's out there. Well, guess what? It's not anymore. I just checked the reference site that I used, and they have been shutdown by their webhost, Tripod. And those of you who have read this entire thread may note that there was a Tripod link earlier in this thread, and if you are astute enough, you may put 2 + 2 together.... The correct site was referenced earlier in this thread, almost a year ago....but that site no longer exists.
So, if you look hard enough, you may come across another site which has the same info. We will likely not host this information here, because it does aid criminals in breaking into and/or selling stolen laptops. I am not saying that any user here has done anything illegal. However:
If you have bought a Dell laptop secondhand, or through eBay, then you need to understand that you MUST get that HD password from the owner, and you SHOULD have the seller contact Dell to transfer ownership. If the person you bought the laptop from cannot give you that password, or will not contact Dell to transfer ownership, then you very likely have bought a stolen laptop.
Dexter...
If that is indeed the case, and you are the original owner of the laptop, or you have properly transferred ownership of the laptop, then all you need to do is contact Dell, give them the serial number, and they should be able to help you rest it.
Dexter...
If you bought a cheap laptop, it is most likely stolen, and you are probably screwed!
This site might have some answers to help you feel better though:
www.joinfolding.com