very strange problem - drivelock

[brainstormcomp]

I've got one for you guys. Have a Compaq Evo N610c laptop with Toshiba hard drive. The BIOS/System/Drivelock passwords were NEVER set- in fact there wasn't even a Windows password. The system got a few viruses that coulnd't be removed by the antivirus software that was in there- so I pulled the drive and hooked it up to a USB adapter on my desktop. The desktop recognized, I scanned it and removed several viruses and then did a spyware scan too. NOW, when I put it back into the laptop, it's asking for the Drivelock password- which there isn't one. Also, if I try to hook it back up to the USB adapter or even connect it to the IDE bus with an adapter internally, the platters are locked- so I can no longer get any of my data off the drive. You guys ever see this sort of thing? I'm willing to try most anything now to be able to get my pictures off the laptop drive.

 

[xit]

Might look at this

http://h20271.www2.hp.com/SMB-AP/cache/125134-0-0-155-121.html

xit

 

[brainstormcomp]

That's all fine and good- but I NEVER set a drivelock password at all. From start up to shut down there was no security in place, but now- after removing the drive and then putting it back in- it *thinks* there is a password...

 

[xit]

I have heard about some work arounds but they are sketchy, one thing I did hear was you get X amount of trys, possibly 4 and then everything is locked & your only alternative is a data recovery service. I don't understand why your drive calls for a password, when none was ever entered!

xit

 

[brainstormcomp]

Well- you get two tries and then you have to reboot. It's not that I haven't been researching this problem for 2 days straight- I've read about people taking two drives apart and switching the electronics to bypass the lock. I shouldn't have to do any of that- I NEVER SET A PASSWORD on the silly thing.......... So angry.

 

[satrow]

An early point of contact must be HP/Compaq support for this; sounds like the malware or cleanup affected the area in which the password data should be stored.

Would it be possible to re-attach it to the machine used for cleanup and undo some of the operations?

 

[brainstormcomp]

Hooking it back to the same pc that I did the virus scan is no help- the drive is no longer recognized outside of the original laptop. I've hooked it up to an external USB adapter again and directly inside a desktop with an IDE and laptop adapter- no go. Not really sure who to talk to- it's a Toshiba hard drive (only 1.5 years old) and a Compaq laptop that's way out of warranty. Can't believe that this has never happened to anyone before- weird. One moment it's working (albeit with viruses) and the next it has magically locked itself with a password that it NEVER had.

 

[mibluez06]

I have a similar problem with an HP Notebook Compaq nw8240, where a user has claimed to have never installed a drivelock password, but is stopped by the drivelock password screen. Have you had any success in progressing the issue?

 

[brainstormcomp]

No luck at all. In fact, after putting a new hard drive in the laptop, it magically claimed to be 'locked'. Sent that drive back, thankfully my distributor took it back. Immediately trasahed to laptop for parts- no longer worth messing with. Drive dead, data unrecoverable, huge headache.

 

[firewolfrl]

Ok what I suggest you do is call HP

http://h20271.www2.hp.com/SMB-AP/cache/125134-0-0-190-121.html

HP and compaq are the same and you have HP drivelock technology so that is your only option.
the last drive I tried to get data off I had to do this ...MBR was Corrupted HP I was able to get the files thanks to HP ...I guess I was lucky