Cannot unlock locked original hard drive from EliteBook 8460p

[milhan]

Hello everyone

I have an Elitebook 8460p which has an original hard drive which is locked and I don't know the password. The hard drive is healthy. I reset the security settings in the BIOS but still getting the same "Drive is locked" screen on boot. Any help will be much appreciated. Thank you.

Below is what the screen looks like:

 

[IT_WinSec]

Hello @milhan

Thank you for posting.

Most business class notebooks (including yours Elitebook and Probook) have better security. Password cannot be removed here in the forum - you will have to contact HP Business Support for assistance on removing the password.

Here is how:

phone >> http://www8.hp.com/us/en/contact-hp/ww-phone-assist.html

chat >> https://support.hp.com/us-en/contact-hp

HP Business support should be able to send you instructions which you can use  to reset the password. Note that assistance for such issues is usually free of charge for HP business class computers no matter if their warranty period expired or not.

Hope this helps. Please, mark the post as a solution if it helped.

Let me know if you face any difficulties.

[milhan]

Do I have to wait until Monday to contact them?

[IT_WinSec]

Hi,

It depends on where you are now and where you purchased the PC from. In some countries HP provides support 24/7 so you do not have to wait till Monday. But in some other places support is not 24/7

Try now and if the office is closed you will get a notification.

Please, note that after you reach to HP, here is how it generally works:

- you reach 1st level support agent, explain the issue. He/She collects all the required information and will escalate the matter to tier 2 support team

- Level 2 will reach to you via email in the following days (may take 2-3 business days after initial contact).

Cheers!

[milhan]

I just had a chat session online with HP and the agent said there is nothing they can do??

[IT_WinSec]

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@milhan wrote:

I just had a chat session online with HP and the agent said there is nothing they can do??

---

Hi @milhan

Thank you for posting back.

The message you encounter and show above is related to a security feature known as Drive Lock.

>> https://support.hp.com/th-en/document/c01674996

As per the official article:

DriveLock uses two passwords:

    User password

    and
    Master password

There is no recovery for a forgotten DriveLock password. A DriveLock password can only be deleted by disabling DriveLock protection from the drive. There is no recovery if a master DriveLock password is forgotten.

To disable the DriveLock password, complete the following steps:

1. Boot the unit and press F10 at the HP logo.
2. Unit will prompt for the DriveLock password.
3. Type the Master password and enter the BIOS setup screen.
4. Go to Security, then DriveLock Password 5, and select Notebook Hard drive.
5. Click Disable Protection.
6. It will prompt for the Master password. Type the Master password and click Enter. Save changes and exit.

If you don't know the password, there is nothing you can do other than contacting HP.

Do you have a ticket number (case number) with regards to your recent contact with HP Support representative ?

What is the brand of your storage device (HDD) ?

[milhan]

Thank you for the reply.

this is the picture of the hard disk drive. It is a Hitachi.

HP Case Number 5007394746

I don't think I know neither the master nor the user password for the hard drive. But I can easily access the BIOS when I remove the hard drive.

How about contacting the manufacturer of the HDD? Could they help?

Thanks.

[milhan]

The hard drive is a Hitachi HDD. Picture above.

HP Case Number 5007394746

I don't know the master password nor the user password for the HDD. I can access the BIOS when I remove the hard drive.

Would it help to call the manufacturer of the hard drive?

[IT_WinSec]

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@milhan wrote:

Thank you for the reply.

this is the picture of the hard disk drive. It is a Hitachi.

HP Case Number 5007394746

I don't think I know neither the master nor the user password for the hard drive. But I can easily access the BIOS when I remove the hard drive.

How about contacting the manufacturer of the HDD? Could they help?

Thanks.

---

Thank you for your details and for the cooperation !

I asked you for the HDD brand and model because there was a known issue before with some other brand and Drive Lock and Hitachi is that vendor. There is no point to contact the HDD vendor (Hitachi) - The problem originates from HP Drive Lock - I mean it works as intended, though.

Sorry for asking and for being so direct, but why don't you know the DriveLock passwords (master or user) - what's the case here ?

As per the official article >> https://support.hp.com/th-en/document/c01674996

: there is no recovery for a forgotten DriveLock password. A DriveLock password can only be deleted by disabling DriveLock protection from the drive. There is no recovery if a master DriveLock password is forgotten.

I thought that HP has some internal mechanism to delete/disable the password but if they told you it was not possible, your next step would be to replace the drive entirely with a new one which is not locked.

However, I will check with HP internally and me or someone else will come back to you with a final statement. Please, allow few days for a research. Thank you for your patience !

[milhan]

I bought this HP Elitebook 8460p last year off of eBay on an auction from a reputable eBay store and, in fact, it was advertised as BIOS-locked and as-is. Everyday, numerous password-locked notebook PCs are being sold on eBay. I still have the sales receipt for the transaction. I got in touch with both eBay and the seller company, based in NY, after I received the laptop and I was told the hard drive in the laptop is the original one. I didn't ask about the password (and I don't think they have it!) because I was positive I would be able to unlock the drive.

Does that answer your question? 

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IT_WinSec wrote:

Sorry for asking and for being so direct, but why don't you know the DriveLock passwords (master or user) - what's the case here ?